FOR THE CAPTAIN’S day of the 2025 Hogan Cup, a small delegation from St Colman’s College in Claremorris made their way to Croke Park.
The Mayo school, who last won the competition in 1977, had four representatives in the car. Teachers Eoghan Collins and Enda Campbell were the joint-managers guiding St Colman’s to their first Hogan Cup final appearance since 1981.
Leaving Cert students Darragh Beirne and Rio Mortimer — the joint-captains — were in the back seat. The St Colman’s full-forward and full-back who both hail from respected Mayo bloodlines. Beirne’s father, Kevin, won a minor All-Ireland with Mayo in 1985 while the Mortimer name is synonymous with football in the county.
Rio’s father, Kenneth, won two All-Stars during his career while his uncles Trevor and Conor were both celebrated forwards for the Green and Red.
“Darragh did the [coin] toss and Rio did the talking,” Collins says, outlining the contrast between their personalities which they combined into a formidable partnership.
Mortimer would go on to achieve outstanding Leaving Cert results which in turn led to an Excellence Scholarship award from the University of Galway. Beirne was a diligent student too according to Collins. He was his geography teacher for the senior cycle.
And as the car ambled on towards Dublin for the Hogan Cup captain’s day, the joint-leaders of the St Colman’s team were putting the work in for their upcoming exams.
“The two boys were on the laptops in the back seat doing whatever project they needed to do,” Collins continues.
“When they were in fifth year, they would have done exam aid for the Leaving Cert. They knew they were missing a lot of time in training so any opportunity to put the work in.”
****
Advertisement
Beirne in action during the league earlier this year. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Collins already knew at that point that Beirne was destined for high achievement in a Mayo jersey. He had already excelled at minor level for the county, finishing the 2023 championship with a tally of 2-21 as Mayo’s season ended at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage against Monaghan.
Further progress was achieved with the U20s in 2025 where he clocked out with an impressive 5-18. That glut of scores included 1-3 in a Connacht final win over Roscommon. Still only 19, he was eligible again for that grade this season, finishing with 1-21 as they were dethroned by Roscommon after extra-time in the Connacht final.
Youthful promise doesn’t always convert into success as a senior. Many emerging talents hit their ceiling too soon. But Beirne has fulfilled Collins’ expectation in emphatic style this year.
He has 1-13 to his name from just four senior championship games, his goal coming in their Round 2A meeting with Tyrone.
Mayo make the best of a poor Tyrone kickout, and Darragh Beirne slots it home.
Notice his patience at around 18 seconds in this video as Paul Towey gathers the ball just outside the square.
Towey then gets smothered by defenders, prompting Beirne to quickly take a pass on the angle and blast his shot past Niall Morgan. Mayo ended up falling short by 0-22 to 1-18 but Beirne demonstrated his ability to mine scores in high-pressure moments.
So, when Ryan O’Donoghue revealed that his Claremorris teammate stepped forward to take ownership of a two-point free in the second half of their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Cork, Collins wasn’t surprised. He had that initiative in his game during his St Colman’s days too.
Beirne slotted the free into the Davin End goal of Croke Park before lifting another orange flag from roughly the same spot outside the arc. He signed out with 0-7 (1 2pt play, 1 2pt free) in a man-of-the-match performance.
“He’s just that confident and knows his capabilities,” says Collins about his former student.
“He’s an all-rounder. He works hard, tackles hard. He’s left or right. He can sell a dummy. There’s a lot of strings to his bow.
“You’d nearly swear he’s a veteran. Even last year in school, he was wise beyond his years. He’s just an animal for work, and just wants to do the right thing.”
That leads us to the coaching direction that Beirne received while playing for St Colman’s.
“Do what you want,” Collins says offering a brief explanation.
The St Colman’s management had complete faith in his judgment and ability to read the pattern of a game. Beirne’s position on paper was full-forward, but he was permitted to roam out the field if he felt such a move was required.
“You really don’t want to tell him what to do because he has such a football IQ that he knows where he needs to be to get on as much ball as possible,” Collins adds. “It was a simple enough game plan.”
And although their Hogan Cup final ended in a comprehensive 2-8 to 0-4 defeat against St Patrick’s College, Maghera of Derry, Beirne still left his handprint on the game. He accounted for all of their scores, which included three points from play.
