Sport
Castleffrench has a long history of involvement in field sports, particularly Gaelic Football. There is evidence of Castleffrench playing a football game on June 9th, 1900 in Moylough, against Moylough - a match which went unfinished because of the "Rough-house tactics" of Moylough. The report on the match stated, "No football team has ever beaten Castleffrench and if ever invincibility is snatched from our standard, we are decidedly of the opinion that it is not a ‘mushroom club’ like Moylough that can perform the feat. Our victorious record extending over a dozen years is still unbroken". In 1912, they fielded both a junior and a senior team. The players were drawn from a wide catchment area. That year the senior team reached the county final only to lose out to Dunmore on a scoreline of three goals to no score. Then Ballinasloe emerged as a football force and this aided the downfall of Castleffrench as a senior team in the following years. They returned to junior ranks in 1919. One of their players, "Cuddy" Brien, who played with Galway, was reputed to be the longest kicker of a ball in Croke Park.
Sporting Achievements in Castleffrench N.S.
In recent years, Castleffrench N.S., has enjoyed considerable success in the County Competitions in hurling and football - having won no fewer than seven county competitions - 5 in hurling and 2 in football.
The hurling successes were as follows:
1984 against Kilcoona N.S.
1989 against Moylough N.S.
1994 against Kilkerrin N.S.
1998 against Killtullagh N.S.
The football successes were as follows:
1989 against Belclare N.S. ( part of a remarkable double as the school won the hurling also that year)
1997 (amalgamated with Ahascragh N.S.) against Ballaghlea N.S.
All-Ireland Medal Winners.
Many past pupils have won All-Ireland medals - in many cases more than one. These medals have been won at club, college or inter-county level, in Camogie, Gaelic football and Hurling. Included in those ranks are the Hannon family, Ballyvoneen, Ursula, Carmel and Eileen. Dan Connolly and the Meehan family, Tycooley - Mairéad, Declan, Tomás and their father Michael. Also Oliver Hennelly, Loughaunboy, Séan and Mary Murray, Castleffrench, Francis Fallon and Kevin Mockler, Currafarry, P.J. Dooley, Loonaghton.
1998 will be forever remembered in the school, as the year two past pupils, Tomás and Declan Meehan, won All-Ireland Senior football medals with Galway, defeating Kildare in Croke Park. On that day, Tomás played at right full-back, while Declan was unlucky not to be chosen for the final, having played in earlier rounds of the championship.