County Novice B & Juvenile B Cross Country

Date: Sunday 30th October 2011
Venue: Carrignavar, Co. Cork

The County Novice B will be held with the County Juvenile B Cross Country Championships on Sunday October 30th in Carrignavar. With all the big guns and boy racers ruled ineligible, the Novice B is an ideal opportunity for new club members and L-plate runners to experience cross country on more level terms. I was going to say level playing pitch, but in truth the organisers of cross country events do their level best (sorry for all the puns) to ensure there are few if any level running surfaces in cross country. It seems the goal of XC is to hinder running, not help! You’ll need a club top, a pair of spikes and have a washing machine and packet of Bold or Persil on standby for when you get back home.

These are the County Novice B Teams Novice Men: Michael Houlihan, John O’Sullivan, Eoin O’Keeffe, Kevin Coleman, Aidan O’Gorman, Colin Condon, Glenn Dollard, Tom Cuddihy, Rory O’Sullivan, Patrick Rahilly.

Novice Women: Barbara Curran, Cait Mehigan, Rachel Crowley, Una Kennedy, Patricia O’Connor, Yvonne O’Raw.

Best of luck everyone!

Munster Novice Cross Country Champions!!!! Oct 23, 2011

Martina Kiely won the Munster Novice Cross Country Championship in horrendous conditions yesterday in County Clare. Martina was with the leaders for the first lap but pulled away early in the second lap and kept increasing her lead all the way to the finish to win well.

In the men’s race Cathal O Donovan led the team home, finishing 3rd overall himself. He was followed home by Paul Gallagher (who won county Gold with Clare!), Allen Whitaker and Denis Coughlan for a fantastic team win.

Well done to all who ran on another great day for the club!

Munster Novice, U23 & Even Age XC 2011

Date: Sunday 23rd O 0pm, Men at 2pmVenue: Newmarket On Fergus, Co. Clare The historic old town of Carrigadrohid was the venue for a successful Munster Novice XC in 2010. This year’s Munster Novice XC takes place in the equally attractive grounds of Dromoland Castle just north of the village of Newmarket on Fergus in Co. North Limerick. Transport is available leaving the UCC Farm in Curraheen at 10am. As this is a championship race, all participants must wear the club singlet. The Women’s race is up first at 1.30pm followed thereafter by the Men. Travelling from Limerick on the N18 (E20) take Exit 11 for QUIN. Cross over the motorway and make a U-Turn back down the R458 in the direction of Newmarket on Fergus. The race venue is in the vicinity of the Dromoland Castle Hotel and will be signposted on route. Note that Exit 10 will take you through the village of Newmarket on Fergus. As all cars will be parking on the road, taking Exit 11 will have all cars facing in the same direction and thus avoid traffic congestion.

The Barr’s teams are as follows:

Novice Men:Paul Gallagher, Allen Whitaker, Michael Morgan, Eoin O’Keeffe, Denis Coughlan, Kevin Coleman, Robert Patterson, Michael Houlihan, Gerard Cronin, John O’Sullivan, Daniel Siegler

Novice Women:Martina Kiely, Valerie Vaughan, Orla Crosbie, Gillian Cotter, Catherine Power, Rachel O’Callaghan,Kathleen Kelly, Sharyn O’Callaghan

Marathon Champion James Curran

Barr’s member James Curran currently living in Calgary, Canada won the Okanagan marathon on the 9th October, 2011 in a time of 2.44.54. James was third after 10k, at halfway and at the 30k mark where he was 47 seconds behind the leaders. He produced a brilliant last 12k however to win by 2 minutes 50 seconds. James ran a negative split with his second half faster by 2 minutes 36 seconds. Congrats James on a fantastic performance and a great achievement!

AAI National Marathon Championships Team Entries

With regard to team entries for the National Marathon Championships run in conjunction with the National Lottery Dublin Marathon on Monday 31st October 2011, club members wishing to declare for the Senior or Master teams please forward your Marathon Race Number to Gerry as soon as possible. The closing date for individual and team entries is Friday 21st October 2011. The information is required by the AAI to speed up category and team results and does not entitle you to entry in the Dublin Marathon 2011 as you must have already entered. Declaration of your intention to compete in the National Championships is essential as it will not be possible to incorporate undeclared entries into the results post event. If you’re not declared beforehand, then you’re most definitely out! Note that there is no extra charge for entering the AAI National Championships part of the Dublin Marathon.

