A large crowd of athletes and coaches will make the trip in the hope of getting among the medals.

The underage teams will be joined by Jon-Jo Doherty, who won a team gold at the British Athletics Cross Challenge on Saturday.

Twins Eilish and Roisin Flanagan have been selected on the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships, which take place in Dublin next month.

Forty athletes representing eleven clubs drawn from all four provinces took part in the fourth Ulster Winter Throws Festival which was held in the Finn Valley Centre on Sunday. A number of groups who had entered withdrew on Saturday following the RTE Weather forecast that said that the North- West would have gale force winds, torrential rain and thunder on Sunday. Instead, those who travelled   competed under blue skies with warm sun and calm conditions....

Almost two thousand athletes took part in the Ulster/ANI uneven ages and Novice Cross-Country Championships, undeterred by heavy rain and strong winds Donegal confirmed their position as the top county in Ulster at the championships in Finn Valley on Saturday.

Results from the Annual Remembrance Run

A number of Finn Valley AC athletes took part in the Autumn Open International Cross Country at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. This is the course that will hold the European Cross-Country Championships in December.

There was a big turnout for the county novice and uneven age Championships were held in St Eunan’s GAA grounds in Letterkenny on Saturday morning the going was heavy after the recent rain but the surface held up exceptionally well and provided some excellent competition.

The going was heavy after the recent rain but the surface held up exceptionally well and provided some excellent competition. Facilities were excellent and Letterkenny AC laid out an excellent course and provide stewards and officials on the day.

SHOT PUTT Registration 9.30a.m. Competition 10.00 a.m.  

DISCUS Registration 10.30 a.m. Competition 11.00a.m.

HAMMER registration 12.30 p.m. Competition 1.00p.m.

Javelin Registration 2.30pm Competition 3.00 p.m.

Weight for Distance Registration 4.00pm Competition 4.30 (Seniors and Masters only)

All times are approximate 

Competitions open to U/14, U/16, U/18, U/20, Senior and Master’s male and female Athletes

Athletes must be over 18 years to throw senior implements weight for distance is confined to senior and Master athletes

ATHLETES MAY BRING THEIR OWN IMPLEMENTS BUT THESE MUST BE WEIGHED AND CERTIFIED BEFORE THE COMPETITION

Entry Fee €5 per event. Entries will be accepted on the day. Further information from Bernie O’ Callaghan on 0872375899

Karen was the leading female in the race and helped Finn Valley AC to a team silver at O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny.

Karen continues her own good form after helping University of Limerick to a national team silver medal.

Another busy weekend for Donegal athletes with the National Marathon Championships taking place with the Belfast Marathon the National Road Relay Championships takingp lace in Raheny also on Sunday and of course the County Even ages and Master’s Championships Cross Country which were held in Carndonagh.

In a titanic battle for the Master Men’s title, Dermot staved off the attentions of Eoghain McGinley (Letterkenny AC) and Martin Cunningham (Tir Chonaill AC) to claim the win. 

Strabane native Maguire is a former BBC Coach of the Year and was previously the director of performance and coaching at Scottish Athletics, a role he left in 2020.

Maguire previously spent some time coaching at Finn Valley AC before moving into international teams. In his youth, Maguire, who competed for Strabane AC, represented Ireland at schools and underage athletics meets.

Maguire was the Head Coach of the Irish Athletics Team for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where Patsy McGonagle was the team manager.

Saturday morning begins at 10.15am with coaches asked to be in position for 9.45am.

Finn Valley AC took the overall prize after winning team golds at under-9 girls, under-9 boys, under-10 girls, under-11 girls, under-11 boys, under-12 boys, under-12 girls, under-13 girls and under-15 boys.

The McGonagle Cup was presented to Finn Valley AC captain Zara Alexander by experienced club coach Peadar McGranaghan.

The annual Champions Cup Cross-Country event was making its post-Covid return having been absent from the calendar in 2020. This was the fourth running of what has become a popular outing for clubs as they enter cross-country season.

Among those in attendance for the event was Pierce O’Callaghan, the new Head of Competition Management at World Athletics, who praised the organisation and operation on the day.

Schools from Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Antrim descended on the Millbrae as the event made its post-Covid return.  Every bit as encouraging as the participation numbers was the performance levels from the lead protagonists.

Just north of 300 children participated in an exciting morning’s action with 15 schools represented.

There were some impressive winners on the day, including Aileen Logue of Annagry National School, who coasted to a fine triumph in the under-11 girls race.

It was a day of delighted for west Donegal schools with Eavan Ward of Belcruit winning the under-11 boys race, Faela Houston of Acres NS taking victory in the under-13 girls race and Annagry’s Odhrán Rodgers claiming the gold in the under-13 boys race.

