Three top-10 finishes for Ireland once upon a time may have been a cause for celebration coming out of a European Cross-Country Championships.

Michael Mulhare produced a solid performance in the Men’s senior race at the 2013 European Cross Country Championships to finish in 15th position.

By Will Downing

Fionnuala Britton declared herself happy with her competitive return to action at the Gerry Farnan cross country festival yesterday as she cruised to victory over three miles in 15:45 in the Phoenix Park.

Kelly Proper took athlete of the championships after taking four gold medals at the Woodies DIY national track and field championships.

Fionnuala Britton was already looking to the future after yesterday’s sensational performance at the European Cross-Country Championships in snowy Budapest.

Fionnuala Britton and Joe Sweeney, fresh from impressive performances over the weekend, form a strong backbone to the Irish team for the European Cross-Country Championships to be held near Budapest on Sunday week.

Joe Sweeney of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club triumphed in yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Inter-County Cross Country Championships at Tattersalls in Meath.

EUROPE’S top cross-country runner, Fionnuala Britton will be one of the favourites for the gold medal when she leads the Irish women’s team into next month’s European cross-country championships in Slovenia.

JOE SWEENEY strengthened his stranglehold on the domestic cross-country scene when he produced another powerful front-running display to retain his Woodies DIY inter-counties title at Sligo Racecourse yesterday.

WORLD youth racewalking champion Kate Veale (West Waterford), finished third in the junior women’s race at the prestigious McCain UK Cross Challenge in Bristol over the weekend.

MICHAEL MULHARE, North Laois AC, yesterday added the men’s senior title at the 42nd Rás na hEireann Cross-Country International to animpressive list of victories notched up over the past several weeks.

JOE SWEENEY (DSD) finished 10th and helped Europe to victory in the IAAF Cross-Country Team Challenge at the at the snow clad Hollyrood Park in Edinburgh on Saturday.

CIARA MAGEEAN has secured the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the history of Irish junior athletics after signing a six-figure deal with sportswear giants New Balance.

THE star of Ireland’s U23 team which claimed gold at the European cross-country championships in Albufeira yesterday predicts this title will be the catalyst for senior glory.

SEAMUS POWER has been named as a reserve on the senior men’s team for the European cross-country championships but said last evening that he won’t be going.

THE icy weather conditions failed to deter some of Ireland’s top athletes from competing at the Woodie’s DIY cross country championships at Gransha Park in Derry yesterday.

MARK KENNEALLY had the honour of leading the Irish challenge home when he finished eighth in the senior men’s race at the SPAR European Cross-Country Championships at Santry Demesne, as the other more established members of the team flopped.

Ireland secured a sixth place finish in the men’s U-23 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships at Santry Park, Dublin today.

ALISTAIR CRAGG will get his place on the Irish senior men’s team for the SPAR European cross-country championships if he proves his fitness in tomorrow’s 5k road race in San Jose.

MARY CULLEN underscored her medal potential, while Andrew Led with signalled his intentions for next month’s SPAR European Cross-Country Championships with sweeping victories in the Woodies DIY National Inter-Counties cross-country championships held over Kilbeggan Racecourse yesterday.

ALAN McCORMACK gave another sensational performance in yesterday’s Woodies DIY national inter-counties cross-country championships at Tramore Racecourse when leading Dublin to the team honours.

THE African dominance of global running was reinforced to stranglehold proportions at the world cross-country championships in Edinburgh yesterday where Ethiopians raced to all four individual gold medals and were deprived of gold in just two of the team races by their Kenyan neighbours who won both the senior and junior men’s contests.

The Irish team are in a positive mood despite two withdrawals ahead of this weekend's World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

CRAIG Murphy (Douglas Community School) ended two years of frustration when winning the senior boys’ title at the KitKat Irish Schools Cross-Country Championships at Dartfield Equestrian Centre, Loughrea on Saturday.

NIALL TUOHY (Yeats College, Waterford) has withdrawn from Saturday’s KitKat Irish Schools cross-country championship at the Dartfield Equestrian Centre in Loughrea.

ANDREW LEDWITH (Fr. Murphy’s) has been named on the Irish senior men’s team for the world cross-country championships at the end of the month in what could prove a very wise decision by the selectors.

Athletics Ireland today announced a 36-strong team for the European Cross Country Championships which take place on December 9 in Toro, Spain.