Wrapping Up The 2024 Season

As 2024 comes to a close, these are some of the recent highlights from the club in Munster and National Cross Country, and other International Events.

 

Well done to Caitlin Garvey who competed in the International race walking event, incorporating National Championships in Dublin today. Caitlin finished in top ten of Irish girls in U14 2k race and achieved a personal best!!

Spraoi Games with Dooneen AC Little Athletics group. 24 5-7 year olds have been active for the past 8 weeks. Big thanks to club coaches and teen leaders who assisted this morning. A great introduction to Run Jump Throw games for kids to find what they like and find their talent, thanks to Olivia our RDO for support with the Games!

Munster B XC in St Flannans Ennis brought great Dooneen performances with Ruadhán Crowley winning out of age in u17 boys, Caoilinn Crowley out of age in u15 girls ran much of the race in 7th and sprinted home to get into 5th place and Lara O’Regan running very strongly throughout u13 girls to finish 9th. All are in the top 12 and qualify on to All Ireland B XC finals to represent the club.

Alan McCutcheon raced in the sell-out Newmarket 5k with a fine finishing time of 16:38, close to his PB and a great performance as he is recovering from recent injury.

Congratulations to Olga Nedvede!
We are thrilled to announce that Olga has been awarded Club Person of the Year 2024!

Great running in Tramore from Dooneen girls in u17 National XC Championships. Aimee MacMahon 44th place and Ella Grace Osborne 21st and 4th scorer on the Silver medal Munster provincial team. The girls also ran this course at the Munster Unevenage Cross County back in October, along with Katherine McCutcheon that day. The seniors were represneted by Tanya Cox, Scott Thomas and Nelson Nwakaihe.

Congrats to Meabh and Emer Purtill of Mungret Community College and Dooneen AC who competed for Ireland at the schools International 󠁧󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 combined events in Glasgow at the weekend.
Emer produced a brilliant performance to take individual gold with a pb of 3578 points and taking Ireland to silver in the junior girls team event
Meabh also had a great day helping the Intermediate girls secure another gold for Ireland in the team event

 

2024 was an outstanding year for Dooneen AC’s senior athletes, marked by success across road races, track events, cross-country, and marathons, both nationally and internationally. Here’s a snapshot of the year’s achievements:

 

Road Races & Championships

• A strong start with standout performances in Caherconlish, Dungarvan, and Adare, where the Ladies Team claimed the second prize and the Men’s Team secured third. Clare Coleman excelled, placing third in the Senior race.

• At the County 4-Mile Championships in Kilmallock, Dooneen dominated with Caroline Godard winning Individual Gold, the Ladies Team taking gold in both the Novice and Senior categories, and the Men’s Team earning silver in both. Numerous age-category medals were also secured.

 

Indoor Competitions

• At the National Indoors in Athlone, Shane, Tim, Paul, and Olga brought home victories.

• A stellar showing at the Munster Indoors in Nenagh, with athletes including Dermot, Tim, Shane, Olga, Aine, Sarah, Leah, Ross, and Alan all winning medals.

• Shane and Tim continued their momentum at the Connacht Indoors, keeping Dooneen’s flag flying high.

 

Marathons and Long-Distance Races

• Many members completed marathons, including major events. Notable names include Eileen Reeves, Shane Ryan, Rob McCarthy, Marcella McGrath, Mike Griffin, Clare Coleman, Mpho Chauke, Kieran O’Brien, Dave Rohan, and Cian Aherne.

• International marathon participation highlighted Dooneen’s global presence, with athletes excelling at events like the Dublin Marathon, Charleville Half, and Kilkee Half.

 

Key Wins & Record-Setters

• Shona Keane won the Limerick Duathlon in February.

• At Nationals in Dublin, Olga set records and claimed gold in the WFD and WFH, while John Sheehan also set records, reinforcing Dooneen’s reputation for excellence.

 

Club Highlights

• The Michal Rejmer Dooneen 10-Mile Race continues to grow, with nearly 300 participants this year, thanks to title sponsor HOMS Assist.

• Summer events saw incredible participation at races like the Curley 4 Mile, Streets of Galway, and Bilbao 10K.

• At the GLR and Munster Championships, Dooneen athletes earned both individual and team medals.

 

• Cross Country:

Day 1 in Bilboa: Mpho Chauke won Novice Gold, leading the men’s team to victory in the Novice category, while the Ladies Masters Team also secured gold.

Day 2 in Newcastlewest: Tracey Johnson claimed Senior Individual Gold, and the Ladies Senior Team added another gold to their collection.

The men’s team placed second in the Senior race and dominated the Intermediate race, with Cian Aherne taking Individual Gold and Dooneen athletes securing three of the top positions.

 

• Shona Keane excelled across multiple events, winning the Tralee Half Marathon, the Lanzarote race, and placing 1st in the O40 category at the Newmarket 5km.

• Kieran O’Brien’s standout achievement was winning the Gap of Dunloe Marathon, rounding off a stellar year.