Jack comes up trumps
IT was a Sunday to remember for Dunleer AC’s Jack Boylan as he medalled at the National Indoor Under-23 Championships in Athlone.
He clocked 3:57.19 to finish third, just a fraction of a second behind the runner-up, and Ciara Reilly also did well for the club, finishing sixth in her Junior 400m heat in a time of 1:04.37.
Meanwhile, preparations for the 50th running of the Ras na hEireann at Oldbridge have been hotting up over the past week as more sponsors and athletes from the USA are confirmed.
Dunleer AC organise the renowned cross-country event and this year’s event on Sunday February 17th is possible thanks to Kingspan - the Rás title sponsor - and also to Mace Ireland, Haughton & Young Limited and Anord Mardx who all came on board last week.
Other sponsors include Coca-Cola, Burex, Paddy Darby, Glen Dimplex and Shay Sheridan and any other potential sponsors are invited to get in touch by email at tydunleer04@gmail.com.
Club Chairwoman Jacqueline Matthews is delighted that athletes from the USA will be competing, as well as Ethiopia’s Hiko Tonosa who has a PB of 13:31 for 5km, so he will be definitely one to watch!
The USA men’s team has been confirmed for the Rás thanks to Charlie Breagy, the club’s élite athlete co-ordinator in the US - and they are Matt Mc Clintock, Ben Groleau, Aaron Dinenzeo, Matt Drummond and Dan Smith, while the USA ladies will be represented by Joanna Thompson.
The Rás is part of a Sports and Culture Week through Dunleer AC’s link with Armagh Athletic Club and the International Road Race in Armagh on Thursday February 14th.
The historic event has a historic venue also, thanks to the great work of the OPW who have provided the public with an amazing outdoor space at Oldbridge, scene of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
The grounds are a fantastic amenity for walks as well as running, and the tea rooms, museum and gardens provide something for everyone.
Dunleer say great credit goes to Dolores Mc Govern who manages the site for the OPW, and her staff who provide a warm welcome to all outdoor life and history fans who visit.
The Rás incorporates the Noel Mc Guill/Sandra Floyd event also and cups are presented to the men’s winning team by the Mc Guill family in memory of Noel Mc Guill. The winning ladies team receive the Sandra Floyd Cup. The Larry Mc Guill cup is presented to the first man over the line in the senior race and the Louis Duffin Cup to the first Dunleer AC man home. In 2018, a cup was also THE countdown is on to the Glenmore AC Kearney & McBride 5k road race which will be held on Sunday 3rd of March starting at the Bush school and finishing with a lap of the track at the Bush.
There’s an early bird registration rate for what is a big event for the club in their 50th year anniversayear. Online registration is now opened
The club paid tribute to former club member Shane Mc Ginn who sadly passed away on 17th January. From a young age Shane and the whole family made the twice weekly trek to the Glenmore AC track at Bush where club members watched the McGinns - Cormac, Shane, and Joanne - go from youngsters to teenagers to adults.
As a young athlete who competed, helped with events such as the Credit Union races to being one of the juvenile coaches, Shane was someone who could be depended upon, would help out with a smile on his face and would always turn out in club colours to run track & field or cross-country.
He learned to drive, bringing Anna and Phil to the track on those Tuesdays and Thursdays, formed part of the Red Cross crew at meets dealing with those minor injuries sustained; along with Cormac he was the one the club juveniles knew to go to, as he knew their names and reassured those tears.
The club followed his trajectory from juvenile runner to teenager to coach to young gentleman who pursued his dream of joining An Garda Siochana.
He was the young man that juveniles could look up to and whom parents hoped their children would emulate.
Club members had been witness to the development and flourishing of a young gentleman who was very much part of their lives, whom they greatly admired.
The McGinn family, pivotal in the development of the track, formed an integral part of the Glenmore AC community during those years of their children’s transition from young athletes to adulthood.
At his funeral, those who had worked, trained and lived part of their lives alongside them were sad, sad to witness yet another stage of a life taken too early.
Sympathy goes out to Anna, Phil, Cormac and Joanne and his girlfriend Alma. All associated with Glenmore AC were proud of the man he had become.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.