Castledaly's Ally on track for further athletics success
Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards in association with Westmeath County Council
Young Sportsperson of the Year finalist: Ally Duffy
Ally Duffy had the honour of representing Ireland in the European Athletics U18 Championships in Italy last July.
It was another major milestone in the athletics journey of the Castledaly teenager, who finished eighth in the final of the 2000m steeplechase in the Italian town of Rieti. The Tullamore Harriers athlete recorded a time of 6:45:28, just outside her personal best of 6:45:00, which she set in Milan last May.
A student at Moate Community School, Ally previously set a new championship best performance in the event when she won the national U17 title when racing on her own club's track. The Castledaly native also won the U20 women's 3000m final as part of this year's National Senior Track & Field Championships.
Ally was coaxed into running for Moate CS by teacher Emer Gaffey in 2024 and, after enjoying significant success in schools competitions, she decided to join Tullamore Harriers AC, where she is coached by Damian Lawlor.
Since then she has won a string of medals at provincial and national level and has represented Ireland in cross country and on the track.
Earlier this year, Ally won both the 800m and 1500m at the Leinster Indoor Championships held in TUS Midlands, Athlone. And she helped the Ireland U17 girls team to gold medal success at the Home Countries & Celtic Cross Country Championships in Parliament Hill, London.
In 2025, Ally collected medals at provincial and national level, including silver medals in the All-Ireland U16 and U17 cross-country championships. Ally's achievements to date mark her out as an athlete to watch out for in the coming years.
A daughter of Tanya (née Derwin) and Gordon Duffy, Ally has also excelled in Gaelic football for both Cill Óige and Moate Community School. She played for Moate CS in the All-Ireland Junior 'A' (U-16) final earlier this year. Indeed, she was part of the Moate CS senior and junior squads which won a double of Leinster titles in the 2025/2026 school term.
The Young Sportsperson of the Year finalists are Aimee Greene, Enda Browne and Ally Duffy.
The Young Sportsperson of the Year category is sponsored by the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.