West Mayo town to honour sporting 'superstars' with civic reception

Westport is set to roll out the red carpet for three of its most exciting young sporting talents, with a civic reception planned for Friday, March 28 at Westport Town Hall Theatre.

The celebration will honour tennis prodigy Eoghan Jennings and cross-country running twins Freya and Holly Renton, all of whom have made headlines on the national and international stage in recent months.

The event was proposed by Cllr Peter Flynn, Cathaoirleach of the Westport Belmullet Municipal District, who brought a motion before his colleagues to formally recognise the achievements of the trio. The motion was seconded by Cllr Brendan Mulroy. 

“Over the last number of months, we’ve had some amazing achievements by three young people within the town,” said Cllr Flynn.

Australian Open

Eoghan Jennings has already etched his name into Irish tennis history. The Westport teenager represented Ireland at the Australian Open in Melbourne, becoming the first Irish tennis player since 2022 to progress so far in the prestigious Grand Slam tournament. 

Cllr Flynn was keen to acknowledge those behind the young player’s journey: “A huge well done to his parents, Ciara and Pauric, they’ve played their role, and to Westport Tennis Club for the facilities they’ve created over the last number of years.”

'Superstars'

If Eoghan’s exploits were remarkable, the achievements of 15-year-old twins Freya and Holly Renton have left even seasoned athletics observers lost for superlatives. The sisters have competed at both national and international level with results that have far exceeded expectations for their age group.

Cllr Flynn expressed confidence that this is only the beginning, “I have no doubt they are going to be world stars.”

Most notably, the twins travelled to Parliament Hill in London for a major cross-country competition, where Freya claimed victory in the under-20 event — an extraordinary feat for a 15-year-old competing against athletes up to five years her senior. Her twin sister Holly, was not far behind, finishing in third place in the same race.

READ MORE: Mayo teenage athletics sensations sparkle on international stage

“Their achievements, both at national and international level, are just off the charts,” said Cllr Flynn. “It’s not often we get superstars like this in our community.” He also paid tribute to the girls’ parents, Bryan and Philippa Renton, and to all those involved in the local athletics club who have supported the twins’ development.

The civic reception, due to take place on Friday, 28th March at Westport Town Hall, will give the local community the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all three athletes together. 

The town of Westport has a proud tradition of producing talented sportspeople, and the emergence of Jennings and the Renton twins in such quick succession has generated considerable excitement.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme