Report on Dublin Club activities, 26 - 27 September 2026
WET, WET, WET AT RATHFARNHAM 5KM
In a thrilling finish to the Rathfarnham 5km held in driving rain on Sunday morning (September 27), Tadhg Donnelly (Drogheda and District) and Colm Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers, M40 ) crossed the line together in a time of 14 mins 20 secs, with Donnelly given the victory. Just two seconds behind for a close third place in 14:22 was Fintan Kerins (Clonliffe Harriers AC). For fourth and fifth places, Eoin Smyth (Tara AC) and Conrad Lathan (Raheny Shamrock AC) were both given a time of 14:29. Lathan was first junior. Just nine seconds separated the top five in the race. There was no such drama in the women’s race where the clear winner in 16 mins 16 secs was Elizabeth Gahan (Dublin City Harriers). Lisa Madden (Sportsworld, W35) was second in 16:34 and triathlete Emma O’Brien (Wicklow Tri Club) third in 16:48.
Winning the men’s open team title as well as the Dublin title was Clonliffe Harriers, with Raheny Shamrock second. For third place, Crusaders beat Donore Harriers by just three seconds. On a good day for the club, Clonliffe Harriers also won the women’s senior open and Dublin team titles, with Dublin City Harriers second and Dundrum South Dublin AC third in both categories. Donore Harriers won the M35 Dublin team title, followed by Liffey Valley AC and host club Rathfarnham WSAF AC, who also won the M65 category. In the M50 category, the winners were Raheny Shamrock AC, followed by Crusaders AC and Brothers Pearse. Of the women’s teams, Sportsworld proved best in the W35 category, with Raheny Shamrock second and DSD AC third, while in the W50 age group was Brothers Pearse had a clear victory over Sportsworld and Rathfarnham WSAF.
Age group winners in the Dublin Championships included Orna Dignam (DSD AC) W40, Maria McCambridge (DSD AC) W50, Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock AC) W55 and Eileen Rowland (Sportsworld AC) W65 of the women. Winning age-group men were Kieran Kelly (Raheny Shamrock) M35, Eoin Flynn (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) M45, Ruben Bartelink (DSD AC) M50, Des Tremble (Donore Harriers) M55, Michael Counsel (Raheny Shamrock) M60 and Tom Cuddy (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) M65. Vincent O’Neill (Civil Service AC) was first M70 overall.
A total of 1,182 completed tis popular race, with the vast majority members of clubs, based not only in Dublin but also from around the country. Biggest entry came from Terenure-based club Sportsworld AC with 56 finishers, closely followed by Brothers Pearse AC with 50 finishers, Clonliffe Harriers with 43, Crusaders with 42 and Raheny Shamrock with 41. Although most of its members were kept busy organising the race, 32 from the host club Rathfarnham WSAF AC finished the race.
OTHER RESULTS
At the Naas Town 10km in Co Kildare on Sunday (September 27), Eoin Grogan (Donore Harriers) finished second in 37:41.
In Rossmore Forest Park at the the Monaghan Phoenix Marathon Festival on Saturday (September 26), Muireann Harraghy (Dublin City Harriers) was second woman in the 10km with a time of 45:05.
Ger Copeland (Dublin Bay RC, M40) won the ‘long’ 10km at the East of Ireland Marathons in Howth, Dublin also on Saturday. His time was 48 mins 37 secs. Fourth and first woman in 53:26 was Anne Tynan Daly (Sportsworld AC). David Curtis (no club, M40) won the marathon in 3:36.21. Joey Marrinan (Brothers Pearse AC, M40) was second in 3:46.05. Winning the 3/4 marathon in 2:36.58 was Alastair Higgins (Dublin Bay RC, M50). Anne Lyons (Clonliffe Harriers) was first W60 in 3:38.34. All distances were approximate!
Winning the women’s race at the TJ McEmeel Cross-Country in Armagh on Sunday was Orla Duffy (Dublin City Harriers) in 19 mins 24 secs. Also on Sunday at the annual Star of the Sea Cross-Country, in Stamullen, Co Meath, J.P. Burklow (Raheny Shamrock AC) finished second in the men’s 6km race in 22:19. In his second race of the day, Des Tremble (Donore Harriers) was fourth and first M55 in 23:17, with Alessandro Porazzini (Balbriggan and District AC) fifth and first M40 in 23:49.
Finally, at the Eco Trail Wicklow, 80km, 46km, 30km, 19km and 10km races, all of them from Bray on Saturday, Philip Slattery (Cherry Orchard AC) finished third in the 80km with a time of 8:02.12. In the 46km, Dave Ryan (LSA AC) was second M60 in 5:50.16, while in the 19km, Dermot Shiels (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) was second M50 in 2:01.05.
CATCH-UP: At the World 100km Championships in Ames, Spain, on Sunday September 20, Matthew Collins (Portmarnock AC) finished eighth M40 in 7:22.53, while Sean Meehan (Cherry Orchard RC) was 11th M35 in 8:38.40.
