Athletics Ireland has announced the Irish team to compete in the Spar European Cross Country Championships on December 10th in Legnano, Italy. Alistair Craig and Gareth Turnbull have opted not to compete, 
but the team does contain medal hopes, not least for Mark Christie and Fionnuala Britton who both won at the National Inter Counties meet in Dungarvan at the weekend. Christie eased home ahead of the chasing pack with four seconds to spare on Sunday. The Mullingar Harriers runner will compete in the new U-23 level at the Europeans and he has the quality to come home with a medal in this section. Britton is another athlete that could benefit from the new U-23 division. The DCU runner was also impressive as she took the senior womens title in Dungarvan with a winning margin of 45 seconds. Britton will be confident of getting among the medals in Legnano. In the senior events all eyes will be on Gary Murray and Martin Fagan in the mens, while in the womens Mary Cullen looks to be the outstanding medal hope on current form. Murray finished 12th in last year’s meet and after an impressive second placed finish in Tillburg recently he will be hoping to finish high up in this year’s field. Fagan is another runner who could mix it with the best. The Mullingar man had a 16th place finish last year but this year he has already looked impressive at the NCAA’s in America where he finished in fifth for Providence College. Sligo woman Mary Cullen is a runner on top form and will be hoping to bring this form into the Europeans. She had an 11th place finish in last year’s meet but it well capable of out doing that result. She has already taken the gold at the NCAA’s in the 5000m this year and with personal bests this year in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m she is peaking at just the right time. New team manager, Ann Keenan Buckley, is confident that the team can perform well and has the potential to come back with a medal or two. “I have been very close to the action this year and feel that this team is very strong and all the whole squad have been performing well all year and not just in the last two or three months”, said Buckley. As a top cross country athlete for close to 30 years, competing in 13 World Cross Country Championships, Buckley knows what is takes to succeed but admits she is still getting used to the role of manager. “I am still getting familiar to how it works on this side of the fence but we have such a wealth of talent coming through that we have to be confident. With the likes of Mary Cullen, Fionnuala Britton and Gary Murray, we have young runners on top form and are well able to mix it with Europe’s best”, she went on to say. With this being Buckley’s first year in charge she sees it as a three year plan.“I hope to be here for the next two to three years anyway so hopefully we can get stronger and stronger as a team over that time and the is no reason why we shouldn’t do that”, she said. The European Cross Country Championships take place in Legnano, Italy on December 10th. Athletics Ireland Team Spar European Cross Country Championships - 10th December 2006, Legnano, Italy Senior Men Gary Murray (Kilcoole A/C) David Kelly (Sligo A/C) Martin Fagan (Mullingar Harriers) Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers) Joe McAllister (St. Malachys) Seamus Power (Kilmurray A/C) Senior Women Mary Cullen (North Sligo) Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa A/C) Aoife Byrne (Dublin South Dublin) Orla O’Mahony (Raheny Shamrocks) Niamh O’Sullivan (An Riocht) Pauline Curley (Tullamore A/C) U-23 Men Mark Christie (Mullingar Harriers) Michael Clohisey (Raheny Shamrocks) Joseph Sweeney (Dublin South Dublin) Mark Kirwan (Raheny Shamrocks) Mark Hanrahan (Leevale A/C) Andrew Ledwith (Fr Murphys) U-23 Women Fionnuala Britton (Sli Chualann) Linda Byrne (Dublin South Dublin) Niamh Devlin (Dublin South Dublin) Orla Drumm (UCC) Ciara Durkan (Skerries) Siobhan O’Doherty (Borrisokane) Junior Men Cathal Dennehy (Emerald A/C) Brendan O’Neill (Dublin South Dublin) Kevin Lawler (St. L O’Toole) Ciaran O’Lionaird (Leevale A/C) David Rooney (TBC) Mark Hoey (Dunleer A/C) Junior Women Roseanne Galligan (Newbridge A/C) Sara Louise Treacy (Moynalvey A/C) Ellen Diskin (Dublin City Harriers) Breifni Twohig (Dublin South Dublin) Treston Bryony (Dublin South Dublin) Laura Huet (Dublin South Dublin) Team Management Ann Keenan Buckley Teresa McDaid John Dooley David Burke Niamh Kissane
