Posted by Tom Gilmore, The Tuam Herald in Sport.


Bonfires blazed around Carnmore on Monday night to welcome home quadruple world handball champion Niamh Heffernan who at the tender age of 13 came home with four global titles from Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the weekend.

Niamh and her sister Michelle at the homecoming.

Niamh and her sister Michelle arriving to the homecoming.

Niamh, who is daughter of Josephine and Pat Heffernan from Carnmore, won the One Wall singles and double world title, for competitors 13 and under, as well as winning the Four Wall singles and double world accolades in the same age category.

Niamh will be going into second year at Coláiste Bhaile Chlair in Claregalway next week and her parents were exhausted but excited when she took the four world awards home to be met by a cavalcade of cars and taken on a victory tour of the Carnmore area on Monday night.

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“We are still in shock but so delighted regarding her success. Going out to Canada we thought that if she won even one title that would be brilliant,” says her mother Josephine. “Niamh only started playing about three years ago, shortly before the world finals were held in Dublin and at that time she got to the quarter finals,” said her mother. Her father Pat also praised Niamh’s coaches Tommy Duggan and Joe O’Connell for their work in preparing for for the world championships and for other competitions as well.

World Handball Champion Niamh Heffernan with her parents and sister Michelle at the homecoming.

World Handball Champion Niamh Heffernan with her parents and sister Michelle at the homecoming.

“She also plays camogie and has been training with the Galway U14 panel this year,” added Pat.

Niamh’s elder sister Michelle (18), a student at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick also competed in the Ladies C category of the World Handball Championships in Canada at the weekend.

Meanwhile Martin Mulkerrins from Moycullen won the World singles U23 title and his brother Diarmuid won the World U17 title and also was runner-up in the Four Wall U17 competition.

For more photos from the event, check out our album on Facebook.