DUBLIN CLUBS ACTIVITIES ROUND UP, 26 - 29 DECEMBER 2024
Saturday December 28
Lee Duddy (Clonliffe Harriers) was the winner of the D15 Suicide Awareness 5km held at the Sport Ireland Campus, Abbotstown on Saturday (December 28). He finished in 16 mins 19 secs, with Anthony Brady (Coolock RC) second in 16:35. First woman was Dubliner Jane Bandila who runs for Dunboyne AC these days, with a time of 19.15. Anne Marie Burns (Ballymun AC) was third in 22.00 and Caroline Conway (Sportsworld) fourth in 22:07.
Friday December 27
Tallaght master Tomás Fitzpatrick was the winner of the annual Rita and Robbie 5km, in Navan on Friday (December 27). In a closely-fought race, Fitzpatrick won the chase for the line finishing in 15 mins 20 secs. Just two seconds behind were Matthew Fitzpatrick (Dunleer AC) and Eanna Ó Bradaigh (DSD AC) with both given a time of 15:22. Fourth in 15:23 was Eoin Flynn (Rathfarnham WSAF AC M40), while sixth was Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) in 15:33. First woman in 18:28 was Saoirse McGrath (Crusaders AC), with Aoife O’Leary (Sportsworld, W40) third in 18:36. Two days later, O’Leary was again in action at the Togher 5km in Co Cork, where her husband Cillian (Raheny Shamrock) was sixth overall and second M40 in 15:33. Aoife was seventh woman in 18:30, with her Sportsworld clubmate Noreen Brouder third woman and first W45 in 17:59
December 26 was the busiest day of the holiday season for road races, with over a dozen races taking place at venues all over the country. Undoubtedly the busiest was the 22nd annual Fields of Athenry 10km in Co Galway, which has always attracted a large entry from Dublin clubs. Indeed, Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock AC) is something of a legend in the race’s history having won seven times on the trot from 2012 to 2018, also winning in 2021. In 2023, John Travers (Donore Harriers) was the winner. This year, Jamie Fallon of Craughwell AC who finished in 30 mins 34 secs almost made it a home win. Leading home the Dublin contingent was Joseph Hastings (DSD AC) eighth in 32:41, ollowed by Mark Neylor (Liffey Valley) tenth in 32:57 and Karol David Cronin (Sportsworld AC) 11th and first M40 in 33:30. Other Dublin club athletes finishing in the top 21 were Cian Charlton (Raheny Shamrock) 12th, Simon O’Toole (Donore Harriers) 17th, Paul O’Beirne (Sportsworld) 18th and third M49, Michael O’Connor (Blackrock AC) 20th, and Brian Regan (Crusaders) 21st. As for the women, Sportsworld AC was led home by Caoimhe Daniels in 39:59 and Kate Burke in 41:49, backed up by Katie Nugent 43:09, Veronica Burke 43:32 and Michelle Burke 43:34. Other Dublin finishers were Siobhan Nugent (Liffey Valley) 42:11 and Aisling Kililea (Clonliffe Harriers) 42:17.
Winners at the annual Bull Run 7.5km, on Bull Island, Dollymount, Dublin, also on December 26, were Garret Shaw and Ciara Losty in the 18-45 age group and Keith Fleming and Orla Gormley in the over 46 age group. The event was hosted by the Irish Amateur Wrestling Association at the 5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts Den.
Further afield, at the Caherdavin 10km in Co Limerick, Colm Turner (Brothers Pearse AC) finished second in 32:56. In Clonmel, Ben Coughlan (Clonliffe Harriers) finished second with a time of 20:06 at the annual MSD 4-Mile.
WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD, St Stephen's Day 26th December
There are club races — and then there is the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield, possibly the longest running club race in Ireland —and maybe even the world? The race dates back to 1896 when Samuel Waterhouse, a Dublin jeweller, presented the newly founded Donore Harriers Club with a silver shield for a 10-mile handicap cross-country race. The shield became known as the 'Donore Harriers Waterhouse Challenge Shield’ and the race was held in the Phoenix Park. With the exception of 1916, when many Donore members were otherwise occupied in the trenches of northern France, the race has been held every years since with Messrs Byrne and Baird adding their names to the title as their award for winning the race three times. Youngest winner at just 15 years and 39 days in 1958-59 was Donore stalwart Willie Smith, still happily with us. Oldest winner in 1977/78 was the late Frank Cahill, another Donore ‘legend’, aged 77 years103 days. In 1979, Eamonn Coghlan became the only winner ever to break 50 minutes for the course around the ‘Dog Pond’ lap. In 1985, Valerie McGovern became the first woman to win the race. This year’s winner was Neil Hand, who pushed on to finish ahead of Claire Mulligan and Roisin Brady in a time of 61 mins 41 secs — his fastest ever for the course. Fastest man on the day was Dave McConn in 59.32 with Laura Nunan the fastest woman in 73.26. Previous winners Eamon Coghlan and Jim O’Reilly ( the 1954 winner) were there to present the prizes.
