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Program for Galway Indoors
Provisional program for this weekend is at link below. Please note that all times are provisonsal and may move forward by up to 45 minutes during the day so please arrive in plenty of time.
Athletes Shine at the North West Indoor Games
Jerry Keary and Laura Cunningham soaring high over 1.90m and 1.55m in Athlone
A number of athletes travelled to Athlone IT for the Northwest Games on Saturday, a relatively new competition organised by Bernie O’Callaghan of Donegal Athletics. There were some tremendous early season performances, particularly in the high jump and the 800m. Jerry Keary and Laura Cunningham both took gold in the senior men and women’s high jump events with Jerry soaring high over 1.95m and almost getting 2 metres on his second attempt and Laura clearing 1.55m and coming very close to nailing 1.60m on each attempt.
The brilliant jumping continued later in the day in the U14 event where our athletes were stepping up an age but it proved no barrier as Evan Hallinan soared to victory with a 1.60m PB clearance in the U14 boys event and Jade Moorhead had 2 brilliant PBs of 1.50m and 1.55m to win the U14 girls event. Aoibhe Carr made a brilliant return to the high jump with bronze medal winning clearance of 1.35m while Alicia Locteau also soared to a PB of 1.30m.
Katie Scully was also in great form in the U14 Girls long jump with a PB leap of 4.27m, an event where Jade, Aoibhe and Alicia also jumped very well but just waiting for the official details of their jumps. While both Laura Cunningham and Shauna Tobin were unlucky to break their first 2 jumps in the U18 Girls long jump before Laura leaped to 4.57m and Shauna 4.09m on their final jumps with Laura taking the silver medal. And in the boys U14 long jump, both Evan Hallinan and Daniel Galvin jumped very well but again the official results will confirm their leaps.
In the sprints, Sinead Treacy was in good form in the senior 60m running 8.08 while Fauve Aylmer was very impressive also in the U14 60m. While in the hurdles, Katie Scully, Evan Hallinan and Daniel Galvin all ran strongly competing against athletes a year older than them.
Kyle Moorhead ran a solid race to place mid-pack in the U16 1500m while late in the day, the 800m races threw up some riveting performances firstly from Carla Noone who placed 3rd in her heat in a time of 2.47.1 and followed swiftly by a fantastic run from Fauve Aylmer to also take 3rd place in her heat in an impressive time of 2.30.65. Daniel Galvin placed mid-pack in the U14 boys race in a time of 2.33.3 while Ben Garrard ran a brilliant 2.01 off limited training to place 2nd in the Junior Men’s race. But the bravest run of them all came from Gavin Cooney in the Senior Men’s 800m where he blitzed through the 600m in a phenomenal 1.27 before lactic acid took hold in the final 150m and cost Gavin an incredible PB … finishing in 2.04 or 2.05. But very very positive for going sub-2 soon and with his eyes on Peadar Harvey’s club record of 1.57.21.
And in the final race of the day, the U14 girls put in a great performance in their 4x200m placing 1st in their heat in a time of 2.05.98 and claiming the bronze medals. Summary results are here: 2017.12.30.NorthWestGames.pdf.
And just a small footnote comment on some of the U14 performances - Fauve's 800m , Jade's 1.55m and Evan's 1.60m places all 3 athletes at the top of our best ever performances from U13 age group ... super performances from all three athletes.
Laura Cunningham gold medalist in the high jump and silver medalist in the long jump
at the North West Indoor Games in Athlone
Best of luck Caron in first international!
Caron Ryan receiving a training grant from Club Chairperson Marion McEvilly
in recognition of her selection for the Irish cross country team
to contest the Celtic Cross Country in January
It has been a phenomenal year for Caron Ryan who was recently selected for the Irish Development Team to contest the Celtic Cross Country in Antrim in early January. Caron’s incredible 2017 saw her place 12th in the National Junior Women’s 4000m in Abbotstown and she followed this up with an amazing 3rd place finish in the National U19 4000m in Waterford IT. Her selection for Ireland is richly deserved for a very dedicated athlete.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Caron as she struggled with injuries during several of the intervening years since joining the club in 2013 but she didn’t let it hold her back with notable performances including winning gold Galway Indoor Junior Women’s 3000m in 2014 a time of 14.09.1, gold in both the Galway U16 and U17 Girls 4000m in Autumn 2014, taking 3rd place in the Galway Senior Cross Country in 2015 when aged just 16, taking the Connacht title for her school St Raphael’s Loughrea in the Senior Girls 2500m held in Sligo in 2016 and placing 25th in the Irish Schools XC finals that year and smashing the club’s senior record for the 3000m when racing to a time of 10.36.87 in the Connacht Schools track and field in 2017.