Cross Country Fixtures

Here are some dates of upcoming Cross Country races for your diaries:

Sunday, 23rd October – Munster Novice Cross Country Championship in Newmarket On Fergus, Co.
Clare.

Sunday 30th October – Cork County Novice B Cross Country Championship in Carrignavar.

Sunday 6th November – County Senior Cross Country Championship in Bandon.

Sunday 13th November – Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championship in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

Sunday 20th November – Munster Masters Cross Country Championship in Limerick Racecourse.

Sunday 4th December – Cork County Intermediate Championship.

Sunday 11th December – All Ireland Novice Cross Country Championship.

Full details of times and venues will follow closer to the actual dates.

Cork to Cobh, 2nd October, 2011

Cathal O Connell was 2nd and John Meade 3rd in this 15 mile race. Ken Devine was 2nd M45 and Willie Hayes was 2nd M55. In the ladies race Niamh Cronin was 1st F35, Anne Wolfe was 2nd F35, while Orla Crosbie was 1st F40 and Mary Sweeney was 1st F50. Well done everyone!

Novice Mens and Womens County Cross Country Champions!!!

The Barr’s had a hugely successful Cork County Cross Country Championships today in Conna. The men’s and women’s teams won the Novice race while the mens Over 50 team were also successful in their Masters event with Michael Murphy, who was first M50 leading them home. The mens over 40 team were 2nd.

Allen Whitaker led home the mens team finishing 6th and the team packed well with Michael Morgan 9th, Paul Gallagher 13th and Denis Coughlan 16th for a fantastic team performance and a great win! Cathal O Connell was 7th overall and first M45, Ken Devine was second M45, while Willie Hayes was third M55 to go with his M50 team Gold.

So a great day and here are the provisional results for all the Barr’s mens runners. Well done everyone!

Place Time Name                                                            Category
6 0:20:59 WHITAKER, Allen St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 602 6
7 0:21:03 O’CONNELL, Cathal St. Finbarrs AC M45 433 7
9 0:21:39 MORGAN, Michael St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 603 9
13 0:21:53 GALLAGHER, Paul St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 601 13
16 0:22:06 COUGHLAN, Denis St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 606 16
19 0:22:12 DEVINE, Ken St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M45 422 19
22 0:22:16 HOULIHAN, Michael St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 610 22
27 0:22:23 PATTERSON, Robert St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 607 27
28 0:22:26 O’GORMAN, Aidan St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 426 28
35 0:22:57 O’KEEFFE, Eoin St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 604 35
42 0:23:27 O’SULLIVAN, John St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 428 42
45 0:23:50 MURPHY, Michael St. Finbarrs AC M50 435 45
47 0:23:54 CRONIN, Gerard St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M40 429 47
57 0:24:28 HAYES, Willie St. Finbarrs AC M55 439 57
63 0:24:45 O’REGAN, Dave St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M40 427 63
64 0:24:55 CONDON, Colin St. Finbarrs AC (Novice) M 424 64
67 0:25:03 CREEDON, Neil St. Finbarrs AC M50 436 67
96 0:27:53 CARROLL, Chris St. Finbarrs AC M55 438 96

Cork County Novice Cross Country Champions! Sun 9th October 2011

Our ladies team put in fantastic individual and team performances today in Conna to win the team Gold in the Novice County Cross Country Championships. Martina Kiely led the team home winning the overall race comfortably with a very strong run. The race was combined with the County Masters and U23 races and Karina Teahan was third overall and Valerie Vaughan fourth. Louise Keane finished very well to come 7th overall which made it a 1, 2, 3, 4 for the Barr’s in the Novice race! A fantastic team performance! Mary Sweeney followed Louise in with a very strong finish to be first F50. Mary Murphy was second F50 and Marion Lyons was first F55. Well done to all who ran so well on a warm day and on a challenging course which was a good test for all participants. Here are the provisional womens results:

Place    Time    Name                                           Team                                  Race Age Category                                

      1   0:10:59  KIELY, Martina                                St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           441        1

      3   0:11:30  TEAHAN, Karina                              St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           448        3

      4   0:11:43  VAUGHAN, Valerie                          St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           444        4

      7   0:11:54  KEANE, Louise                               St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           442        7

      8   0:12:07  SWEENEY, Mary                              St. Finbarrs AC                      F50                                        462        8

     18   0:12:42  CROSBIE, Orla                                St. Finbarrs AC                      F40                                        457      18

     23   0:12:53  COTTER, Gillian                              St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           451      23

     27   0:13:09  DINAN, Margo                               St. Finbarrs AC                      F40                                        458      27

     35   0:13:24  CURRAN, Barbara                           St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           446      35

     44   0:14:20  BUCKLEY, Eileen                             St. Finbarrs AC                      F45                                        460      44

     50   0:14:31  MURPHY, Mary                               St. Finbarrs AC                      F50                                        465      50

     59   0:15:54  LYONS, Marion                               St. Finbarrs AC                      F55                                        466      59

     60   0:16:00  MEHIGAN, Cait                               St. Finbarrs AC (Novice)          F                                           447      60

County Novice, U23 & Masters Cross Country Champs 2011, Conna, Sun 09-Oct-2011, 12pm

Conna village looking east with Conna Castle in the background

The County Novice, U23 & Masters Cross Country Championships of 2011 take place on Sunday 9th of October in the picturesque village of Conna in northeast Cork. Entries for this event are now closed. The BARRS will field Novice Men’s and Ladies Teams as well as teams in the M40, M50, F40 and F50 categories. As this is a Championship race, you’ll need to wear a club top. And whatever else you do, don’t forget to bring your spikes. The men’s race is up first followed by the Ladies.

Club members needing or offering transport should assemble at the UCC Farm in Curraheen no later than 10:15am on Sunday morning. Non-participating members and friends are encouraged to come along and support the club. First timers beware that this is not a BHAA race. Instead of prizes in all the usual categories, there’ll be muck in all the usual places and of course the odd hill or two in the wrong place at the wrong time. As with most Cross Country events, the venue will have been made available to the AAI by some kind landowner. Please don’t leave any rubbish or food waste lying around on-site. Cows really don’t like banana skins and plastic bottles give them indigestion.

Conna Map - click here

To get to Conna, you make your way to the Dunkettle roundabout via the Tunnel or the Lower Glanmire Road and head north for Dublin. Exit the motorway at Watergrasshill before you reach the Toll Plaza. Go through the village and head north for Rathcormac on the old Dublin (N8/R639) Road. About 1km before Rathcormac, you turn right onto the R628 heading east for Tallow. Conna is about 12.5km down the road or 20km from Watergrasshill. Keep an eye out for signposts to the venue.

Conna village (Castle top right) - click here

As far as I can gather, Conna derives from the Irish cónaithe (residence, or residential). It is situated on the river Bride, a tributary of the Blackwater, in northeast Cork just inside the Cork-Waterford border and three to four miles west of Tallow. The fishing there is said to be excellent. Not surprisingly, the village contains several pubs, a shop, a post office, a Roman Catholic Church, and a Church Of Ireland Chapel. It is dominated by Conna Castle, a five-story tower house situated on a limestone outcrop near the river.

Conna Castle - Click here

Built by the Fitzgeralds over a ten year period from 1554, Conna Castle was seized by the English and passed into the hands of Walter Raleigh, one of the main landowners in Munster including the towns of Youghal and Lismore. It was the scene of fighting with the Earl of Essex in 1599 and was captured by Lord Castlehaven in 1645. In 1650 our old friend and cross country plunderer Oliver Cromwell couldn’t resist a few passing salvos at the castle before moving on to Carrigadrohid. The castle was burned in 1653, killing three daughters of the occupant and later passed to the Duke of Devonshire’s family. The castle continued to move from owner to owner until Rev A. G. K. L’Estrange willed it into the care of the state upon his death in 1915.