Summerhill College
Summerhill College is the Sligo school that has twice come within one game of the Hogan Cup. Its two finals, in 1985 and on St Patrick’s Day 2023 in Croke Park, are the only times a Sligo school has played for the All-Ireland senior schools title.
From Athlone to College Road
The college was founded in 1857 in Summerhill, Athlone, and moved to Sligo in 1880, keeping the name. It is the diocesan college for Elphin, a Catholic boys’ school for most of its history, and it began taking girls into first year in September 2025.
On the football field, Summerhill’s Connacht senior titles came in 1930, 1931, 1954, 1955, 1971, 1975, 1985, 2016 and 2023. The 2016 final was a Sligo derby, 1-12 to 0-13 against St Attracta’s of Tubbercurry, the school Summerhill met in many Connacht A finals over 15 years.
Croke Park, 2023
The 1985 team reached the Hogan Cup final and lost 1-9 to 0-9 to Coláiste Chríost Rí of Cork. The 2023 side beat St Gerald’s, Rice College, Ballinrobe and Claregalway to win Connacht, then upset St Brendan’s of Killarney 2-11 to 1-11 in the semi-final in Tuam, with Ronan Niland’s solo goal sealing it late on.
The final against Omagh CBS on 17 March 2023 was the school’s first final at Croke Park. Omagh led 3-8 to 0-4 at half-time and won 6-16 to 3-8, though Summerhill got three goals in the last quarter, two from Connor Flynn and one from Shea O’Neill.
Recent Seasons
Summerhill were back in the Connacht final in 2025, losing 2-9 to 1-9 to St Colman’s of Claremorris, who went on to the Hogan Cup final. St Gerald’s of Castlebar won the 2026 Connacht title, beating St Muirdeach’s of Ballina in the final.
Mark Breheny
Navy and Light Blue
Summerhill’s school colours are navy blue and light blue. When Ocean FM looked back at the 1985 Hogan Cup team in 2025, it called them the Sligo boys in blue.
This FanFile covers Summerhill College as a football school rather than one particular jersey. Check the crest, sponsor, manufacturer label and product code on your own shirt to identify its specific season and edition.
Your Next GAA Jersey Could Come from Anywhere
Enjoyed discovering the story behind Summerhill College? Explore another club, county and Gaelic games culture through an authentic mystery GAA jersey from Mystique Jerseys. Choose your size and tell us which teams you want to avoid before we select your surprise.
Sources & Further Reading
- GAA.ie: Summerhill College building a football culture, 2023
- GAA.ie: Hogan Cup semi-final, Summerhill v St Brendan’s
- GAA.ie: 2023 Hogan Cup final report
- Irish Examiner: Summerhill bid to make Sligo history
- Wikipedia: Connacht Colleges Senior Football Championship
- Wikipedia: Hogan Cup finals
- Ocean FM: The Sligo boys in blue, Summerhill College 1985
- Sligo Weekender: Summerhill to go co-educational, 2023
Facts checked: 11 November 2026.