'We'll do everything we can to bring an Olympic gold back to Westport'

There was a giddy atmosphere inside Westport Town Hall Theatre last Friday evening. Friends, club mates and school mates had turned out in force, filling every seat, to witness three of the town's most gifted young sporting stars receive the highest honour the municipal district can bestow, a Civic Reception.

For Eoghan Jennings and twins Freya and Holly Renton, it was a chance to say thank you to all of the people who helped them reach such an elite level of sport.

Cllr Peter Flynn, who proposed the honour, made clear just how significant the occasion was as only two Civic Receptions have been held in the past four years.

“All three of them have achieved very, very much against the odds," he said. “And that was really what makes it so special.”

The Renton twins have been running almost as long as they have been alive. Holly painted a picture of a household where athletics wasn't so much a hobby as a way of life. “We often say we skipped walking altogether and went straight from crawling to running,” she told the crowd, to warm laughter. Their mother Phillipa ran through pregnancy; their parents would take turns heading out the door for runs, one arriving home as the other left. “So we didn't really stand a chance,” Holly smiled.

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The first signs that something special was brewing came around the age of nine, when the girls began to edge past their mother on runs. “We still haven't managed to overtake our dad,” Holly admitted, “but we're getting closer.”

Their competitive debut was striking. At just nine years old, running in an older age group against 180 of the best girls in the country, they won.

"That was probably the moment we realised we might actually be all right at this," Holly said.

“Since then, we haven't looked back and more importantly, our love for the sport has only grown stronger.”

Phillipa Renton recalled that early cross-country with a mixture of amusement and awe. Before the race, she had quietly told Freya she had done well just to get there. “I thought personally she didn't have a chance," she admitted. “And I remember her looking at me saying: 'Do you think I'm not going to win?' And she won.”

This shows, Phillipa suggests, that blend of physical and mental strength, which is really important.

“We're going to be bold and dream big”

Freya, in her remarks, paid tribute to the coaches who have shaped them — Angela Cordoff, Ethna, Dermot, Nick, Mary, Rob and Lisa among them — before reserving particularly warm words for Hilary Hughes. “Hilary is so much more than a coach,” Freya said. “She's like a big sister to us. She's kind, patient and endlessly encouraging. She stands out in the rain, hail, sleet or snow, one eye on the stopwatch, the other on our form, somehow seeing everything at once and always believing in us.”

The most poignant moment of the twins' address, however, was reserved for their grandparents. Philip, 90, and Eileen were seated in the front row, and Freya described a moment from a cross country in Scotland that has stayed with the family. “They were sitting under an old oak tree, roaring us on with the Irish flag hanging proudly where they placed it on the highest branch,” she said. “This image will stay with us forever.”

Holly and Freya Renton with their parents, siblings and grandparents 

Next up for Freya and Holly is the outdoor season, with their sights set on achieving qualifying times for the European Championships in Italy this June.

And the long-term ambitions? Freya was unequivocal. “It's always good to dream, but we're going to be bold and dream big. Someday, we'll do everything we can to bring a European and hopefully an Olympic gold back to this small town.”

Tennis prodigy who makes every minute count

Eoghan Jennings has achieved something that few athletes manage at any level: national titles at every junior grade from under-12 upwards. As Joanne Duffy of Westport Tennis Club told the packed hall, “This is a testament not only to his natural ability, but to years of hard work and dedication.”

Not to mention representing Ireland at the Junior Australian Open, the first Irish player to do so since 2022.

What makes those achievements all the more remarkable is what Eoghan has overcome to reach them. His coach, Garrett Barry, explained that a stress fracture in his lower back sidelined the teenager for over a year. Even after returning, his court time has been severely limited.

“What people are most amazed about is how little he has been able to play over the last couple of years,” Barry told The Mayo News. “He hasn't been able to do a huge amount up until the last six months. But every time he walks on court, it's quality. He hits with quality. He trains with quality. He's a special athlete.”

Barry also noted that tennis had to compete for Eoghan's talents with other sports. “I'm pretty sure the Mayo minor team would be quite happy to have him playing football still,” he laughed.

For the fifth year student St Gerald's College student, the Civic Reception was a chance to express gratitude he felt had been long overdue. “Once I understood what it meant, and the people who have received it before me, it obviously means a lot to be up here,” he said. “Tonight also gives me the opportunity to thank a lot of people that I haven't been able to thank in the past.”

His father Pauric described the honour as one the family would carry with them always: "It's a rare honour and we're really touched by it. Being from Westport is really important to Eoghan, and this is something he'll cherish for the rest of his life."

Eoghan Jennings with his family

Great role models

Joanne Duffy perhaps summed it up best: “Occasions like this are very special — as we can see this evening, they bring a community together.”

Phillipa Renton spoke of the stream of quiet, everyday encouragement her daughters receive — from elderly women who write them letters, to neighbours who stop them in the street, to customers at the pharmacy and café where the girls do work experience. “I think that really inspires them to keep going,” she said.

Máire Ní Chionnaigh, Vice Principal at Gaelscoil na Cruaiche, which all three athletes attended, recalled them as students who set high standards in everything they did. Principal Petra Ní Ghallachóir added that their former school celebrates their achievements at assembly every week. “They're great role models,” she said.

Joanne Grehan, Director of Services for Mayo County Council in Westport, offered the warmest of welcomes. “You are putting Westport, Mayo and Ireland on the map,” she told the three athletes. “We're so proud of you. You are amazing.”

As the evening drew to a close, one thought lingered in the air above Westport Town Hall Theatre, the real exciting thing about all of this is that it could just be the beginning.