Mount Lourdes produced a superb performance in the Individual Medley to secure the silver medal at the Ulster schools Minor Championships which took place last Friday in Ballymena.

There was also individual success for Caitlin Love who secured a brilliant silver in the 50m Butterfly while the following day at the Enniskillen Model’s Ellie McCartney and St. Mary’s Mullmesker’s Caragh Leonard both returned home with a gold and a bronze medal to cap off a wonderful weekend for the county’s young swimmers.

On the Friday, Mount Lourdes, Portora, St. Michael’s and Devenish College were among 63 schools taking part in the Ulster schools Minor Championships as 17 pupils in total from Fermanagh schools took part in a range of individual and team relay events.

Indeed, the huge entry field was reflected in the fact that the St. Michael’s relay team not did enter the water until 10.40pm that night for their final swim.

For St. Michael’s, first year pupil Oisin McCaffrey-McManus put in a great performance in the 50 metre Backstroke, making the finals where he eventually finished fifth.

Also making the finals from St. Michael’s in the 50 metre Breaststroke was second year pupil Dara McGandy. Dara was narrowly edged out of the medals in a tightly contested final to finish fourth.

Mount Lourdes girls Laura McCaffrey and Caitlin Love also made finals.

First up in the 50 metre Backstroke final was Laura. The final was really close with tenth of seconds separating the finalists with Laura eventually finishing sixth.

Caitlin, qualifying fourth for the 50 Butterfly final, put in a great performance to take home a silver medal medal and a new PB in this event.

Fresh from the success of the individual finals, Laura and Caitlin had little time to recover before they were joined by Sorcha Lavelle and Caiombhe Leonard for the IM relay.

This was the first outing for the girls as a team and they did not disappoint. In a highly competive field of 12, the girls put in a strong showing to eventually finish second after a great battle with Newry Grammar.

With minutes to recover the girls entered the pool again for the Freestyle relay where Rhiannon Dolan replaced Laura. Again this new team combination battled hard against the competition to eventually finish fourth, less than a second behind the third placed team.

Portora Royal School entered the event for the first time in many years; Lewis McCartney reached the Top 10 in the 50m Breaststroke and Kealan McShea broke his PB for 50m Backstroke. Devenish College’s Rachel Evans set PBs in both her strokes.

The next day it was the turn of the Primary schools in the Ulster Schools Minor Championships.

Representing St Mary’s Mullymesker in Age Group 3 was Caragh Leonard and it turned into a great day as she secured a gold and bronze medal.

Caragh swam in the 50m Breaststroke and the fiercely competitive 50m Freestyle. Firstly, she scooped the bronze in the 50m Breaststroke and then went on to claim gold in the 50m Freestyle with a fantastic new PB of 32.10, to become Ulster Minor Schools Group Three Champion.

Both Caragh’s times were well inside the qualifying times for the Irish Schools which take place later in the season.

Ellie McCartney from the Enniskillen Model Primary School also finished the weekend as Ulster Champion, Ellie taking first place in the Minor Group Two 50m Breaststroke event and third overall in the 50m Freestyle.

Patrick and Sophia Williams also performed well in their first schools gala while in Minor One, Louie Burns (Enniskillen Integrated Primary School) finished fifth in final of Freestyle and seventh in Breaststroke.

Matthew Dolan (St. Patrick’s Mullanaskea) made the Top 10 in both Breaststroke and Butterfly in Minor 2.