Mooney takes silver as Tullamore Harriers athletes give superb performances at National Indoors

National bronze for Madison

Huge congratulations to Madison Mooney on securing a national bronze medal at the 123.ie National Senior Indoor Athletics Championships on Sunday the 1^st of March.

Madison won her 1500m heat the previous day in 4:36.33, comfortably qualifying for the final. In the championship final, she produced a superb performance, finishing 3rd in 4:32.80. Madison narrowly missed out on the silver medal having been passed by 2nd placed Niamh Carr DCH in the home straight after a very solid and gutsy run.

The race was won by Lucy Holmes (DCH) in 4:31.10, with Niamh taking silver in 4:32.39. An American, Mooney's grandfather, Colman Mooney was a member of the very well known Mooney family from Lynally, in the wider Muckagh area and just a few miles from Tullamore, emigrating to New York in 1960.

A fantastic achievement at national level for Madison rounding off a very successful indoor season.

The club had more great performances on the track, throughout the afternoon with both Michael Murphy and James Dunne delivering outstanding races in highly competitive finals.

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3000m – Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy lined out for the Senior Men’s 3000m final. In what proved to be a thrilling and tactical race, Nick Griggs (CNDR) claimed his first-ever national senior indoor 3000m title. He was followed home by Darragh McKinney (Bantry AC) in second place and Callum Morgan (CNDR) in third.

Michael ran a very composed and tactical race himself, negotiating a notably slow first kilometre as the leaders tested the field. He clocked 8:20.10 and, while not his fastest time, it was a strong championship performance that earned him an excellent 5th-place finish, a result he can be very proud of in such quality company.

Michael Murphy with coach Robert Denmead.

1500m – James Dunne

James Dunne also narrowly missed out on a podium place in the Senior Men’s 1500m final. Having qualified comfortably the previous day with a heat win in 4:08.47, he lined up knowing it would be a fiercely competitive race.

In the final, James produced another superb run, clocking 3:45.87 to finish just outside the medals. The title went to Lughaidh Mallon (UCD A.C.) in 3:43.45, with Luke McCann (UCD A.C.) taking silver in 3:43.51, and Ronan McMahon-Staggs (Dublin City Harriers A.C.) finishing fourth in 3:44.77.

Long Jump – Katie Deverell

Katie Deverell, from the Track and Field squad, competed in the Senior women’s long jump against a very high-quality field that included Kate O’Connor, last year’s World silver heptathlon medallist.

At just 19 years of age, and in only her third appearance at this level in the long jump, Katie was determined to improve on her 11th-place finish in 2024 and 10th-place finish in 2025. Her aim was to break into the final eight and to use the competition as preparation for her upcoming university indoor championships on March 7th and the National U20 Championships on March 14th.

She opened with a modest 5.19m, followed by strong jumps of 5.42m and 5.31m. Those performances placed her fourth overall after the opening rounds and secured her place in the final eight.

The podium positions were effectively decided early on by the experienced trio of Kate O’Connor, Laura Callaghan, and Anna McCauley, all of whom jumped over the 6m mark. Kate O’Connor produced a personal best of 6.50m to break the championship record and claim gold. Laura followed closely with 6.44m for silver, while Anna secured bronze with 6.05m.

Katie’s focus was to hold onto fourth place while also taking a measured risk to improve on her 5.42m. Unfortunately, she fouled her remaining three attempts. One of those fouls measured well beyond her personal best of 5.63m and while very disappointing, undoubtedly boosting her confidence heading into her next two competitions.

Her best legal jump of 5.42m placed her fifth overall, as another athlete recorded the same distance but secured fourth on countback with a 2cm superior second-best jump.

A fantastic performance from Katie against top-class opposition. Well done, and best of luck in the upcoming championships.

The Track & Field group was also represented by four other athletes who gave a very strong account of themselves in the 60m sprint.

Aaron Keane had an excellent run, finishing 2nd in his heat in 6.92. He followed that with a 3rd-place finish in his semi-final, clocking 6.99, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final.

Dean Power, making a welcome return from injury, finished 3rd in his heat in 7.10, a very encouraging performance as he continues his comeback.

Emmanuel Ilori also secured 3rd place in his heat, recording a time of 7.18.

Colm Gath completed the club’s representation in the event, finishing 4th in his heat in 7.25.

Well done to all our athletes on their performances at championship level over the weekend.

10K Club record for Danielle

Danielle Donegan who was in action at the 10K Facsa Castellón in Castellón, de la Plana, Spain, on the 21^st of February.

Despite being caught up in a fall at the start of the race, where several of the elite ladies went down, Danielle managed to regroup and to clock a 75-second personal best of 32:57.

Danielle placed 25th out of a very high-quality field of ladies and broke the long-standing Tullamore Harriers 10K club record set by Pauline Curley (33 22) in 2005. Great running Danielle.

Tilly Cusack wins Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships

After two postponements of the 2026 Leinster Schools Cross Country Championships, the event finally got under way on Friday the 27^th of February at the Navan Adventure Centre.

