Huge Offaly interest in Olympic Games

THERE will be huge Offaly interest in the Olympic Games which get underway in Paris this weekend.

Five competitors from the county will compete in the world's biggest sporting event this year: three of them are from Tullamore, boxer Grainne Walsh and rugby players, Megan Burns and Jordan Conroy; Clara's Shane Lowry, so close to glory once again in the British Open last weekend, will try for a medal in the golf and the other competitor is Shinrone cyclist, Megan Armitage.

It is a terrific achievement for the competitors and they have brought great pride to their native county.

The opening ceremony takes place on Friday, July 26 and some of the Offaly competitors will be quickly into action.

Two former members of Tullamore Rugby Club will compete in the rugby sevens competition.

Jordan Conroy has been one of the best sevens' players for seven years and has also developed a national media profile more recently. Ireland are in action on Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25 for their pool games.

They play South Africa and Japan on Wednesday at 4.30pm and 8.00pm and New Zealand on Thursday at 3.30pm with Conroy, a blistering fast player, certain to see plenty of game time. The quarter-finals take place on Thursday with the semi-finals, final and bronze medal final on Saturday, July 27.

From Killurin and now playing her club rugby with Blackrock, Megan Burns has made great progress in recent years and has represented Ireland at various levels. Ireland are in Pool B and will play Great Britain and South Africa on Sunday, July 28 at 2.30pm and 6.00pm and Australia on Monday, July 29 at 1.30pm. The quarter-finals are on Monday, July 29 with the semi-finals and finals on Tuesday, July 30.

Grainne Walsh has captured the hearts of Offaly sports fans for the way she qualified and she will face her first bout in the 66kg weight category on Sunday, July 28.

A former international soccer player as a youth, Walsh took to boxing in the off season to maintain fitness and took off spectacularly from here, graduating to national standard firstly and then international.

She has competed regularly in big boxing tournaments and missed out on qualifying for the Olympics in controversial circumstances earlier this year before booking her ticket in the final qualifier.

She has set her sights on a medal and will face a tough path to achieve this. The round of 16 is on Thursday, August 1 with the quarter-finals on August 3, semi-finals on August 6 and the final on August 9 – Walsh will have to reach a semi-final to win a medal. She has been appointed as a co-leader of the Irish boxing team.

Shane Lowry would love to win an Olympics medal and the golf competition will take place over four rounds from Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4.

A native of Shinrone, Megan Armitage is the only Irish competitor in the womens' cycling road race, which takes place on Sunday, August 4 - she has been a dominant force in the Irish road cycling scene over the past few years.