Inter-Club Cross Country Championships

The National Senior and Junior Inter-Club Cross Country Championships will take place in Santry Demense this Sunday.
There will be four races on the programme, starting at 1pm with the junior ladies’ 6,000m, followed by the junior men’s 8,000m, at 1.30pm, the senior ladies’ 8,000mat 2.15pm, with the final race of the afternoon the senior men’s 12,000m at 2.45pm.
The senior ladies will see a big number of new names in action, with Mary Cullen (Sligo AC), the national indoor 1,500m champion taking on the European cross country champion Fionualla Britton (Sli Chulainn AC, Wicklow), Ciara Mageean (Belfast), along with Jolene Byrne (Donore Harriers), Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa), Marie McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin), Niamh O’Sullivan (Riocht) and Orla O’Mahoney from Ennis, now running with Raheny Shamrocks, Dublin.
The senior men’s race will be the highlight of the day, with all the top middle-distance athletes going to the starting line with Joe Sweeney (Dundrum South Dublin), the All-Ireland inter-counties champion, who finished fifth overall in the European Cross Country Championships, Mark Christie (Mullingar Harriers), along with Michael Mulhaire (North Laois), David Kelly (Sligo), Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers).
In the junior men’s race, Jake O’Regan (St John’s) will be looking for a top six finish.

Fixtures
February
25-26 Munster Juvenile Indoor Championships U-9 to U-13s in Nenagh, starting at 11am.
26 Athletics Ireland Inter-Clubs Cross Country Championships at Santry, starting at 1pm.
26 West Limerick Athletic Club and Adare 10k Road Race at 2pm (Contact Willie Costello at 087 4149782)
March
3 Cooraclare 10k Road Race and Fun Walk in aid of Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and Cooraclare Community Centre in Cooraclare, starting at 12noon   
3 National Juvenile Awards in Arklow House Hotel, County Wicklow.
3-4 Munster Juvenile Indoor Championships U-14 to U-19s in Nenagh, starting at 11am.
6 Munster Schools Indoors Games at Nenagh
7 East Clare National Schools Cross Country in Lees Road, starting at 11am.
10 All-Ireland Schools Cross Country in St Mary’s, Galway.
10 Clare Community Games U-13 Cross Country and U-10s relays in Lees Road, Ennis, starting at 11am.  
11 Munster AAI senior and novice men four-mile and four-mile for ladies road championship (Cork Venue), starting at 1pm.

Adare 10k road race and fun walk

Adare 10k road race and 10k fun walk will take place this Sunday, starting at 1.30pm, with the fun walk, with the road race starting at 2pm.
The race is organised by West Limerick AC and entries will be taken in the village hall from 12noon. Any queries should be directed to Willie Costello, West Limerick AC, at 087 4149782.
There will be big number of Clare athletes taking part and the course record of 30.34 was set in 2003 by Seamus Power (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare). The ladies’ course record is 34.34 and that was set by Valeria Vaughan Blarney/Iniscarra.
The national intermediate silver medal winner, Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy) will be hoping to do well along with Keneth Rodgers (St John’s), James McIntyre (Olympic Harriers), Michael Carmody (Limerick), Gerry Ryan (Craughwell) and Brian Murphy (Ennis Track). Contesting the masters’ race will be Ambrose Heagney
(Kilnaboy), Eugene Moynihan (Marian), Mike McDomhnaill (West Limerick), James Kenny, (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare), Pat and Mick O’Shea, (Iveragh, Kerry).
Clare ladies expected to challenge for the title are Veronica Colleran, along with Marie Carey, Aishling Power and Cushla Bríd Hehir (Ennis Track) and Sharon Rynne and Noreen Mackey (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare).

Clare officials retain positions

The Munster Athletics Association held its annual Convention at Cahir House Hotel, Cahir, last Sunday and there was a big turnout from all Munster counties.
Kilmihil’s John Devine was returned as vice-chairman for a ninth successive term with Limerick’s Mossie Woulfe elected as chairman for a ninth term. Kilmihil’s Michael Lillis was re-appointed as the province’s cross-country secretary.
James Sexton was re-appointed as the Munster PRO.
The full list of officers is:
Chairman, Mossy Woulfe, Limerick; vice-chairman, John Devine, Kilmihil; Administration, secretary, Esther Fitzpatrick, Cork; treasurer, Paddy O’Donoghue, Kerry; assistant treasurer, Albert Doyle, Tipperary; registrar, John Copithorne, Cork; senior and masters PRO, James Sexton, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare; juvenile indoor and outdoor track and field secretary, Ann Cullinan, Limerick; senior and masters track and field secretary, Pádraig Kelly, Cork; cross country secretary, Michael Lillis, Kilmihil; child officers, Mary Meagher, Cork and Tim Fitzpatrick, Cork; equipment officers, Damian Meagher and Karol O’Connell, both Cork; IT officer, Michael Godley, Kerry.

Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare AGM
The annual general meeting of Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare AC was held recently and secretary James Sexton gave a detailed report of all activities for the past year while treasurer Sue Garrahy provided an account of finances.
Kevin O’Loughlin, chairman, stated the commitment of all the juvenile athletes over the past year was obvious at Clare, Munster and national levels when taking Munster and national titles.
Training for the Munster indoor championships is now in progress in Mullagh community sports field every Monday and Wednesday from 7-8pm and in Lisdoonvarna on Tuesdays from 7-8pm.
New members are welcome and should contact 087 2472623.
The election of officers for 2012 resulted as follows: patron, Dan Harvey; president, Pat Hehir; chairman, Kevin O’Loughlin; vice-chairman, Ollie Gallagher; secretary, James Sexton; assistant secretary,  John O’Malley; joint treasurers, Sue Garrahy and Tom Mackey; registrar,  Brendan Cusack; PRO, Dan Hogan; child welfare officers,  Kieran O’Dea, James Sexton, Kate Looney, Sue Garrahy; committee:  John Talty, Enda Malone, Michael Malone, Teresa King, Connie Sexton, Patricia O’Rourke, Liam Gray, Dolorous Murphy, Gary Shannon.