A poor day for competing in Glasgow yesterday with a gale force wind blowing behind the athletes in the home straight saw the Irish Schools’ Team take a haul of 26 medals, 5 Gold, 12 Silver and 9 Bronze. This was one of the best performances by an Irish team at these championships and augurs well for the sport here.

The day started well for us when both our walkers struck gold. Kate Veale, St Augustine’s, was first up and she won by quite a margin. Then it was Evan Lynch, Colaiste Ceitinn Clonmel, who walked away from the field in the Boys’ 3,000m Walk.

Patrick O’Connor, Colaiste Reachrainn, has been a revelation this summer and this surely has to be the high-point of his season. To win here at these games is always difficult but to win in a sprints event is even harder. Patrick took second in the 100m in 10.66 secs and then went on to power down the home straight in the 200m to take gold in 21.70 secs. Although the wind was a +6 these were outstanding performances from an extremely talented young man.

The 300m hurdles is not an event where we expect to see an Irish victory but Megan Kiely, Ursuline Waterford, proved that she is a true competitor when in the difficult conditions she powered away from the field to win in 44.11 secs. Another talented young lady, Katie Kirk, Sullivan Upper School, has been in great form this summer and won the 300m in some style in 39.68 secs.

Other notable performances came in the 800m from Amy O’Donoghue, Villiers School, and from Karl Griffin, Abbey Vocational School, where both took silver medals. Sarah Lavin, Castletroy College, ran well to take second in both the 100m and the 80m Hurdles. The Girls’ 200m saw Desiree Henry of England run an incredible 23.66 secs with a +5.4 wind, but a strong run from Ciara Giles Doran, Mercy Waterford, got her second in 24.61 secs. The Boys’100m Hurdles gave Ireland silver when Ryan McParland, St Columb’s Derry, ran 13.77 secs with a legal wind!

In the middle distances we had success when Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, Colaiste Iosagain, came second to the very talented Jessica Judd, England. There was a similar result in the Boys’ 3,000m from Andrew Monaghan, St Colman’s Newry.

In the field events Sarah McCarthy, Maryfield, took silver in the Long Jump with 5.78m, as did Aisling Croke, Crescent CC, with 1.65 in the High Jump.

Overall Ireland finished second in the match result to England.

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