Clare dominate North Munster Schools Championships

THE North Munster Schools Cross Country Championships were held in very cold weather conditions at Salesian Secondary College, Pallaskenry, County Limerick where Clare athletes dominated all eight races. Aisling Kelly (Spanish Point) won the minor ladies with Elaine Shannon (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon) taking the bronze medal.
In the minor boys, gold went to Eoin Looney (Spanish Point) with Jamie Roche (St Flannan’s) taking the silver medal.
Niamh Markham (St Flannan’s) won the senior ladies’ title, while Laura Egan (St Michael’s, Kilmihil) captured the bronze medal.
In the minor girls’ 1,500m, Aisling Kelly (Spanish Point) and Elaine Shannon (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon) took command from the start. In heavy underfoot conditions, Aisling took control with 600m to go and held the lead to the finish line with Elaine Yelverton (Newport) just getting in ahead of Elaine Shannon with Sharon Egan (St Michael’s, Kilmihil) fourth.
The team title went to St Michael’s, Kilmihil on 34 points followed in second by St Flannan’s on 39 points and third by Coláiste Muire Ennis on 40 points.
In the minor boys’ 2,000m, Eoin Looney (Spanish Point) was in command after 200m when he was gone 30m clear. He increased that over the final 1,500m to win his first North Munster title in fine style with Jamie Roche (St Flannan’s) taking the silver medal and Cian Connolly (St Flannan’s) sixth helping the Ennis school to the team award on 39 points.
In the junior girls’ 2,000m, the leading Clare athlete was Áine Rouine (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon) in seventh position with Shannon Grady (Coláiste Muire Ennis) eighth and she led her school to victory on 36 points with St Michael’s Kilmihil fourth on 84 points.
In the junior boys’ 3000m, five Clare athletes were in the top 10 and Kevin Mulcaire (St Flannan’s) worked very hard to take the silver medal with Mark Fennell (Kilrush) fourth followed by Jimmy Flanagan (Ennistymon Vocational School) in sixth with Micheál Clancy (St Michael’s, Kilmihil) eighth and Sean Collins (St Flannan’s) ninth. Ennistymon Vocational School won the silver medals on 66 points with St Flannan’s fourth on 78 points.
Jean Clancy (St Michael’s, Kilmihil) and her twin sister Niamh were in the intermediate girls 2,500m along with five more Clare girls. Jessica Coyne (Crescent Limerick) won the gold medal ahead of Jean and Niamh Clancy with Laura Power (Coláiste Muire Ennis) fourth. Clare schools finished first and second with St Michael’s Kilmihil taking the gold on 15 points and the silver medals going to Coláiste Muire Ennis on 22 points.
Conor Rooney (Ennis Community School) was very impressive when finishing fourth in the intermediate boys’ 4,500m where there was a fine run from Karl Fitzmaurice (St Pat’s Shannon) who finished in fifth spot followed home in 13th position by Jack Devitt and in 15th by Paul Devitt (both Ennistymon Vocational School) helping their school to the team bronze medals on 71 points.
In the senior girls’ 2,500m, Niamh Markham (St Flannan’s) finished the week on a high. Player of the match when her school captured the Munster senior B colleges ladies’ football title on Tuesday, she won the North Munster Schools Cross Country title in fine style from Shannon Ryan (Croom) with Laura Egan (St Michael’s, Kilmihil) a very good third with eight Clare athletes in the top 15 and all qualify for the Munster schools cross country in Cork IT on February 9.
The race for the team awards was close with Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne winning the gold on a count back with 22 points from Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon, with third place filled by St Michael’s, Kilmihil on 24 points.
Conor Madigan (Kilrush) finished second in the senior boys’ 5,000m with David McCarthy (Ennistymon CBS) in fifth place and Ciarán Morrissey (Ennistymon CBS) eighth helping the North Clare school to win the gold medals on 36 points.

Results
Minor girls’ 1,500m
1. Aisling Kelly (Spanish Point); 2. Elaine Yelverton (Newport); 3. Elaine Shannon (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 4. Sharon Egan (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 8. Cliodhna Blake (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 9. Jennifer O’Neill (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 10. Mia Hanrahan (St Flannan’s).
