Kerryman Article 15/3/10

The best and brightest of Kerry athletics gathered at the Brandon Hotel on Saturday night to look back on the achievements of the previous year at the annual Kerry AAI Awards Night. County chairman Martin Fitzgerald welcomed those who attended and credit must be paid to the work he and county secretary Shane Delany  put in to make the night the success it was.

All of the counties clubs were given the opportunity to nominate two of their athletes for club awards and amongst these athletes were included many national, provincial and county champions. For some these club awards mark their early progression on the road to continued success in the years ahead. Indeed many who had started out as club award winners in the past were commemorated with special merit awards for their victories in 2009, such as National Champions Alan O’Connor, Laura Crowe, Jonathan Foley and Emma Prendiville. 

Sixteen athletes were honoured as the overall Country Award winners for their track & field or Cross Country & Road achievements, representing the very best of the counties talent. The results from the recent Munster Indoors show that juvenile track & field award winners Eoin O’Carroll and Ailbhe Courtney aren’t too inclined to give up their titles when the 2010 awards come round next year; both achieved success at national and international level last year and have shown promise of much the same with little gone in this season. Senior women’s track & field winner Clare Fitzgerald will be awarded next weekend with the national throws award, becoming the first ever athlete on international scholarship to receive the accolade. Patrick O’Shea of Iveragh AC had a very successful international season on route to the country masters men cross country & road award, coming home as highest Irish finisher at both the European Championships in Denmark and the British and Irish Cross Country meeting in Birmingham. Jer O’Donoghue could be beaten only by Paul Hession, “the fastest white man in the world” as a former Kerry great has dubbed him, in 2009 in the 60m sprint and for which he received the county senior men’s track & field award while the masters award went to the national masters high jump champion Patsy O’Connor.

The night belonged however to a tireless servant of Kerry athletics with the county board electing Tom Joe O’Donoughe into the Hall of Fame. A founding member of Gneeveguilla AC along with his brother Paddy, the county chairman described Tom Joe as “the voice of Kerry athletics” as he goes live on weekends with athletics results for Kerry Radio and seldom in his career has he not held one PRO position or another, having served as juvenile PRO to the NACAI for 17 years! Tom Joe was one of the main figures at county level on the NACAI side in the lead up to the formation of the AAI in 1999, describing how at a joint meeting of the county NACAI and BLE he told the delegates that athletics had bought him friends in Galway and in Clare, yet the division had meant there were athletes and officials like himself from Castleisland and Farranfore whom he had never heard of or met. Quite enthusiastically he said the formation of the AAI was the “the greatest thing that happened athletics in this country”

His hard work has bought Gneeveguilla AC to a position where it stands as the third largest club in the country with almost 550 registered members in 2009, far in excess of many larger town clubs. While quick to thank others and make little mention of himself he gave special praise to his wife Peggy who he said had to put up with spending many weekends alone while he travelled up country with a bus load of athletes. It is quite clear that while he has been a support for many athletes she has been his support, never once complaining of his long trips away or the club work he would bring home which he would engross himself in to such a degree that he might as well be away somewhere else and he felt he was unable to fully express just how much her support to him had meant.

Tom Joe has dedicated his career to the silent background work which often goes unnoticed, work which would grind the organisation to a halt were it not for the dedication of officials like himself. Yet his family is no stranger to success on the athletics field either as he served as one end of three generations from the same family to be honoured on the night. His daughter Sheila O’Donoghue received the masters women track & field award while her daughter, 2009 European Junior international Eilish Fitzpatrick, was the recipient of the junior women’s award. Congratulations to a very deserving Hall of Fame Award winner and to all award recipients on the night.

Cillian O’Donovan, Mary Fitzgerald and Brigid Dennehy had a busy day on Saturday, quickly swapping the mud of CIT and the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships for the finery of the Brandon Hotel where all three were honoured at the county awards.

O’Donovan followed up his win at the Munster championships with a strong performance and Kerry’s highest finish of these championships in 4^th position in the Junior boys 3500m, again leading his Colaiste Na Sceilge team home. Strong finishes by Liam O’Connell, Andy Quigley and Brian Sugrue bought the team into 5^th position in a very strong field of just under 100 athletes.

In the Senior girls race Mary Fitzgerald of Colaiste Na Scelige came in 11^th while the Intermediate girls 3500m team of Brigid Dennehy, Grace Lynch and Karen Curran picked up another 5^th place finish for Colaiste Na Sceilge. The school also saw strong runs from Paudie Casey and Matthew O’Sullivan, Niamh Joy and Jane Hickey continued the Intermediate School Killorglin’s strong tradition and Tadgh Moore of St. Brendan’s Killarney finished well in the Senior Boys 6000m race.

On Sunday James Doran of An Ríocht AC finished in third position at the Craughwell AC 10-mile which incorporated the AAI Galway 10-mile. His time of 54.26 bought him in just behind second in a race won by Gerry Ryan of GCH. This is an excellent result for James at a highly competitive competition.

Strong performances by St. Brendan’s AC saw them defend their County Indoor Sportshall Championships on Saturday. This event serves as an introduction to competition for many of the counties younger athletes who will no doubt be representing their clubs with distinction in a few years. They’re were many good performances on the day with Cian Donnellan of Spa Fenit Barrow, Sinéad Warren of Gneeveguilla, Daniel Walsh of Star of the Laune and Ciara Lynch of Lios Tuathail winning two gold medals each while Liam Rice of St. Brendan’s and Laura Sheehy of Lios Tuathail won two each and added a third gold in their relays. Josh Connolly of An Ríocht won three individual gold and both Alex Dowling of Lios Tuathail and Adrian Nolan St. Brendan’s took home the full compliment of the three individual and one relay gold.