The annual East Mayo Cross Country Championships took place at Swinford Golf Course on Thursday, September 21st. It was a lovely, sunny day but the course was very wet and muddy in places which made it quite challenging. The school was very well represented in all competitions and we had a total of 23 athletes taking part. 

The first race was for 3rd & 4th class girls and our team of Jillian, Orlaith, Keely, Clíona, Emily and Caoimhe performed brilliantly. Jillian was the first Cloonlyon girl home and her 5th place finish means she has qualified for the county finals in Belleek Woods, Ballina. Well done to all the girls on a super effort.

In the 3rd & 4th class boys race our team of Liam, Michael, Dean, James and Cillian ran very well with Dean leading the way home. He finished in 14th place and just missed out on qualifying for the county finals.

Next up was the 5th & 6th class girls race and we had great performances from Ciara, Cadhla, Abby, Katie, Saoirse Anne and Aoibheann. Katie was the first Cloonlyon girl to cross the line and had a fantastic top 20 finish overall. 

The final race saw our 5th & 6th class boys team of Dennis, James, Paddy Joe, Kyle, Ryan and Shane in action. All the boys ran really well with Kyle leading the way home, finishing 17th overall and narrowly missing out on qualification. 

We had a very enjoyable day and well done to all the athletes who performed so well. Best of luck to Jillian in the county finals. Looking forward to next year already. 

Read what the athletes said about the day!

“I had a very good time. There were lots of people there. Sadly our team did not get through. We were disappointed but we were happy to take part.”

“I didn’t get through which was disappointing but I enjoyed myself.”

“I think I did very well. I did not mind that I did not make it through to Ballina. It was about having fun. The other girls did very well too.”

“The race was very long and sadly I did not get through. I did not really mind because I had fun.”

“The cross country was fun. It was very mucky and wet. We had packed a lunch so when we had raced we had our lunch.”

“We raced against other schools. The field was very mucky and a load of people lost their shoes. I nearly lost my jumper but it turned up in my bag.”

“I was very happy where I came. We played against other schools. I was very wet from running. I ran one and a half laps.”

“I went on a bus over to Swinford for Cross Country. First we walked around the course and then we had the race. I came 5th and qualified for Ballina. I was delighted.”

“I was very excited going because it was my first time. I really enjoyed the day.”

“I had great fun with my friends. The race was really tough and the hardest part was going up the hill.”

“My shoe fell off so my teacher took them. I finished the race running in my socks. I liked the day.”

“I liked getting out of school and it was fun.”

“I saw my friend that I met in Spain. She is from Swinford.”

“It was great fun but unfortunately I didn’t get in the top 12.”

“I met a lot of people I knew. I thought it was very enjoyable. Unfortunately I did not get through.”

“I saw my cousins there."

“It was very, very hard going up the hills. I do not know what place I came.”

“I lost my shoe during the race and couldn’t find it. I had great fun with my friends.”

“I had a great time at the cross country.”

“It was very hard running up the hills.”

“The field was very bad and the hills were very steep.”

On Monday September 18th we had our final training session for the upcoming East Mayo Cross Country Championships. Many thanks to all the pupils who stayed after school to take part in training over the past couple of weeks. Please see some photos of our final training session below.

The competition takes place at Swinford Golf Course on Thursday September 21st. We will be travelling by bus and will leave the school at 9.50am. Parents are welcome to go to support our athletes. The first race is due to start at 10.30am. The entire event is usually finished by about 12.30pm.

The teams competing on Thursday are as follows:
3rd & 4th class girls: Clíona, Emily, Jillian, Keely, Caoimhe and Orlaith
3rd & 4th class boys: Cillian, Dean, James, Liam and Michael
5th & 6th class girls: Abby, Cadhla, Ciara, Katie, Aoibheann and Saoirse Anne
5th & 6th class boys: Dennis, James K, Kyle, Paddy Joe, Ryan and Shane
Best of luck to everyone taking part and we hope you all enjoy yourselves on the day.

Please note all athletes should have a complete change of clothes for running. This includes runners/football boots (NO SPIKES), socks, shorts(tracksuit bottoms can get very heavy if they get wet), underwear, vest/t-shirt and a towel to dry themselves afterwards. Pupils should come to school wearing running gear under their uniform. A normal packed lunch with an extra drink is fine. Money is not necessary.  As there are rain showers forecast I would ask all children to bring a raincoat/waterproof jacket with a hood.

Pupils from 3rd to 6th class have been busy preparing for the annual East Mayo Cross Country Championships which take place at Swinford Golf Course on Thursday, September 21st. We have had two training sessions at the school and we have some very fine runners and expect to do really well on the day, however our emphasis as always is more on participation and enjoyment than results.

​Our final training session takes place on Monday 18th after school at the school and will be finished at 3.45pm. Please note that you must have a change of clothes to take part in training. Pupils will not be allowed to run in their school uniform. Pupils in 1st and 2nd can also stay on at the school until this time to avoid two pick-ups.  

There are still a few places left for Thursday so if there is anyone that would like to run on Thursday and has not attended training, please stay after school on Monday for some fun and exercise!