Caron’s best placings prior to this year in National Club Cross Country were 30th in the U17 Girls 4000m in 2014, 43rd in the same event in 2015 and 50th in the U18 Girls 4000m in 2015. Her progression in the distance races is an inspiration to many younger athletes in the club who battle hard over the rough terrain of cross country, placing highly but not in the medals … they all have the talent and their day will come just as Caron’s has. The club wish Caron the best of luck in her forthcoming international and hopefully it is the first of many for this talented and hard-working athlete.
Juggling her love of triathlon with her love of cross country, Caron joined the club back in 2013 where she took part in her first cross country race that Autumn when placing 8th in the Galway U15 Girls 2000m which was held in Craughwell in what is now our 8-acre athletics field. Caron went on to place 14th in the Connacht U15 cross country that year and is pictured below with her teammates Dearbhaile Walsh, Aoife Greene, Ciara O’Boyle and the team coach at the time Mark Gillen. Congratulations also to triathlon coaches and Craughwell residents Tony Daley and Seb Locteau who have assisted Caron with alot of her training over the years.
Mary Ryan RIP
It was with great sadness that the club heard of the death this morning of Mary Ryan after a period of ill-health over the last few weeks. Mary is mum to Mary Porter, mother-in-law to Thomas and granny to Lisa, David, Linda and Laura.
Many of our members and parents will have met Mary down through the years for she was an ever-present when her talented grandchildren were competing with the club as juveniles. She was an absolute lady to everyone she met, kind and gentle and always with a friendly word and a smile on her face. She will be very much missed by all who knew her and especially her close-knit family.
On behalf of the club and on my own behalf, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies to Mary, Thomas, Lisa, David, Linda and Laura. May she rest in peace. Funeral details are on rip.ie.
Indoor Opener at AIT Baseline Meet
A number of athletes opened their indoor season last week with some impressive performances in the AIT Baseline Meet held in Athlone. Jerry Keary leaped to victory in the men’s high jump with a best of 1.95m. Laura Cunningham did likewise in the women’s high jump with a best of 1.55m. Arlene Earls ran an impressive 44.21 in the women’s 300m.
Gavin Cooney and Sinéad Gaffney were equally impressive when racing the unfamiliar distance of 1000m, with Gavin 4th in the men’s race in a time of 2.43.76 and Sinéad 4th in the women’s race in a time of 3.07.39 – both times auguring well for 800m PBs later in the season.
Katie O’Donoghue and Orla Ryan made a welcome return to the track, running excellent times of 8.44 and 8.81 in the women’s 60m. Ful results are here.
Next up on the indoor season is a busy weekend in mid-January with the Galway indoors on 13/14 January in Athlone and the first round of the National League on 13 January in Dublin.
I can't conclude this article without a brief mention of the fantastic performances at the National cross-country yesterday in Waterford with the highlights being 3 top-10 placings with Caron Ryan 3rd in the U19 Girls 4000m, Ben Ryan 8th in the U17 Boys 5000m and Sean Cotter 5th place in the U15 Boys 3500m. Lisa will be posting a full report from an exciting day at Waterford IT. Massive well done to all of our athletes who took part in what is the toughest competition of them all.
Craughwell Phase 3 Development Plan Launched!
Click the picture to see the plan!
Craughwell AC Receives €72k Sports Capital Grant!
Exciting news reached the club this evening with the announcement of the 2017 Sports Capital Grants which included a grant of €72,000 to Craughwell AC towards the provision of an indoor athletics training hall!
The club is indebted to Junior Ministers Ciaran Cannon, Seán Canney and Seán Kyne for the invaluable advice they provided during the preparation of the grant application. Our members’ catchment areas span the constituencies of all three Deputies and on behalf of these members, the club wish to again express their gratitude for their help.
The grant was applied for in February of this year and following assessment by the Department, the Minister today announced the awards. The grant is one of the largest awarded to local projects in County Galway under the 2017 Sports Capital Program and is testament to the marvellous work being done by the coaches and committee within the club, the tremendous dedication shown by our athletes and the fantastic support that the club has received from the parents and the community for the facility development to date. It is also worth noting the diligent work of the civil servants who evaluated the 1000s of applications for grants - something that perhaps we forget about at times as I am sure its a herculean effort to evaluate and score so many 1000s of applications in order to come up with a prioritised list.
The club are fortunate also to have the support of Community Finance Ireland who have agreed in principle to provide a further loan to the club as part of the next phase of development. CFI’s mandate is to lend to the community and voluntary sector and the club have found them to be excellent partners in its facility development. In fact, the club has already received 3 loans from them in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to assist in the development.
Most of all, the club is indebted to the fantastic team of over 40 coaches and committee members who drive the club forwards and to the many wonderful families who financially support the club’s facility development.
