Main pic: Killybegs athletes Áine Rogers and Mary O’ Callaghan, both medal winners at the North West Indoor Games.
Killybegs Athletics Club once again hosted the annual North West Indoor games in the Technical University of the Shannon, indoor Arena in Athlone.
The games take place every year in the week between Christmas and have become an essential part of the Christmas celebrations for athletes all over the country.
The games were the brainchild of Killybegs Coach Bernie O’Callaghan who saw a need for indoor competition for the Donegal athletes. However, Donegal is one of the few counties which does not have County Indoor Championships. The the Ulster Indoor Championships were held in the hockey facility in Magherafelt, so Donegal athletes never had the opportunity to compete on a banked track until they came to the National Championships.
Bernie believed that this put Donegal athletes at a great disadvantage, and he was determined to do something about it and so the North West Indoor Games were born. In the first year the games attracted entries from Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. But athletes from other counties wanted to compete, and the games became the biggest indoor event in the country. So much so that over 700 athletes make the annual pilgrimage to the games, who have also welcomed competitors from England and USA. And International athletes like Phil Healy, from Bandon, Phil represented Ireland in the Olympics and was part of the successful relay team at the world championships. Sprints international Molly Scott from Carlow is also a frequent visitor to the games.
This year the entries came from over 120 clubs and from every county in the country (North and South) except for Wicklow.
Seven Donegal Clubs took part this year and athletes from Cranford, Letterkenny, Finn Valley, Tír Chonaill, Rosses, Milford and Killybegs and all gave good accounts of themselves.
Donegal medal winners were:
Gold medal winners Amy Cullen, Caolan Mc Fadden, Cranford, Ethan Dewhirst, Jamie Kennedy, Niamh Moohan, John Cannon Tír Chonaill, Cranford U/14 Mixed Relay, Cranford O/35 Men Relay.
Silver medal winners Mary O’ Callaghan, Killybegs. Zack Mc Kinley, Finn Valley, Rosie Breslin Rosses, Catriona Dewhirst, Ethan Dewhirst, Caolan Gilbride, Niamh Moohan, Tír Chonaill, Leah Ní Garbhaigh, Rosses, Cranford U/18 Boys Relay
Bronze medal winners Áine Rogers, Killybegs, Deacon Parker, Rosses, Caitlin Sweeney, Rosses, Ellen James, Mark Boyle Gildea, Jacoby Mc Hugh, Tír Chonaill, Bonnie Devlin, Finn Valley, Oisin Mc Bride, Cranford, Rosses U/12 Girls Relay, Tír Chonaill, U/18 Boys relay.
A Date for your Diary
The Ninth North West Indoor Games will take place in Athlone on Monday December 29 th 2025. The Arena and the Order of Malta Ambulance is booked and the medals are ordered, so we are looking forward to welcoming you all again.
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