Offaly Senior Cross Country victory for Donegan and Brady

The Offaly Senior and Juvenile Uneven ages races concluded the 2022 county cross country championships in Lough Boora on Sunday last. The championship races were all held in the surrounds of the Lough Boora Discovery Parklands and Offaly Athletics wish to express it's gratitude to the Beekeepers Association of Ireland for the use of the land.

The Offaly cross country championships started and finished a few weeks earlier this usual this year and this provided great race condition training for the athletes ahead of their provincial and national championships in the next few weeks.Thank you to all our officials who were on duty the 5 days of the championships and to all who contributed to the success. The threat of rain was never far off but luckily the senior women and men escaped the inclement weather that lay ahead for the juveniles later in the morning. As always thanks to Adrian Martin who captured many precious photographs.

Mr John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland welcomed all the athletes to Lough Boora before he started the championships. John made a poignant reference in respect of the recent tragedy in Creeslough which is not far from John's own homeland in Co Donegal.

Senior Ladies

18 ladies from Birr AC, Ferbane AC, Naomh Mhuire AC and Tullamore Harriers AC lined out to fight for the senior title. From a very early stage in the 5000m it was clear who the Offaly Senior champion would be. Nadine Donegan taking her 3rd senior title took an early lead and gradually extended the stretch ahead of her club mates Emily Grennan and Sarah Flanagan who both had very solid runs to take 2nd and 3rd place respectively.  Pauline Curley finishing in 4th place joined the ladies to claim the Martina Conlon Team trophy. Martina won the 1st Senior ladies cross country title circa 1981 - when she was aged 19 years. Martina also competed yesterday – still running strong 40 years later!

Naomh Mhuire AC ladies took the 2nd team silver medals.

Ladies results:

1st. Nadine Donegan Tullamore Harriers AC. 19.16 ; 2nd. Emily Grennan Tullamore Harriers AC. 19.57 ; 3rd. Sarah Flanagan Tullamore Harriers AC. 20.24; 4th. Pauline Curley Tullamore Harriers AC. 20.56; 5th. Evelyn Herlihy Tullamore Harriers AC. 21.34; 6th. Nita McLoughlin Tullamore Harriers AC. 21.37; 7th. Carmel Murray Birr AC. 22.32; 8th,. Lynn Mooney Tullamore Harriers AC. 23.01; 9th. Charlotte Abbott Tullamore Harriers AC. 24.13; 10th. Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC, 24.58; 11th. Christina O'Meara Birr AC. 25.24; 12th. Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC. 26.23; 13th. Orla Ni Nuallin Ferbane AC. 26.57 ; 14th. Particia Doolan Naomh Mhuire AC, 27.11; 15th. Sharon Jones Naomh Mhuire AC, 28.06; 16th. Martina Conlon Tullamore Harriers AC. 28.28; 17th.,Tracey Burns Naomh Mhuire AC, 28.31 ; 18th. Ann Marie Egan Ferbane AC. 32.16; 19th. Kathleen Delaney Birr AC. 37.35

Team results

1st. Tullamore Harriers - Nadine Donegan, Emily Grennan, Sarah Flanagan and Pauline Curley.

2nd. Naomh Mhuire AC. - Mairead Scally, Patricia Doolan, Sharon Jones and Tracey Burns.

Senior Men

The men's race covered 1000m with 25 men from Ferbane AC, Kilcormac Killoughey AC, Naomh Mhuire AC and Tullamore Harriers AC lining out. As in the ladies race, the ultimate champion, Liam Brady Tullamore Harriers AC, took to the front immediately and powered his way through the laps with a significant lead from an early point in the race. Liam had a superb run posting 33.36 which will give him huge confidence for his cross country season ahead.

Pauric Ennis Tullamore Harriers who was defending his senior title had a very solid run taking 2nd place and Paul Buckley Ferbane AC took the bronze silver county medal. Jonathan Dunne 5th made up the 4 man team to claim the Offaly Senior Cross Country team prize. Ferbane Ac were 2nd club and Naomh Mhuire took 3rd. place. Congratulations to the winners in this year's championships but those who lined out in their club colours in the difficult cross country conditions are all champions.