The club's Executive Committee are currently looking at all aspects of the funding of the next phase of development and will shortly be communicating the details of the proposed facilities to include in the next phase to members and seeking financial support. It is hoped to address all of the facilities prioritised by the survey conducted by the club during the summer, including the athletics training hall together with a 4-lane 400m track, throwing areas, a perimeter walking/jogging pathway and toilets/changing room facilities. Given the progress the club has made in the last 4 years, we are very confident that we can deliver these facilities in a short number of years. But it will require a major commitment from everyone within the club.
The grant award is wonderful news for the club and the first step on the way to the next phase. It is also a big vote of confidence in what we are doing both for the social and recreational health of our members and also the development of athletes to their potential, some of whom will hopefully go on to great things as young adults and many of whom will have developed a great habit of regular exercise which will stand to them for their lifetimes.
Juvenile Membership Renewal
For those members whose membership renewal is due in September, our preference is for you to do it online rather than the manual form that we have used in the past. You can still do it manually if you prefer using the form on our membership page. Or alternatively click the button below to do it online.
Approx half of our members are on the Sept-Aug renewal while the remaining half are on the Jan-Dec renewal. If in doubt which you are, please consult with our club registrar Mike O'Connor at 087 2336693.
The club also run a lotto to raise funds for facility development. You can support us by clcking on the button below. All funds raised go directly towards the development of the facility and enable the club to borrow against these funds.
Craughwell NS Maintain Fine Tradition at Connachts
Silver Medalists at the Connacht Primary Schools Cross Country Championships
Craughwell NS continued a fine tradition of success in the Connacht Primary Schools Cross Country Championships which were held on the impressive grounds of St Brigid’s GAA club in Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon at the weekend. The school’s excellent record in these championships goes all the way back to 2003 before any of this year’s athletes were even born when the Craughwell Senior Girls team claimed the Connacht Cross Country title for the first time with Cathriona Farrell 10th, Ashley McDonnell 13th, Yasmine Tobin 24th, Rachel Kenny 41st, Cianna Greene 44th and Jane Healy 51st.
Last Saturday saw Clodagh O’Meara join an elite group of athletes from the school when placing 9th in the race – the highest position ever achieved in this race for an athlete from the school and a fantastic achievement for a very hard-working athlete. Clodagh led her team to the team silver medals with Aisling Whyte 24th, Grace Keaveney 37th, Chloe Hallinan 58th, Siofra Davis 59th and Erin Kelly 69th all running strongly to produce a great team result. Fauve Aylmer also put in an amazing run for Coldwood NS when placing 7th in the race with a storming finish, one of the highest ever finishes in this race by an athlete from the club and a just reward for another hard-working athlete. And in the Senior Boys 1200m, Daniel Galvin (Ballymana NS) had a super run to claim the final individual medal when taking 15th place in a race that continually features the highest standard of running in Connacht for these age groups.
Bronze Medalists at the Connacht Primary Schools Cross Country Championships
The Craughwell NS Junior Girls team also put in a terrific team performance in their 1000m race, claiming the bronze medals with an excellent performance with Ella Farrelly 17th, Sarah Craven 19th, Lauren Morgan 44th, Katelyn Walsh 52nd, Claudia McGuinness 58th and Ciara O'Connor 59th. Also in action in the junior girls’ race, Saoirse Mullins (Ballyglas NS) just missed out on a medal when taking 16th place with another fine run.
For Craughwell NS this was the 8th time in 15 years that the school has taken team medals in the Senior Girls race and the 7th time in 12 years that they have done so in the Junior Girls race – the most successful school in Connacht in girls’ cross-country in the last 15 years. Full details of past performances and athletes finishing positions are here. I will try to compile similar information for other local schools. Official results from the weekend are here,.
Well done Cillian McDaid!
Huge congratulations to former member of the club Cillian McDaid who is poised to head to the Aussie Rules league. Cillian was a member of the club for many years winning many Galway and Connacht medals and a National silver as part of the Craughwell team in the U12 Boys National Cross-country Championahips in 2012.
Swapping the Irish climate of rain and mud for the life of a professional athlete in sun-baked Australia was a tough decision I'm sure :-).
And huge well done also to his parents Garvan and Louise for helping him to reach such heights! I know from his younger years and also from chatting to Garvan the massive dedication to sport that Cillian has. He is an inspiration to others in our club and the locality of what can be achieved when you dedicate yourself to an activity. So well done again to Cillian and hopefully it works out brilliantly for him in Australia!
See report below from Fox Sport.
