Murphy and Mooney take Offaly senior cross country titles

The 2024 Offaly Senior Cross Country season concluded with a very impressive finish at Faithful Fields in Kilcormac on Sunday last, December 15th. On a day that many counties held their final cross-country meeting for the year, this marked the fourth time the championships were held at this venue, and thanks to the dedication of the organisers and volunteers, the course was in excellent condition for the day's races.

Hosted by Offaly Athletics, the championships saw participation from nearly every athletic club in the county, including a debut appearance by Rhode AC. The Rhode AC athletes made an impressive first showing, with the ladies' team securing bronze medals and the men's team finishing in a strong 5th place. A big congratulations to all the athletes who participated, especially those stepping onto the cross-country course for the first time. It’s always inspiring to see new faces taking on the challenge, adding to the excitement and spirit of the event.

Despite an early drizzle, the rain cleared before the races began, leaving a strong breeze as the main challenge for the competitors. The conditions, however, were overall quite favourable for cross country running.

The ladies’ race began with Adrian Curley, Chairman of Tullamore Harriers, blowing the whistle to set the 25 participants in motion. The coveted Martina Conlon Trophy was at stake for the senior cross country team competition, alongside the individual county medals.

The trophy holds a special place in Offaly athletics history, named after Martina Conlon, the first-ever Offaly Senior Cross Country Champion nearly 40 years ago. Martina continues to inspire as an active competitor and was racing on Sunday alongside her Tullamore Harriers clubmates—a testament to her enduring passion for running.

From the very start, Laura Mooney of Tullamore Harriers AC established herself as the one to beat. Coming off an impressive 7th-place finish at the European Cross Country Championships in Greece the previous weekend, Laura dominated the race, leading comfortably from start to finish to secure the win.

Behind Laura, her clubmates Sarah Flanagan and Pauline Curley, along with Sarah McNamee of Rhode AC, delivered standout performances. Sarah Flanagan broke away to secure 2nd place, while Pauline fought hard to claim 3rd, followed closely by Sarah McNamee in 4th.

In the team competition for the Martina Conlon Trophy, it was Tullamore Harriers AC who triumphed, thanks to stellar runs from Laura Mooney, Sarah Flanagan, Pauline Curley, and Michelle Mullaney.

The Naomh Mhuire AC ladies claimed 2nd place with excellent efforts from Lisa Murphy, Emma Hart, Mairead Scally, and Fiona O’Connor.

In their debut season, Rhode AC impressed with their ladies’ team taking the 3rd-place position, led by Sarah McNamee, Karen Kellaghan, Tracey Dillon, and Claire Conway.

Ladies’ results:

Laura Mooney Tullamore Harriers AC 22.1

Sarah Flanagan Tullamore Harriers AC 24.41

Pauline Curley Tullamore Harriers AC 26.17

Sarah McNamee Rhode AC 28.37

Lisa Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 28.46

Carmel Murray Birr AC 29.19

Emma Hart Naomh Mhuire AC 29.36

Michelle Mullaney Tullamore Harriers AC 29.42

Karen Kellaghan Rhode AC 29.47

Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 29.54

Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 31.42

Mary Galvin Tullamore Harriers AC 31.59

Tracey Dillon Rhode AC 32.25

Marie Nevin Kilcormac Killoughey AC 33.28

Fiona O'Connor Naomh Mhuire AC 34.01

Margaret Kilmartin Kilcormac Killoughey AC 34.02

Claire Conway Rhode AC 34.33

Martina Conlon Tullamore Harriers AC 34.54

Helen Chambers Naomh Mhuire AC 35.01

Caroline McLoughlin Rhode AC 35.31

Eithne Carroll Kilcormac Killoughey AC 36.3

Pauline Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 38.53

Sharon Jones Naomh Mhuire AC 38.53

Tracey Burns Naomh Mhuire AC 38.53

Mary Carroll Kilcormac Killoughey AC 39.39

Mens' Race

Immediately following the ladies' race, the focus shifted to the 41 men lining up for their 9000m challenge. The race attracted a strong showing from the majority of Offaly clubs, with a mix of experienced competitors and fresh faces eager to test themselves.

The men began with two 500m laps, followed by five circuits of the 1600m loop, mirroring the structure of the women’s race but adding an extra 2 laps for the greater distance.

From the start, Barry Minnock of Tullamore Harriers AC set the early pace, leading with impressive strength. However, it wasn’t long before Harry Lupton of Ballyskenach AC surged ahead, taking control in the early stages.

As the race unfolded, Michael Murphy, also of Tullamore Harriers AC, ran tactically, staying just behind Harry and biding his time. In the final 1000m, Michael made his move, taking the lead, but all the while Harry was never too far out of contention.

Paul Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC, last year’s champion had a very solid run taking the bronze medal for 2024.

Again, the Tullamore Men secured the team win with Kevin Minnock making up the 4th scorer.

Naomh Mhuire AC were 2nd team with the men well bunched in 9th, 12th, 13th and 16th place. Jimmy Coughlan, Darren Bermingham, Kevin Looby and Brendan Donagher

Ferbane AC were 3rd team with Paul Buckley, Donagh McBrearty, Kevin Brazil and Dermot Egan.

Men’s results

Michael Murphy Tullamore Harriers AC 32.37

Harry Lupton Ballyskenach AC 32.48

Paul Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 33.28

Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 33.29

Barry Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 34.07

Jonathan Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC 35.01

Luke Duffy Tullamore Harriers AC 35.24

Eimhin Kenny Tullamore Harriers AC 36.15

Jimmy Coughlan Naomh Mhuire AC 36.29

Paul Buckley Ferbane AC 36.57

Donagh McBrearty Ferbane AC 37.44

Darren Bermingham Naomh Mhuire AC 37.46

Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 38.02

Daniel Molloy Tullamore Harriers AC 38.38

Glen Finlay Tullamore Harriers AC 38.56

Brendan Donagher Naomh Mhuire AC 39.28

Darren Butler Tullamore Harriers AC 39.48

William Delahunt Ballyskenach AC 39.55

David Hollywood Tullamore Harriers AC 40.15

Alan Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 40.15

Brian Fogarty Birr AC 40.34

JP McLoughlin Rhode AC 40.52

Dervish Bartlett Birr AC 41.42

Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 41.49

Dermot Egan Ferbane AC 41.55

Joe Brophy Birr AC 42.12

David Hackett Kilcormac Killoughey AC 42.46

Nicky Dunne Birr AC 42.51

Ger Cleary Naomh Mhuire AC 43.4

Patrick Claffey Kilcormac Killoughey AC 43.59

Ger Minnock Naomh Mhuire AC 44.35

Adrian Delaney Naomh Mhuire AC 44.37

Jonathan Geraghty Rhode AC 44.45

Dermot Hartnett Rhode AC 44.59

David Brady Rhode AC 45.51

Donal Mannion Birr AC 46.12

Mark Delaney Kinnity AC 47.59

Gordan Kerrigan Rhode AC 48.15

Mattie Flanagan Naomh Mhuire AC 50.29

David Craven Kilcormac Killoughey AC 50.54

Gerard Keller Naomh Mhuire AC 51.09

Following the races, the medals and trophies were presented by Mr John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland. Kilcormac Killoughey AC kindly served the post-race refreshments in the club house. Well done all. As always, Offaly Civil Defence provided great service we very much appreciate. Thank you to Christy Todd Offaly GAA for his assistance and support leading up to the championships.

The next cross country event is the Leinster Intermediate and Masters championships on 18^th of January , hosted by Offaly Athletics in the Faithful Fields once again.