Men's results:

1st. Liam Brady Tullamore Harriers AC. 33.36 ; 2nd. Pauric Ennis Tullamore Harriers AC. 35.53; 3rd . Paul Buckley Ferbane AC 36.32; 4th. Barry Minnock. Tullamore Harriers AC.; 5th. Jonathan Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC. 37.07; 6th. Niall Kelly Ferbane AC. 37.34; 7th. Colm Hill Kilcormac Killoughey AC. 38.13; 8th. Brendan Donagher Naomh Mhuire AC. 38.49; 9th. Cian Martin Tullamore Harriers AC 39.11 ; 10th. Darren Bermingham Naomh Mhuire AC. 40.47; 11th. Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC. 40.53; 12th. Conor Gilsenan Naomh Mhuire AC. 42.15; 13th. Alan Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC. 43.24; 14th. Oran Buckley Ferbane AC. 43.39; 15th. Sean Reynolds Tullamore Harriers AC 44.23; 16th. Jason McDermott Tullamore Harriers AC 45.03 ; 17th. Peter Bennett Tullamore Harriers AC 45.32 ; 18th. Matt Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 45.39 ; 19th. John Kirwan Naomh Mhuire AC 45.41; 20th. Willie Duffy Naomh Mhuire AC 45.51 ; 21st. Rory Farrell Tullamore Harriers AC. 46.41; 22nd Dermot Egan Ferbane AC. 47.29 ; 23rd. Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC. 48.26; 24th Evan Lynam Naomh Mhuire AC. 50.54; 25th Mattie Flanagan. Naomh Mhuire AC. 51.37

Senior team results.

1st. Tullamore Harriers AC. - Liam Brady, Pauric Ennis, Barry Minnock and Jonathan Dunne

2nd Ferbane AC. - Paul Buckley, Niall Kelly, Oran Buckley and Dermot Egan

3rd. Naomh Mhuire AC .- Brendan Donagher, Darren Bermingham, Conor Gilsenan and Matt Colgan

Offaly Athletics Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships.

The Offaly Uneven ages concluded the 2022 County cross country championships on Sunday in Boora. Unfortunately for the younger athletes the weather was not favourable with rain and strengthening winds to contend with. The weather perhaps reflected in the smaller field of athletes compared to the very large numbers in Day 1 and Day 2 of the championships. That said, it was another great day or running with juveniles from Birr AC,Ballyskenach AC, Ferbane AC, Edenderry AC and Tullamore Harriers AC. Well done to all the competitors, coaches, parents and to all who assisted in any way to the smooth running of the event.

Tom Godley, race director promptly got the first races off - the U9 girls & boys, followed by the U11 girls & boys, the U13 girls & boys, the U15 girls & boys and the final race of the day was the U17 girls. There was excellent running from all club athletes showing great promise for the Leinster Uneven ages championship on the 23rd of October in Dundalk. Well done everyone.

Full results:

U9 Girls

1st Leah Malley Tullamore; 2nd Roisin Kealy Ballyskenach; 3rd Tara O’ Meara Birr; 4th Annabel Donegan Tullamore; 5th Kelly Doolan Tullamore; 6th Cara Cummins Birr; 7th Aoise McLoughlin Ballyskenach; 8th Mia McDonald Ballyskenach; 9th Sophie Egan Ferbane; 10th Sophie Hynes Tullamore; 11th Emma Browne Ferbane; 12th Emily Murphy Ballyskenach; 13th Caoimhe O’Meara Birr; 14th Ayla O’ MOlloy Edenderry; 15th Grace Geraghy Birr; 16th Lily O’Donnell Ballyskenach; 17th Anna O’Brien Birr; 18th Lauren Kealy Ballyskenach; 19th Cara Murray Ballyskenach; 20th Méabh King Birr; 21st Kasey Donnolly Ballyskenach; 22nd Angel Kirwan Ballyskenach