Great Performances at Connacht XC in Moyne
Craughwell AC's Oisin Davis (6th), Sean Cotter (Connacht Champion) and Liam Leen (5th)
at the Connacht U15 Cross Country Championships in Longford
Several athletes from the club made the long journey to Moyne Community School in Co. Longford today for day 2 of the Connacht cross country. Well done to Longford AC and Paddy McPhillips for having the course in excellent condition bar two boggy patches on the way around. The Moyne course was the scene of one of the club’s proudest moments back in 2013 when 4 teams from local primary schools featured in the team medals and Rebekah Flynn strode to individual gold in the 4th class race. So we like it up here … if only they could move it a bit closer to Craughwell 😊.
The U11 Girls 1500m race was off first at noon sharp where Craughwell AC had a mostly U10 team in action. Claudia McGuinness led the team home in 34th place and was followed swiftly by Amelie Bocquet 38th, Kathlyn Walsh 44th, Caoilin Corban 48th and Lillian Walsh 52nd – super performances considering Amelie, Katelyn, Caoilin and Lillian are all out of age. The team placed 5th with 164 points. Next up, the U11 Boys 1500m got away with Darragh Reidy having an outstanding run to place 15th overall and lead Craughwell AC to team bronze with Fionn Higgins 19th, Keelan Moorhead 35th, Sean Lavan 44th and Darragh Kelly 47th. The team took the bronze with 113 points
Craughwell AC's U13 Girls - silver medalists
at the Connacht Cross Country Championships in Longford
Next the U13 Girls 2500m got underway with Aoibhe Carr establishing a fast pace early in the race, followed by Fauve Aylmer, Clodagh O'Meara, Jade Moorhead, Erin Kelly and Grace Leen. 2500m is a tough distance for this age but the girls rose to the challenge. Aoibhe got a stitch midway through the race but bravely battled on. Clodagh and Fauve started to move up through the field and had an outstanding second half of the race to take individual 4th and 5th places. Aoibhe was in next in 19th place, showing fantastic determination not to let the team down when having to run the second half of the race with a stitch and noticeably unwell for 30 minutes after the race. Jade had her strongest performance this season in cross country with a fine 27th place finish. Erin had a brilliant run to plae 49th as did Grace in 52nd, both girls showing great determination to finish out the race and complete a wonderful team performance by the girls which saw them take the team silver with 55 points. Additionally, Clodagh and Fauve scored for the Galway team which took home the gold medals in the county competition.
Craughwell AC's U13 Boys - silver medalists
at the Connacht Cross Country Championships in Longford
The whistle went for the U13 Boys 2500m immediately the girls race concluded. Mathys Bocquet stepping up an age having taken Connacht silver last weekend in the U12s, again showed what a talented cross-country runner he is when taking up a place in the top 3 which gradually pulled away from the field through the race. As it came into the final 200m, it was only then that Mathys faded a little to take individual bronze – a marvellous performance out of age. Mathys was followed in by Evan Hallinan with his best run of the season to date to take 15th place. Hot on his heels Daniel Galvin also with his best run of the season took 18th place, while Cian Lavan put in a blistering finish to take 20th place. And in his first race for the club, Mark Kilgannon had a super run to take 35th place and was followed by our 6th man Killian Walsh battling hard in 45th place. Another super team performance which saw them clinch the team silver medals with a points total of 56, narrowly behind South Galway who took the Connacht title with 53 points.
In the U15 Girls 3500m, Aoibhinn Keane stepping up an age and put in a super run to finish 14th out of age while in the U15 Boys 3500m, Sean Cotter again demonstrated his extraordinary talent to take the Connacht title with an impressive run and was followed in by great runs by Liam Leen and Oisin Davis in 5th and 6th. A 4th scorer here would have guaranteed them the team gold but alas was not to be as Ross McGuinness had picked up an injury.
In the U17 Girls 3500m, Ciara Sheppard had an amazing run to take 7th place possibly Ciara's best ever run in cross country but even more amazing considering she was out of age – getting stronger and stronger with every run. In the boys William Fitzgerald raced to individual bronze, an incredible performance considering that yesterday William raced to victory in the 5k in his home town of Peterswell. William was followed in by Kyle Moorhead with a fine run to take 8th place with Patrick Noonan hot on his heels in 9th place and Sean Noonan completing a fine team performance with 11th place and helping the team to the silver medals with 31 points. And Luke Evans rounded out the Craughwell performances with a fine individual silver medal in the U19 Boys race.
Full results are here: CONNAUGHT_UNEVEN_RESULTS_SUNDAY_5TH_NOV_MOYNE
Christmas Clearout? Clothes Recycling Collection
The club's next clothes collection will take place on 22nd November.
So if doing a pre-Christmas clearout, why not do it early and get it into our recycling facility on our new grounds beside Craughwell NS.
Please don't leave clothes in the toilets/changing room container on the school grounds - we have a purpose built one now on our grounds adjacent to the pedestrian gate to the school.
These collections raise vital funds for the club's facility development at no cost to members.
Thanks for your support!