All Ireland Schools Cross Country championships & University indoor T&F championships. Belfast Saturday 7th March 2026
Today at the Mallusk playing fields, more than 700 Secondary school athletes took part in the prestigious All Ireland Schools Cross Country. We had the pleasure of having 3 of our very promising young athletes take part in these championships. The qualifying criteria is tough, first they have the regional and then provincial qualifying rounds. On race day the starts are ferocious, the pace is then relentless, and finally, heading for the finish line, it becomes intense and emotional with everyone battling for individual glory or chasing team points.
The first race of the day was the Minor Girls 1,900mts. Emily Garvey finished in 22nd place with Eve Russell not far behind in 58th position. Next up we had Beatrice Cunningham running in the Intermediate Girls over a distance 3,500 mts where she finished in 36th position. Such is the standard at these championships it would be common for only 10 seconds covering up to 10 athletes as they cross the finish line.
Our 3 girls had super runs, and it was a great reward for all the coaches who have worked so hard over the past number of years with all the young kids. Who knows perhaps next year we could have someone in the top 10.
Also yesterday we had Helen Dillon as coach of the St Mary’s Diocesan Senior Boys team who were travelling to defend the Senior Boys team title. They finished with a total of 111 points but unfortunately came up short by just 1 point in retaining their title. Congratulations to Helen and the lads on winning the silver medal.
In Dublin we had the University’s National Indoor Track and Field Championships where Sophie Kinsella was the club’s only representative running in the colours of DCU. Sophie ran her fastest ever 400mts recording a new personal best time of 63.6 seconds. Well done and congratulations to Sophie.
Bohermeen Half Marathon Sunday 8th March
A bright and fresh morning greeted runners at the Bohermeen Half Marathon, with a large field taking to the roads for one of the most popular early season races on the local calendar. Drogheda & District AC had a strong presence on the start line and produced some excellent performances across the field.
Leading the way for the club was Colin Leonard who ran a superb 1:12:01 to finish 26th overall, a very strong run in a competitive race. There were also strong runs from Johnny Breen, Morgan Reid and Alan Foley, while Mia Jacob was first of the DDAC women home also a PB with a solid 1:28:57.
There were a lot of personal bests on the day with Thomas Breen showcasing another great PB of 1:19:03, Robbie Farrell 1:33:03 PB, Rachel McCormack 1:33:04 PB, Andrea McArdle 1:36:05 PB, Eimear Marron 1:38:33 PB and Helen Dillon 1:39:33 PB.
Ciara O’Reilly had an amazing run on the day with 1:35:58 sealing a 3rd team prize for the DDAC ladies. Also representing DDAC with pride as always was Nuala Reilly with a time of 1:46:50 and 3rd place in a competitive category. Excellent running from DDAC, showing the strength and depth of the club across all age groups.
Carlingford Half Marathon Saturday 7 March 2026
A number of Drogheda & District AC athletes made the trip north to take part in the Carlingford Half Marathon organised by the Parents and Friends of St Brigid’s Special School, Dundalk. With over 1,000 finishers in the half marathon and more than 300 runners in the 10K it was another very well supported event on the local road racing calendar.
Runners were greeted with bright spring sunshine and cool conditions making for a pleasant day for racing around the scenic Carlingford route. The course, known for its early climbs and challenging sections, provided a good test for all involved.
Well done to all of our members who took part and represented the club.
DDAC Results
Ruth Flannery 1:58:05
Mike Staunton 2:04:48
Barney Flannery 2:11:04
Linda Bowe 2:16:56
Track & Field Live – NIA Abbotstown | 4 March 2026
Another busy and enjoyable night of racing at Track & Field Live in the National Indoor Arena, with Drogheda & District AC athletes competing across sprint and middle distance events. It was great to see athletes from across the club lining up once again and putting in strong performances on the indoor track.
First up on the night was Jack O’Connor in the U12 Boys 60m where he ran 9.62 seconds to finish 6th in his heat, a solid run and great experience competing at the NIA.
In the Senior Men’s 400m Paul Stuart produced a strong run to win his heat in 1:00.23 with Gerry O’Connor close behind in 1:01.87. In another heat Austin McCann ran well to take 2nd place in 57.65 seconds, another strong performance over the one lap distance.
There was success in the mile events as well with Mark O’Shea running a superb race to take 1st place in the Senior Men’s Mile in 4:42.46. In the Senior Women’s Mile Mary Leech ran strongly to finish in 5:29.08.
Over 800m Alan Wade continued his consistent form with 2nd place in his heat clocking 2:16.28 in the Senior Men’s 800m. In the Senior Women’s 800m Andrea McCabe ran 3:07.10 with Kerry O’Connor finishing in 3:20.90.
There was also a special moment for the club on the night as Deirdre McFerron was part of the O65 Mixed 4x200m relay team that broke the Irish record. In an incredible race the team came within just 0.05 seconds of the world record, a phenomenal achievement and a fantastic result for Deirdre and her relay teammates.
A great night’s racing, well done to all our athletes who represented the club so well.