U-9 Boys

1st Max Ivasenkis Tullamore; 2nd Peter Brady Ferbane; 3rd Seán Mitchell Tullamore; 4th Aubin Walsh Tullamore; 5th Corey Hogan Birr; 6th Aaron Connolly Ballyskenach; 7th James Delaney Ballyskenach; 8th Fiach Buckley Ballyskenach; 9th Luke Kennedy Ballyskenach; 10th Martin Moore Tullamore; 11th Cillian Rigney Tullamore; 12th Cian Carroll Ballyskenach; 13th Will Shanahan Ballyskenach

U-11 Girls

1st Grace Connolly Tullamore; 2nd Alisha Hoton Tullamore; 3rd Tilly Cusack Tullamore; 4th Sarah Whittaker Tullamore; 5th Róisín Loughnane Birr; 6th Erin Kelly Edenderry; 7th Sarah Smith Tullamore; 8th Maeve McGuinness Tullamore; 9th Nia Kelly Tullamore; 10th Heidi McCarthy Ferbane; 11th Emily Egan Ballyskenach; 12th Eabha O’ Meara Birr; 13th Dominika P. Lowry Tullamore; 14th Clodagh Kealy Ballyskenach; 15th Alice Kilrane Edenderry; 16th Kate McKinney Tullamore; 17th Beatrice McKay Birr; 18th Aoibheann O’Meara Birr; 19th Ciara Brereton Ballyskenach; 20th Kate Colbourne Birr; 21st Iseult Lawlor Tullamore; 22nd Kate Matthews Tullamore; 23rd Amy Delaney Birr; 24th Rachel Brereton Ballyskenach

U-11 Boys

1st Emerson Clarke Ballyskenach; 2nd Jared Hynes Tullamore; 3rd J.J. Breslin Ballyskenach; 4th Joe Daly Tullamore; 5th Cian McLoughlin Ballyskenach; 6th Jason McKinney Tullamore; 7th Ben Kirwan Tullamore; 8th Andrew Delaney Ballyskenach; 9th David Wright Ballyskenach; 10th Ollie McGlinchey Tullamore; 11th Séamus Boland Tullamore; 12th Lughaidh Buckley Ballyskenach; 13th Layton Buckley Ferbane; 14th L.J. Finnerty Tullamore

U-13 Girls

1st Adelyn Walsh Tullamore; 2nd Andrea Evans Edenderry; 3rd Maeve Duffy Tullamore; 4th Mia Gallagher Tullamore; 5th Elise Cusack Tullamore; 6th Emily Morris Tullamore; 7th Mollie King Birr; 8th Alice Murray Birr; 9th Emma Flannery Ballyskenach; 10th Orla O’Brien Birr; 11th Anna Tierneyally Ballyskenach

U-13 Boys

1st Darragh Monaghan Tullamore; 2nd Daniel Hoton Tullamore; 3rd Dylan Buckley Ferbane; 4th Clyde Buckley Ferbane; 5th Seán Ryan Tullamore; 6th Anthony Dunne Ballyskenach; 7th Caenan Clarke Ballyskenach; 8th Kevin Tyrrell Edenderry; 9th Kyle Connolly Ballyskenach; 10th Aaron Rigney Tullamore

U-15 Girls

1st Niamh Garvey Tullamore; 2nd Éabhadh Multaney Kelly Tullamore; 3rd Kara Daly Tullamore; 4th Aoibhe Moore Tullamore; 5th Saoirse Murtagh Tullamore; 6th Monika Stopka Tullamore; 7th Cushla King Birr

U-15 Boys

1st Conor Murtagh Tullamore; 2nd Tadhg O’Neill Tullamore; 3rd Thomas Murray Birr

U-17 Girls

1st Andrea Ryan Tullamore; 2nd Sinéad Walsh Tullamore