5k road race in Cloonaool this month

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Regatta on the Garavogue this Saturday

The Sligo Head of the River – a regatta organised and hosted by Sligo Rowing Club – takes place this Saturday (weather permitting).

Crews will race the 3.5km course along the Garavogue river, from the mouth of

Lough Gill, past Hazelwood, through Doorly Park and finishing where the river narrows at Ardaghowen House.

Crews will slip off from Doorly Park at 10am and they’ll make their way to the start for ‘head one’, to commence at 11am. Refreshments will be available, with crews once again slipping from Doorly Park at 1pm, where they will make their way to the start for ‘head two’ (2pm). The event will be run in a time trial format, with crews let off every 40 seconds. Times will be compiled after each head and results will be available after both heads. Prize-giving will take place at SRC’s facilities at 3.30pm. A total of 14 clubs are taking part and 183 crews will compete in a variety of categories across head one and head two. Sligo Rowing Club will be well represented on the day.

St Pat’s NS are badminton winners

St Patrick’s National School, Calry, won the girls section of the Connacht Badminton Primary Schools competition that took place in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, on Wednesday of last week, February 7. A second team from St Patrick’s NS were fourth in the girls category. A total of 13 teams and 60 players represented schools from counties Sligo, Galway and Mayo. The provincial winners, including the successful St Patrick’s team, progress to the All-Ireland finals which take place at the end of this month (Wednesday, February 28) in Baldoyle. The St Patrick’s team that is heading to the national stage of this competition features the following players: Emily Burke, Eve McSharry, Aifric O’Brien and Khloe O’Connell. Sligo Badminton Club coaches, including Graeme Watt and Karen Kelly, have assisted the team’s preparations.

Summerhill are beaten in Cup play-offs

Summerhill College, who were crowned Basketball Ireland All-Ireland Schools Boys U-16 ‘B’ Cup champions last month, were beaten in the All-Ireland Schools Boys U-16 ‘B’ League play-offs held at the National Basketball Arena. On Friday, February 2, Summerhill lost 52-43 to Cross and Passion College Kilcullen (Kildare) in the competition’s semi-final. Earlier that day the cup winners from Sligo were 52-46 winners over Dublin’s Ardscoil Rís in the quarter-finals.

PROVINCIAL SUCCESS: Members of the badminton team that from St Patrick’s National School, Calry, that won the girls title at the recent Connacht Badminton Primary Schools competition. They have qualified for the All-Ireland finals.

The annual Cloonacool 5k road race, which is organised and hosted by Cloonacool GAA Club, goes ahead on Sunday week, February 25. Catering for walkers, runners and joggers, the popular south Sligo event starts at 12 noon from Cloonacool Community Park and uses and out and back course. Entry on the day between 10.15am and 11.45am. The entry fees are as follows: €10 (adults), €5 (children) and €25 (family). Changing and shower facilities are available. Refreshments will be served afterwards. There are prizes of €100 if the course records are broken – the current male record is 15:07 and the female record is 17:13.

ATU Sligo will play in Fergal Maher Cup

There are three Sligo natives on the ATU Sligo senior hurling squad for the Electric Ireland HE GAA Fergal Maher Cup knockout stages, which is part of the Fitzgibbon Cup weekend (hosted by MTU Kerry). Two of the three locals are from Naomh Eoin, Darragh Cawley, who captains the side, and Stephen Sheridan. The other Sligo man is Conor White (St Molaise Gaels).

The ATU Sligo senior hurling management is Nicholas Freyne, Stephen Fleming (the former Sligo senior hurler) and Brian McCann.

Tomorrow, Friday, ATU Sligo are up against Dublin’s Marino Institute of Education, a game that takes place in Caherslee GAA Club, Tralee. If ATU Sligo progress they’ll place in the final the next day, Saturday. ATU Sligo topped their section to earn a semi-final slot – in the group stage they defeated a depleted ATU Connemara, 6-21 to 0-5, and also overcame ATU Donegal, 2-15 to 1-7.

Skilful goalie Bonnie re-signs for Bit O’Red

Goalkeeper Bonnie McKiernan is another addition to the Tommy Hewitt-managed Sligo Rovers senior women’s team for this season’s SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division – she has re-signed for her second season at The Showgrounds. McKiernan, an ATU Sligo student who is from Cavan, came to Rovers last year, having previously played for Athlone Town and Cavan Shamrocks. The netminder ended up making 19 starts for the Bit O’Red in 2023. Confirmation of McKiernan’s re-signing, which was made by the club on Thursday last, meant that there were (at that time) 17 players in the senior women’s squad. Three of these players are goalkeepers – Bonnie McKiernan, Caoimhe O’Reilly and Amber Hardy.

Date set for Coola’s soccer semi-final

Coola Post Primary School’s FAI Schools Junior ‘B’ Girls (U-17, small schools) National Cup semi-final is scheduled for Friday of next week, February 23, and will be played at the facilities of Donegal Town FC (kick-off 1pm). Coola’s opponents will be Ulster champions Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair. The east Sligo secondary school recently retained the