Ciaran Hoare from Donamon is preparing for the World Championships in Olympic Skeet (clay pigeon shooting) in Moscow in September having qualified for the event following an ISSF selection shoot at Balheary in Dublin on June 17th
Ciaran (20), son of Jay and Catherine Hoare and sister to Siobhan, qualified with a junior qualification score but also attained the senior qualification score, achieving a personal best to date, and setting an Irish junior record in the process. He shot a 116 from 125, a score that would be competitive at either European or World Championships.
As well as qualifying for the World Championships in Moscow, his score also qualifies him for the Junior World Cup to be held in Porpetto, Italy at the end of August.
Ciaran’s ability and success hasn’t gone unnoticed and he recently received cartridge (ammunition) sponsorship from David Mulvihill of Mulvihill Firearms in Balllymahon, Co. Longford. This generous sponsorship allows Ciaran to put in the level of training required to compete at international level.
Ciaran only transitioned to Olympic Skeet in early 2016 and in his first year qualified for a European event along with his colleague Darragh Matthews from Meath. They were the first juniors ever to qualify for Olympic Skeet at European level.
Ciaran is also the only Irish Junior shooter to qualify for the World Championships in Olympic Skeet this year. The Olympic discipline requires competitors to be performing at the highest level to qualify for ISSF selection shoots.
In Olympic Skeet, the targets travel at a considerably faster speed than other disciplines. The release of the target can be delayed up to 3 seconds after calling and the gun-down position is compulsory, meaning the gun cannot be raised until the clay is airborne.
Speaking to the Roscommon People this week, Ciaran said he is focussed on the forthcoming championships in Russia.
“I am practicing every night in the run up to the championships and really looking forward to it. I will be travelling out to Russia on Sunday, September 3rd and we will be competing the following Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are four on the Irish team and I will be travelling with them,” he said.
Apart from Mulvihill Firearms’ ammunition sponsorship, Ciaran receives no other sponsorship, therefore he is very appreciative of the generosity of the local community and in particular, members of Oran Shooting Grounds who ran a successful fundraiser in Cuisle last Friday night.
“We had a very successful fundraiser last Friday night and I want to thank everyone involved. It is expensive to travel to these tournaments but I am looking forward to it now,” he said.
Ciaran has been making great progress since he began competing at the age of 14. He won the Roscommon High Gun title from 2012 to 2015 while also claiming the Irish Junior High Gun title from 2013 to 2015.
He also qualified for the Irish team in 2013 and in that year helped Ireland to win the Home Countries International. Ciaran also competed at the World English Sporting Clays in Florida in 2015.
In 2016, Ciaran was accepted into the Irish Shooting Academy and qualified for the European Championships at Lonato in Italy. To qualify for the World Championships in Moscow marks a huge step forward in his career.
Ciaran trains at Oran Shooting Grounds, Roscommon and that has now been made easier by cartridge sponsorship and the recent fundraiser in Cuisle. It’s hoped that this support will aid his preparation in advance of the World Championships in Moscow next month.