but the team does contain medal hopes, not least for Mark Christie and Fionnuala Britton who both won at the National Inter Counties meet in Dungarvan at the weekend. Christie eased home ahead of the chasing pack with four seconds to spare on Sunday. The Mullingar Harriers runner will compete in the new U-23 level at the Europeans and he has the quality to come home with a medal in this section. Britton is another athlete that could benefit from the new U-23 division. The DCU runner was also impressive as she took the senior womens title in Dungarvan with a winning margin of 45 seconds. Britton will be confident of getting among the medals in Legnano. In the senior events all eyes will be on Gary Murray and Martin Fagan in the mens, while in the womens Mary Cullen looks to be the outstanding medal hope on current form. Murray finished 12th in last year’s meet and after an impressive second placed finish in Tillburg recently he will be hoping to finish high up in this year’s field. Fagan is another runner who could mix it with the best. The Mullingar man had a 16th place finish last year but this year he has already looked impressive at the NCAA’s in America where he finished in fifth for Providence College. Sligo woman Mary Cullen is a runner on top form and will be hoping to bring this form into the Europeans. She had an 11th place finish in last year’s meet but it well capable of out doing that result. She has already taken the gold at the NCAA’s in the 5000m this year and with personal bests this year in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m she is peaking at just the right time. New team manager, Ann Keenan Buckley, is confident that the team can perform well and has the potential to come back with a medal or two. “I have been very close to the action this year and feel that this team is very strong and all the whole squad have been performing well all year and not just in the last two or three months”, said Buckley. As a top cross country athlete for close to 30 years, competing in 13 World Cross Country Championships, Buckley knows what is takes to succeed but admits she is still getting used to the role of manager. “I am still getting familiar to how it works on this side of the fence but we have such a wealth of talent coming through that we have to be confident. With the likes of Mary Cullen, Fionnuala Britton and Gary Murray, we have young runners on top form and are well able to mix it with Europe’s best”, she went on to say. With this being Buckley’s first year in charge she sees it as a three year plan.“I hope to be here for the next two to three years anyway so hopefully we can get stronger and stronger as a team over that time and the is no reason why we shouldn’t do that”, she said. The European Cross Country Championships take place in Legnano, Italy on December 10th. Athletics Ireland Team Spar European Cross Country Championships - 10th December 2006, Legnano, Italy Senior Men Gary Murray (Kilcoole A/C) David Kelly (Sligo A/C) Martin Fagan (Mullingar Harriers) Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers) Joe McAllister (St. Malachys) Seamus Power (Kilmurray A/C) Senior Women Mary Cullen (North Sligo) Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa A/C) Aoife Byrne (Dublin South Dublin) Orla O’Mahony (Raheny Shamrocks) Niamh O’Sullivan (An Riocht) Pauline Curley (Tullamore A/C) U-23 Men Mark Christie (Mullingar Harriers) Michael Clohisey (Raheny Shamrocks) Joseph Sweeney (Dublin South Dublin) Mark Kirwan (Raheny Shamrocks) Mark Hanrahan (Leevale A/C) Andrew Ledwith (Fr Murphys) U-23 Women Fionnuala Britton (Sli Chualann) Linda Byrne (Dublin South Dublin) Niamh Devlin (Dublin South Dublin) Orla Drumm (UCC) Ciara Durkan (Skerries) Siobhan O’Doherty (Borrisokane) Junior Men Cathal Dennehy (Emerald A/C) Brendan O’Neill (Dublin South Dublin) Kevin Lawler (St. L O’Toole) Ciaran O’Lionaird (Leevale A/C) David Rooney (TBC) Mark Hoey (Dunleer A/C) Junior Women Roseanne Galligan (Newbridge A/C) Sara Louise Treacy (Moynalvey A/C) Ellen Diskin (Dublin City Harriers) Breifni Twohig (Dublin South Dublin) Treston Bryony (Dublin South Dublin) Laura Huet (Dublin South Dublin) Team Management Ann Keenan Buckley Teresa McDaid John Dooley David Burke Niamh Kissane 
