Four Blackrock girls make history at the Battle of the Boyne!
Four young Blackrock girls avenged the defeat of King James in 1690 by becoming the first army to win a war in 319 years on the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge House last Sunday 22nd February. The occasion was the 40th Annual Ras na Eireann International Cross Country races, and the Office of Public Works generously opened their magnificent historic fields to allow world class athletes from around the globe (including Olympians) and also the youth of Ireland to do battle for the pr
The very first contest in those 319 years was the under-9 Girls 600m. And treading in the footprints of the Jacobite infantry, the Blackrock regiment of Penny Morris, Kelly Breen, Una O’Neill Kinney and Niamh Cunningham, along with the sword carrier Sorcha Cassidy, formed a five-pronged pincer movement up the hill to emerge the conquering team in a glorious finish. And so, these young warriors make history by becoming the first victors on that memorable turf in over three centuries. Penny, 3rd and Kelly, 6th also took brilliant individual medals.
The next brave soldiers on the battlefield for Blackrock were all running out of their age groups. These were Declan Curtin, Charlotte McShane, Aidan Curtin, Liam O’Callaghan, Oisin Meegan and Dylan Johnson. All did Blackrock proud on what was a day of some very top class performances. Padraic Cunningham also ran another fine race in the under-11 Boys 800m.
The reputation of the Ras and the historic venue had the effect of attracting star studded fields, and their were many Irish and Provincial champions on show. Local girl Annabelle Morris, fresh from her Silver Medal three days previous at the Armagh International Road Race, found herself in opposition to some very big artillery vying for the under-13 Girls 1200m crown. Alas, Annabelle could not go one better in the large field and finished a very creditable third to this season’s Irish champion with the Dublin champion in second.
And in the under-13 Boys 1200m, Adam Shields, possibly feeling the exertions of his great Bronze Medal in Armagh and Saturday football, ran another great race but just finished out of the medals in an extremely strong field.
Blackrock’s final runner and only torch bearer in the under-15 Girls 2000m was Amy Smith. Despite running out of her age group, running 2400m in Armagh and being up against a galaxy of stars, Amy showed great courage and finished full of running.
Amy wound up the Cross Country season for Blackrock AC. The track and field season now commences. So the action changes to sprints, jumps, throws, middle distance and relays. Training continues at 6pm each Monday and Thursday evening at the Community Centre in Sandy Lane.
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Weather for Dundalk
Sunday 05 February 2012
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