There were scenes of joy in Dundalk today as local woman Kate O'Connor won a World Championship silver medal.
Members of her club, Dundalk St Gerard's, and staff at her former school, CBS Primary where her father and coach Michael currently teaches, gathered in room three of the school to watch her final event.
There were tears and roars when it was confirmed that the dream she had been chasing since she was six years old had finally come true when she secured a medal.
Junior members of the club said they were delighted and inspired by her great achievements.
Gráinne Moran who is about to move to the USA as an 800-metre runner said Kate shows that winning is a possibility.
"I think it really gives me and everyone in the club a right to dream. It really shows there is a pathway there for us. And it's just incredible to see someone from here, using the same facilities. coming up through the same pathway we came through. go out there and do that," she said.
Paul Cheshire, Chair of Dundalk St Gerard's, said it was a huge achievement for the club made possible by Kate and her father’s commitment to her sport.
"It’s a huge thing for athletics in Ireland, Kate has put combined event on the map in the last number of years. She competed for us since she was very, very small so she would have come through the ranks.
"She showed loads of promise, and taken form a very early stage, but she needed to take that talent and go and develop it. She's got a work ethic that's second to none," he said.
Eileen Hart, principal for CBS Primary, said they were celebrating the success of both Kate and her father Michael who teaches fifth class at the school.
"We're so proud of her and so proud of Michael, he's such a lovely man and an inspiration to all the children here. Everybody just loves her. He's so humble and they say that from the start when she was here they knew there was something special in her," she said.
Across town Kate’s mother Valerie, brother Ruari, sister Maeve and 90-year-old grandmother Madeline watched her win surrounded by family, friends and lots of cake in the front room of their home.
Her mother said she didn't dare to dream that her daughter would take a medal.
"I know it means the world to Kate because she was very emotional after the competition and it’s the first time I've ever seen her so emotional after a competition and Michael, he has trained her since she was six. I was feeling numb, I actually felt numb. It couldn’t feel real to me, I didn't dare to dream."
Kate's Grandmother Madeline, who turned 90 this summer, said she remembered Kate at six months old kicking her legs in a swimming pool and realising that sport was in her future.
"I think Kate O’Connor is a very special girl. It’s beyond explanation that Kate O'Connor could turn out to be a such a super, super athlete. She’s absolutely a wonderful girl and she enjoys it which I think is so important," said Madeline.
Kate had been finished her Masters in PR and communications and writing her dissertation while on a training camp in Hong Kong ahead of Tokyo.
Her family will have to wait to celebrate her success as she is due to travel around Japan with some of her fellow athletes before returning home in around two weeks’ time.
'We're so proud of him,' says McPhillips family after race
Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered at Longford Athletics Club to watch Cian McPhillips' 800-metre final on the big screen.
As the race progressed men, women and children jumped to their feet screaming and shouting as Cian powered into fourth place.
Emotions were high in Longford as people tried to process the bittersweet mix of disappointment at losing out to a medal combined with immense pride.
Paddy and Laura McPhillips dropped by the club with their daughter Sarah after staying at home to watch their son race in the final of the world championships.
They were besieged by well-wishers and shook hands and posed for photographs. But there was understandably some heartbreak as well.
Paddy smiled and held out his hands saying: "Look at me. I'm still shaking."
"Everybody tells you that fourth place is the worst place to finish, you know, and your heart is disappointed because your head is telling you not to be, because fourth in the world is still a massive achievement.
"Our emotions are all over the place but there's a huge sense of pride. And he's taken almost a second off the Irish record that he set on Thursday evening. That's massive.
"So I'm sure he'll be a little bit disappointed, but that's the competitive edge," said Paddy.
Sarah is a coach at the club and remembers her brother winning national titles at 11/12 years of age.
"To see Cian starting out at community games in Longford, to end up on the world stage, like watching him on the TV, it's just surreal, like to think he's got there. But you know, he's worked so hard over the years and he deserves every minute of his success," she said.
Cian's mother Laura gave a little laugh and shrugged her shoulders: "Oh he'll be gutted but when he comes down off the rollercoaster of emotions he will realise, oh my god, fourth in the world, you know.
"And he's just gone 23 there in the summer, and he has had a tough year with injuries and a bad fall and he worked so hard to get back on track. So we're just so proud of him," said Ms McPhillips.
Barry Sheil is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Longford Athletics. He said Cian had surpassed all expectations setting an Irish record on Thursday with his semi-final win and a strong performance in a heat on Tuesday.
"Today was a particularly challenging race with a fast start and Cian demonstrated his finishing kick to secure a close fourth place.
"It was an incredible race, I mean he's decimated his personal bests this week, from where we were last Tuesday to where we are now, he's gone from being ranked 43rd at the start of the week to fourth best in the world," explained Mr Sheil.
Throughout the day people repeatedly drew attention to the irony of having a world class runner emerging out of a county without an outdoor running track.
Cian McPhillips went to secondary school in Mullingar to get professional coaching with Joe Ryan who remains with him to this day.
He turned down scholarships in the US including ones from prestigious institutions like Stanford University in California to stay in Ireland. He trains in UCD in Dublin where he studies maths.
There's a 60-metre indoor track at Longford Athletics Club but the hope now is that going forward, up and coming young runners inspired by Cian McPhillips will have a 400-metre outdoor track in the future.