The last of the schools cross country events at Finn Valley AC was in 2019 with 2020’s versions falling due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The big winners were the children who participated in schools sports for the first time in 18 months.

This is an open cross-country event, over shortened distances with the top club awarded the McGonagle Cup.

The top eight in each race and the trop three teams in each race will receive medals.

There are races at U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U15 and U17 age groups.

On the same day, there will be beginners cross-country races for men (4k) and women (3k).

The action gets underway at 12.30pm with entry €3 per athlete. 

Any enquiries to finnvalley1@gmail.com

Finn Valley AC’s jubilee year school’s programme was launched this week by three-time Olympian Brendan Boyce.

THE cross country season is about to swing firmly back into action at Finn Valley AC.

The club will be a hive of cross country action in September with a big week later this month.

Two days of primary schools cross country will be followed by the secondary schools equivalent and the McGonagle Champions Cup.

Devine delivered a masterful last 150m to win the W45 800m gold.

Finn Valley AC’s Noreen Bonner also took a pair of golds, winning the W65 800m and 1500m races.

Bose was the bronze medalist in the under-20 girls race.

At the UK School Games, Finn Valley AC’s Blaine Lynch set a new PB in the men’s javelin.

Competing at Loughborough University, Lynch reached out to 54.09m. 

The gold was taken by Aryan Padaruth (66.68m) with Lynch finishing in sixth place.

At the 57th staging of the Palio Citta' Della Quercia in Rovereto, Roisin Flanagan finished 11th in 8:57.79.

Twin sister Eilish Flanagan finished 12th in 8:58.46.

The Convoy man captured the discus title as he launched out to 46.96m, improving on the 46.53m he recorded in June at the Antrim Forum.

Donegal athletes were back in action in Tullamore at the weekend in Part 3 of the National Juvenile Championships and once again brought glory back to the county and to their clubs, bringing six titles five silvers and on bronze.

EILISH Flanagan competes for the first time since the Olympic Games when she goes at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Tuesday.

SOMMER Lecky won gold and Cara Laverty took bronze at the Manchester International this evening.

SEAN McGinley was the star of the show as Finn Valley AC were in seventh heaven at the Irish Life Health National Juvenile Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Tullamore.

Finn Valley AC collected seven medals at the weekend to take the club’s overall tally for these Championships to 16.

...there were plenty of reasons for Finn Valley AC to cheer over the weekend.

The Finn Valley AC man finished in 3:53:40, making up two places over the final 5k of a gruelling, punishing event to finish inside the top ten.

Carr is off to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville while Kelly will join Union University in Jackson.

As well as their academic advancement, the talented athletes will aim to progress in the sport too.

The games and championships were held in Derry’s Templemore Complex on Saturday last and as has been the pattern since the return to competition the Donegal clubs dominated results in the glorious sunshine. So dominant were the Donegal Athletes that 33 of the 50 titles on offer came back to the county.  RESULTS....

Sometimes you have to delve a little deeper to go higher.

The new Finn Valley AC recruit shaved six seconds off her previous best, clocking 9:34.86 in her women’s 3,000m steeplechase heat.

English was fourth in his men’s 800m heat at the Olympic Games, but his 1:46.75 wasn’t enough to book a place among the semi-finalists.

With Just days to go to the start of the Athletic programme we should have a look at the Donegal athletes and officials on duty in Japan...           

Competing in fierce eat in Ambleside, England, Bradley finished sixth and Bose came home in eighth place.  Those finishes helped the Northern Ireland & Ulster team to bronze.

Bradley and Bose are coached by John Rogan at Finn Valley.

Eimear McCarroll was fourth and Ciara Savage 15th. The boys team also took bronze through Tom Crudgington (5th), Ryan Smith (10th), Michael Houston (13th) and Ethan McMullan (15th).

In searing temperatures, some impressive displays caught the eye.

Picture: Finn Valley AC’s Oisin Thompson compete in the long jump. Picture by Ciara Kearns

Sean McGinley (pictured above) won the under-19 3000m steeplechase.

Sean McGinley (pictured above) won the under-19 3000m steeplechase.

This last week saw the last two rounds of the County Juvenile Track and Field Championships with the U/9 and U/10 Championships in Finn Valley on Wednesday evening and the U/12 and U/13 Championships in Lifford on Sunday and attention now turns to the Ulster Championships.

GAVIN McLaughlin broke his own shot put personal best twice at a throws meeting hosted by Finn Valley AC.

McAlary wins Glenmore 10 Mile

McGonagle's delight as Eilish Flanagan secures Olympic place