“With about five or six minutes to go, he’d a goal shot that was saved,” Collins says, elaborating on the extent of Beirne’s influence on their performance. “If that went in, it would have brought it back to maybe two or three points. But even that day, St Pat’s were the dominant team, and he just kept bringing the fight to them.
“He was one of the top two or three players on the pitch, and it shows that he was probably one of the best school players in the country last year.”
****
Darragh Beirne and Ryan O'Donoghue during Mayo's championship meeting with Monaghan. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Beirne is part of an inside forward line who contributed 0-19 to the 0-23 – 0-18 scoreline which powered Mayo past Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final. O’Donoghue (0-8) is the most experienced of the three while Kobe McDonald (0-4) and Beirne are both in the midst of a breakout season.
Related Reads
'There's always more you can get out of the jar if you believe': Devlin and Louth chase All-Ireland dream
'They still have huge quality in that team' - O'Connor not surprised by Dublin resurgence
Dublin boss Brennan: 'Kerry are the favourites and all the pressure is on them'
Naturally, McDonald has been the headline act as he picks up the torch from his father Ciarán. His AFL prospects with St Kilda drew even more attention for the 18-year-old while his current championship tally of 1-21 has gripped the crowd.
“It actually suits him coming in under Kobe’s radar nearly,” says Collins. “Kobe was taking the heat, and Darragh’s just a fella that goes about his business.”
Collins expects his other former student Rio Mortimer to join the young cast of Mayo starlets soon as well. He captained the minors to a Connacht title in 2023, and was the first-choice centre back for the U20s this year. Another member of the St Colman’s alumni earmarked for greatness with the Green and Red.
Louth, competing in their first All-Ireland semi-final since 1957, will provide a different challenge as they continue to chase down history. The same is true for Mayo of course, who still carry the ghosts of 1951, and all the pain of the years in between.
Beirne is part of the latest generation of players hoping to end their suffering. Croke Park is calling again today.
“They’ll try to cut his influence,” says Collins, “And probably Kobe and Ryan O’Donoghue. Because a lot of people think that’s Mayo’s strongest line-up. If they can get enough ball into them, they’ll do damage.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'Just a fella that goes about his business' - Mayo's 19-year-old star flying under Kobe's radar
FOR THE CAPTAIN’S day of the 2025 Hogan Cup, a small delegation from St Colman’s College in Claremorris made their way to Croke Park.
The Mayo school, who last won the competition in 1977, had four representatives in the car. Teachers Eoghan Collins and Enda Campbell were the joint-managers guiding St Colman’s to their first Hogan Cup final appearance since 1981.
Leaving Cert students Darragh Beirne and Rio Mortimer — the joint-captains — were in the back seat. The St Colman’s full-forward and full-back who both hail from respected Mayo bloodlines. Beirne’s father, Kevin, won a minor All-Ireland with Mayo in 1985 while the Mortimer name is synonymous with football in the county.
Rio’s father, Kenneth, won two All-Stars during his career while his uncles Trevor and Conor were both celebrated forwards for the Green and Red.
“Darragh did the [coin] toss and Rio did the talking,” Collins says, outlining the contrast between their personalities which they combined into a formidable partnership.
Mortimer would go on to achieve outstanding Leaving Cert results which in turn led to an Excellence Scholarship award from the University of Galway. Beirne was a diligent student too according to Collins. He was his geography teacher for the senior cycle.
And as the car ambled on towards Dublin for the Hogan Cup captain’s day, the joint-leaders of the St Colman’s team were putting the work in for their upcoming exams.
“The two boys were on the laptops in the back seat doing whatever project they needed to do,” Collins continues.
“When they were in fifth year, they would have done exam aid for the Leaving Cert. They knew they were missing a lot of time in training so any opportunity to put the work in.”
****
Collins already knew at that point that Beirne was destined for high achievement in a Mayo jersey. He had already excelled at minor level for the county, finishing the 2023 championship with a tally of 2-21 as Mayo’s season ended at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage against Monaghan.
