Catherina McKiernan had to miss the Inter-Counties Cross Country

Pre-race favourite Catherina McKiernan had to pull out of Sunday's National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships because she had a bout of 'flu.

McKiernan, who has missed nearly four years at the top level through injury and becoming a mother for the first time, had been hoping to win the title for the first time since 1993.

Instead it was Rosemary Ryan of Limerick's Bilboa club who won the 5k race, seeing off the challenges of American Jolene Byrne and the evergreen Ann Keenan-Buckley from Laois.

Ryan, who won by almost a minute, and Keenan-Buckley will be named in Ireland's squad for the European Cross Country Championships in Scotland.