Omagh CBS principal to retire in June after nine years in the job

OMAGH CBS Principal Foncy McConnell is set to retire at the end of this school year after serving nearly a decade in the position.

Mr McConnell began his tenure as principal of the Kevlin Road school in April 2016, but his affiliation with Omagh CBS stretches all the way back to his own school days.

The Glenelly man came through the ranks of the school before embarking on a history degree at Queen’s University Belfast in the mid-eighties, where he played Sigerson Cup football under legendary Down GAA footballer Sean O’Neill.

Following his graduation, Mr McConnell made a swift return to the corridors of Omagh CBS as a newly-appointed history teacher.

He was a popular teacher of the subject, with Irish history his noted speciality, and he also became a real driving force behind the school’s transformation into a gaelic footballing powerhouse.

Alongside Mr Paul Donnelly, he managed Omagh CBS to their first MacRory Cup final appearance in 27 years back in 2001, where they were pitted against St Michael’s Enniskillen in the showpiece Ulster Schools final.

The replay didn’t take place due to the foot-and-mouth crisis and the title was shared.

The school has featured on MacRory Cup final day on eight separate occasions in the intervening years, and most memorably they won back-to-back MacRory Cup and Hogan Cup titles in 2023 and 2024 under McConnell’s principalship.

Mr McConnell has also left behind a lasting legacy in terms of his unwavering support for the Strule Shared Education Campus, which will bring together an estimated 4,000 pupils from six schools, including Omagh CBS, on the one site.

The campus is scheduled to open in September 2028 and Mr McConnell has played a major role behind the scenes in preparing the school for its relocation, as well as offering public support for the pioneering initiative.

Mr McConnell, who also maintained and drove high academic standards during his time as principal, is now set to retire after a remarkable 37-year career in the school.

A recruitment process is underway to find his successor.