Further progress was achieved with the U20s in 2025 where he clocked out with an impressive 5-18. That glut of scores included 1-3 in a Connacht final win over Roscommon. Still only 19, he was eligible again for that grade this season, finishing with 1-21 as they were dethroned by Roscommon after extra-time in the Connacht final.
Youthful promise doesn’t always convert into success as a senior. Many emerging talents hit their ceiling too soon. But Beirne has fulfilled Collins’ expectation in emphatic style this year.
He has 1-13 to his name from just four senior championship games, his goal coming in their Round 2A meeting with Tyrone.
Notice his patience at around 18 seconds in this video as Paul Towey gathers the ball just outside the square.
Towey then gets smothered by defenders, prompting Beirne to quickly take a pass on the angle and blast his shot past Niall Morgan. Mayo ended up falling short by 0-22 to 1-18 but Beirne demonstrated his ability to mine scores in high-pressure moments.
So, when Ryan O’Donoghue revealed that his Claremorris teammate stepped forward to take ownership of a two-point free in the second half of their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Cork, Collins wasn’t surprised. He had that initiative in his game during his St Colman’s days too.
Beirne slotted the free into the Davin End goal of Croke Park before lifting another orange flag from roughly the same spot outside the arc. He signed out with 0-7 (1 2pt play, 1 2pt free) in a man-of-the-match performance.
“He’s just that confident and knows his capabilities,” says Collins about his former student.
“He’s an all-rounder. He works hard, tackles hard. He’s left or right. He can sell a dummy. There’s a lot of strings to his bow.
“You’d nearly swear he’s a veteran. Even last year in school, he was wise beyond his years. He’s just an animal for work, and just wants to do the right thing.”
That leads us to the coaching direction that Beirne received while playing for St Colman’s.
“Do what you want,” Collins says offering a brief explanation.
The St Colman’s management had complete faith in his judgment and ability to read the pattern of a game. Beirne’s position on paper was full-forward, but he was permitted to roam out the field if he felt such a move was required.
“You really don’t want to tell him what to do because he has such a football IQ that he knows where he needs to be to get on as much ball as possible,” Collins adds. “It was a simple enough game plan.”
And although their Hogan Cup final ended in a comprehensive 2-8 to 0-4 defeat against St Patrick’s College, Maghera of Derry, Beirne still left his handprint on the game. He accounted for all of their scores, which included three points from play.
“With about five or six minutes to go, he’d a goal shot that was saved,” Collins says, elaborating on the extent of Beirne’s influence on their performance. “If that went in, it would have brought it back to maybe two or three points. But even that day, St Pat’s were the dominant team, and he just kept bringing the fight to them.
“He was one of the top two or three players on the pitch, and it shows that he was probably one of the best school players in the country last year.”
****
Beirne is part of an inside forward line who contributed 0-19 to the 0-23 – 0-18 scoreline which powered Mayo past Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final. O’Donoghue (0-8) is the most experienced of the three while Kobe McDonald (0-4) and Beirne are both in the midst of a breakout season.
Naturally, McDonald has been the headline act as he picks up the torch from his father Ciarán. His AFL prospects with St Kilda drew even more attention for the 18-year-old while his current championship tally of 1-21 has gripped the crowd.
“It actually suits him coming in under Kobe’s radar nearly,” says Collins. “Kobe was taking the heat, and Darragh’s just a fella that goes about his business.”
Collins expects his other former student Rio Mortimer to join the young cast of Mayo starlets soon as well. He captained the minors to a Connacht title in 2023, and was the first-choice centre back for the U20s this year. Another member of the St Colman’s alumni earmarked for greatness with the Green and Red.
Louth, competing in their first All-Ireland semi-final since 1957, will provide a different challenge as they continue to chase down history. The same is true for Mayo of course, who still carry the ghosts of 1951, and all the pain of the years in between.
Beirne is part of the latest generation of players hoping to end their suffering. Croke Park is calling again today.
“They’ll try to cut his influence,” says Collins, “And probably Kobe and Ryan O’Donoghue. Because a lot of people think that’s Mayo’s strongest line-up. If they can get enough ball into them, they’ll do damage.”
****
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
All-Ireland SFC Darragh Beirne GAA Gaelic Football Louth GAA Mayo GAA