Teams
1. St Michael’s Kilmihil = 34 points; 2. St Flannan’s = 39 points; 3. Coláiste Muire Ennis = 40 points.
Junior girls’ 2,000m
7. Áine Rouine (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 8. Shannon Grady (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 12. Gráinne Cremin (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 16. Rachel Brady (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 17. Lucy Cotgreave (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 20. Ciara Cahill (Coláiste Muire Ennis).
Teams
1. Coláiste Muire Ennis = 36 points; 4. Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon = 84 points.
Intermediate girls’ 2,500m
1. Jessica Coyne (Cresent Limerick); 2. Jean Clancy (St Michael’s Kilmihil); 3. Niamh Clancy (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 4. Laura Power (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 6. Muireann O’Shea (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 7. Ciara Nash (Clare and Laurel Hill); 8. Siobhán Nestor (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 10. Nollaig Blake (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 12. Ciara O’Dwyer (Coláiste Muire Ennis).
Teams
1. St Michael’s Kilmihil = 15 points; 2. Coláiste Muire Ennis = 22 points.
Senior girls’ 2,500m
1. Niamh Markham (St Flannan’s); 2. Shannon Ryan (Croom); 3. Laura Egan (St Michael’s Kilmihil); 5. Róisín Howley (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 6. Emer Hillery (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 7. Meabh Hogan (Coláiste Muire Ennis); 9. Emma Keating (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 11. Shauna Mullane (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 12. Moira Lineen (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 13. Kayleigh Murrihy (Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon); 14. Ciara Golden (St Michael’s, Kilmihil).
Teams
1. Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne = 22 points; 2. Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon = 22 points; 3. St Michael’s Kilmihil = 24 points.
Minor boys’ 2000m
1. Eoin Looney (Spanish Point); 2. Jamie Roche (St Flannan’s); 6. Cian Connolly (St Flannan’s); 8. Stephen Maher (St Flannan’s); 16. Damian O’Loughlin (Ennistymon CBS); 23. Jason Herbert (St Flannan’s); 27. Cillian O’Flaherty (Ennistymon CBS).
Teams
1. St Flannan’s = 39 points; 5. Ennistymon CBS = 108 points.
Junior boys’ 3,000m
2. Kevin Mulcaire (St Flannan’s); 4. Mark Fennell (Kilrush); 6. Jimmy Flanagan (Ennistymon Vocational School); 9. Micheál Clancy (St Michael’s Kilmihil); 10. Sean Collins (St Flannan’s); 13. Ciarán Buckley (Ennistymon Vocational School); 15. John Herbert (St Flannan’s); 20. Brian Leyden (Ennistymon Vocational School).
Teams
2. Ennistymon Vocational School = 66 points; 4. St Flannan’s = 78 points.
Intermediate boys 4,500m
4. Stephen Rooney (Ennis Community College); 5. Karl Fitzmaurice (St Pat’s Shannon); 13. Jack Devitt (Ennistymon Vocational); 15. Paul Devitt (Ennistymon Vocational); 16. Caoimhin Donnellan (St Michael’s, Kilmihil); 17. Jason McCarthy (Ennistymon CBS); 19. Cian O’Dea (Ennistymon Vocational); 23. Eoin Tubridy (St Michael’s Kilmihil); 24. Pádraig Malone (Ennistymon Vocational); 26. James Lehane (Ennistymon CBS); 27. Shane Doyle (Ennistymon CBS); 28. Seamie Parra Haren (Ennistymon CBS); 29. Cathal Nagle (Ennistymon CBS).
Teams
3. Ennistymon Vocational School  = 71 points;  5. Ennistymon CBS =  98 points; 6. St Michael’s Kilmihil = 101 points.
Senior boys’ 5,000m
2. Conor Madigan (Kilrush); 5. David McCarthy (Ennistymon CBS); 7. Thomas Smyth (Kilrush); 8. Ciarán Morrissey (Ennistymon CBS); 10. Ian Maintok (Ennistymon CBS); 12. Jonathon Lane (Ennistymon CBS); 13. Kevin Hehir (Ennistymon CBS); 16. Jack O’Dea (Ennistymon Vocational School).   
Teams
1. Ennistymon CBS = 36 points.