In the Minor Girls race, Tilly Cusack powered to the front from the gun. She put on a superb show pushing the pace and after a kilometre pulled clear of the competition.

She continued to stretch this lead right to the finish line and was four seconds clear of Aisling Hegarty from Skerries in second place.

Tullamore Harriers had a solid day in Meath and in addition to Tilly, Sarah Whitaker, Rachel Keaney, Elise Cusack, Ronan Keaney and Danny Rigney finished in the top 15 of to qualify for the All Irelands. The Killina Minor Girls squad also had a tremendous race to finish third.

The Keaney twins Rachel and Ronan led their respective teams Newbridge College and Patrician Boys School to victory in the Intermediate competitions. On Saturday 7th March the lads will line out in the All Irelands in Mallusk, County Antrim.

Kara Daly, Maebh Duffy, Elise Cusack at the Leinster Schools Cross Country.

Minor Girls

1st Tilly Cusack - Killina Secondary School

12th Sarah Whitaker - Killina Secondary School

47th Thea Rose Meyer -Killina Secondary School

58th Nia Kelly - Killina Secondary School

67th Muireann Kelly - Killina Secondary School

Intermediate Girls

8th Rachel Keaney -Newbridge College

12th Elise Cusack - Killina Secondary School

39th Maeve Duffy - Sacred Heart School

54th Mia Gallagher -Colaiste Iosagain Portarlington

Senior Girls

32nd Éabhadh Multaney Kelly - Sacred Heart School

Intermediate Boys

6th Ronan Keaney - Patrician Boys School

10th Danny Rigney -Colaiste Naomh Cormac

Senior Boys

34th Patrick Duffy - Coláiste Choilm

Eoin wins Naas Half Marathon

Congratulations to Eoin Brennan on his victory at the Naas Half Marathon on March 1st.

Eoin finished 1st out of more than 600 runners, crossing the line in a super 1:15:05, more than a minute ahead of the second-place finisher.

The race, hosted by St. Brendan’s Athletic Club, marked the inaugural running of the Half Marathon, adding to the established 10 Mile race.

Eoin Brennan at the Naas Half Marathon.

Shannon AC 5mile

Olive Mannion was in action once again - this time she lined out for the inaugural 5 Mile race hosted by Shannon Athletic Club. On Sunday 1^st of March over a course of very mixed terrain- road, forest trail and track, Olive finished in a time of 46.01.

Volunteer in Sport award for Adrian

Congratulations to Adrian Curley, Chairman of Tullamore Harriers, on being named Offaly’s 2025 recipient of the Volunteers in Sport Awards.

Adrian was honoured at a special ceremony on Thursday, 26th February, at the Crown Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown, where he joined fellow volunteers from every county across Ireland in celebrating their outstanding contributions to sport.

The awards, organised by the Federation of Irish Sport and supported by the Sport Ireland National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships, recognise the incredible dedication of volunteers who give so much to their communities.

Adrian has devoted a lifetime to athletics through his unwavering commitment to Tullamore Harriers. For decades, he has given countless hours to the club and the wider sport, consistently demonstrating exceptional work ethic, leadership, and attention to detail. His dedication has had a lasting impact on athletes and the broader sporting community in Offaly and beyond.

This honour is richly deserved, and the club is very proud of Adrian’s achievement.

Tullamore Harriers 5K

Tullamore Harriers AC will host its annual 5K Road Race next Sunday, 8th March. This popular event is the opening race of the 2026 Healthy Offaly 5K Road Race Series and is one not to be missed.

The race will start outside the Tullamore Harriers club grounds on the Charleville Road, follow a looped course, and finish on the tartan track in the stadium. The course is flat and fast, run on fully closed roads for added safety, and consistently attracts runners of all abilities looking to kick-start the road race season.

Please check the Tullamore Harriers Facebook page for updates regarding the event.

Entry is now open via PopUpRaces.ie.

BnM Tullamore Harriers Half Marathon

The annual BnM Tullamore Harriers Half Marathon is now open for registration.

Taking place on Saturday, 29th August 2026, this popular event continues to grow in reputation and demand. In recent years, entries have sold out quickly so early registration is strongly advised to avoid disappointment.

The race proudly hosts the Leinster Half Marathon Championships and the Offaly Half Marathon Championships and is Round 4 of the Offaly Endurance Series, making it a key date in the racing calendar for club and competitive runners alike.

Entry is via Myrunresults.ie.

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Fixtures

March

7^th March - IUAA indoor Championships, National Indoor Arena

8th March – Tullamore Harriers 5k

14^th March - National Indoor U20 & U23 Championships – Athlone

15^th March - 123.ie National Indoor Master Championships -Athlone

15th March – McNamara 5-mile Club race

22^nd March – Banagher 5K

April

Monday 6th April - Battle of Clontarf 10 Mile (Leinster 10 Mile championships), St. Anne’s Park, Raheny, Dublin

12^th April - Revive Active Great Ireland Run – National 10k - Phoenix Park, Dublin.

19^th April – Rhode 5K

26^th April - National Road Relays, Raheny

Senior Training

Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita 0868386687