Finn Valley AC named as Athletics Ireland Juvenile Cross Country Club of the Year

Finn Valley AC has been named as the Athletics Ireland Juvenile Cross Country Club of the Year for 2025.

It is the second year in a row for Finn Valley AC to take the title.

The club will now be officially presented with the Kennedy Cup again at a function for the Athletics Ireland Juvenile Star Awards at the Mullingar Park Hotel on April 18.

“This is a massive achievement and is a direct reflection of the commitment, dedication and standards set by our cross country coaches and athletes,” said Finn Valley AC Chairman Dermot McGranaghan.

“The work ethic, consistency and unity within our cross country groups has been exceptional, and this recognition is thoroughly deserved.

“Finn Valley AC has long since been a leading light in the tough and demanding discipline of cross country running. This award is for all of those who continue to work tirelessly across all our age groups, from athletes to coaches to parents, all of whom we need to work in tandem.”

At the National Cross Country Championships, there was a team gold for the Finn Valley AC U16s of Tara Rose Smith, Saorla Gilligan, Andrea Reid, Darcie Clarke, Leah Kenny, Abi McGeehan and Jessica Lafferty.

The Finn Valley AC U11 girls team of Caitlin Gillespie, Cora Clarke, Erin Moy, Eimear Moy and Annie O’Mahoney also won gold.

There were team silvers for the U17 girls - Tara Rose Smith, Leah Kenny, Holly McNulty, Abi McGeehan and Nia Byrne - and the U11 boys - Daithin Bonner, Eoin Cunningham, Jude Martin, Blake Keenan, Byron Boyle and Harry Houston.

The U15 girls - Saorla Gilligan, Darcie Clarke, Caoimhe McNeill, Aoibhinn Greene, Kate McMenamin and Amy Sweeney - and the U12 girls - Caitlin Gillespie, Muireann Burke, Sorcha Cunningham, Eimear Moy, Emily McBride and Erin Moy - earned team bronze medals.

The Finn Valley AC U12 boys placed fifth, the team comprising Zach McKinley, Darragh Coyle, Byron Boyle, Harry Houston, Shay McHugh and William McGlinchey. 

The U13 boys of Evan Patton, Shay McHugh, Noah Davis, Kyle Doherty and Darragh Coyle were seventh with the U13 girls of Muireann Burke, Aoibhinn Moss, Ellen Rose Carlin, Caoimhe Coyle and Alison Mbuli battling hard. 

Devin Saunders, Kyle Doherty, Shea Irwin and Evan Patton teamed up for an U13 boys team that was ninth.

At the National Juvenile Cross Country Relays, the U11 girls - Caitlin Gillespie, Eimear Moy, Lacey McCaughan, Erin Moy and Cora Clarke - took silver. At the same event, the U15 girls team of Saorla Gilligan, Aoibheann Greene, Darcie Clarke, Caoimhe McNeill and Rachel McBride landed bronze. 

There was bronze, too, for the U12 mixed relay team of Shay McHugh, Zach McKinley, Sorcha Cunningham, Ceola McGlinchey and Brody McMenamin. The U11 boys team of Eoin Cunningham, Jude Martin, Harry Houston, Darragh Irwin and Caeden McMenamin were bronze medal winners as were the U17 mixed relay team of Mark Alexander, Caolan Gillespie, Tara Rose Smith and Holly McNulty.

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Finn Valley AC was also the dominant club at the various Ulster Cross Country Championships, winning eight team gold, three team silvers and six team bronze as well as 10 individual medals - while the club had an unrivalled record in the Donegal Cross Country Championships, leaving with a total of 14 team gold medals and 18 individual medals.