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This was the most unorganised event I have ever attended. There was confusion from start to finish. The programme had no course map and there was one 'very small' map posted at the start which caused utter confusion. The start with chutes was clear and all races apart from girls u/13 were to start there, however as the first race u/11 girls got ready the race start was moved a couple of hundred metres away, into another field, as the distance was incorrect!! There were children at the start and at the new start, utter chaos! After a lenghty delay and a very suspect start the girls started. The boys were next up and after absolute pandemonium and 5 false starts the boys (not all of them) started to the sound of a whistle, with the others following. The starter did not sound the gun. The race continued. Sean Finn (running up an age) ran a superb race finishing 47th, this was Sean's first experience of an All Ireland cross country and with the fiasco at the start this was a great run. He finished 4th for County Kildare and Kildare finished 3rd team. Jack Fitzgerald, after a bad start, finished 85th. In the results issued he was shown as finishing 6th for Kildare and delighted to be getting a bronze medal, only to be told a while later that an athlete from Kildare had been 'left out' of the results and when reinstated put Jack back to 7th (although I believe he will still receive a medal). Seemingly when the results were being done they had an athlete they couldn't identify but just excluded him?? How can they issue results knowing there is an athlete not accounted for??

Aaron Hennessy had a fantastic run and looked comfortable all through the very testing course of hills and very wet and slippy ground. However due to more dreadful organisation at the start, it looks like Aaron's race will have to be rerun at a later date. Considering the time, cost and commitment in travelling to Coleraine this is disgraceful and could of, and should of been avoided with a little organisation. And Ireland are hosting the European Cross Country?? All comments today were negative, I have never talked to or met so many unhappy parents.