Golds galore: Donegal athletes shine at Irish Schools Championships

The Irish Schools Track and Field Championships are the litmus test annually for young athletes - and Donegal appears to be in a rather healthy position following Saturday’s version in Tullamore.

Fourteen golds were claimed by Donegal-based athletes and students with plenty of other podium places secured.

St Columba’s College sisters Caoimhe and Adrienne Gallen led the way.

Caoimhe won gold in the junior hammer and junior shot while Adrienne was the victor in the senior hammer event.

Caoimhe Gallen won the hammer with a 54.30 throw and a 12.14m effort secured the shot gold.

Adrienne Gallen launched a 49.44 to land the spoils in her event.

Muireann McBride (Loreto and Letterkenny AC) was second in the junior hammer, with Sile Ni Ghallchoir (Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair and Rosses AC) second in the junior shot.

In-form Lucy McGlynn was a double gold medalist.

The Tir Chonaill AC star, who has been in really consistent form lately, won the 400m hurdles in 1:02.61.

The Colaiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon ace returned to win the 100m hurdles in a fine 14.35 seconds.

Sean McGinley was also celebrating on the double. The St Eunan’s College student won the 2000m steeplechase in 6:02.87 and the Finn Valley AC man, who has also been delivering on the big stage regularly in the last year, came back to win the 1500m a few hours later.

McGinley timed 3:58.17 to clinch the gold there too.

Loreto Milford’s Oisin Kelly won the senior 800m title. The Cranford AC man nosed over the line in front of Newcastlewest’s Nathan Shelly-Cremin.

Right on the line, Kelly dipped to finish in 1:54.57. The 1:54.58 clocked by Sheehy-Cremin outlined the wafer-thin margin.

In the senior women’s 1500m steeplechase, Amy Greene of Rosses Community School was the victor. The recent Finn Valley AC recruit won in 5:17.55.

Cormac O’Donnell of St Columba’s, Stranorlar and Lifford-Strabane AC won the senior hammer, reaching out to 52.74m.

Joseph Gillespie of St Columba’s Stranorlar won the senior triple jump, with a best effort of 13.53m. The Finn Valley AC man saw off Athenry’s Evan Hallinan, who had a best attempt of 12.95m.

In the intermediate 400m hurdles, Fintan Dewhirst took the gold in 57.33 seconds. The Tir Chonaill AC man, a student at St Columba’s Comprehensive, sped away from Eoghan MacMuiris to win.

Loreto, Letterkenny woman Emma Bonar took the junior 800m title. The LAC athlete finished in 2:16.24 to claim the gold.

Finn O’Neill, fresh from breaking the Irish Under-18 decathlon record in England last weekend, won the intermediate boys 100m hurdles in 13.44 seconds - a new personal best - and was second in the pole vault, getting over at 3.60m.

The talented all-rounder, who is with Lifford-Strabane AC, was representing Limavady Grammar School.

In the senior girls’ 800m, Finn Valley AC’s Cara Lavery, in the Thornill College vest, was second in 2:11.48.

Olympian YAC’s Sophie Parlour, also running for Thornhill, claimed silver in the senior 100m, finishing in 12.44 seconds.

There was also a silver for St Eunan’s College student and Letterkenny AC athlete Rohan McMenamin, second in the minor 800m in 2:07.86.

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ashleigh McArdle took third in the intermediate shot put, the Holy Cross student throwing a best of 11.17m.

St Columba’s College, Stranorlar man Oisin Thompson, a Finn Valley AC product, was third in the senior long jump thanks to a 6.50m leap while Eoin Boyle from St Columba’s Comprehensive in Glenfies took third in the intermediate high jump, clearing 1.75.

Holy Cross pupil Ellie McCurdy, who has been the dominant javelin thrower in the north west in recent years, was third in the intermediate javelin. The Lifford-Strabane AC woman threw out to 36.45m.

Crana College’s Emma Costello was third in the intermediate 80m hurdles, crossing the line in 12.20 seconds.