limerickpost
Limerick Olympians 014
26/05/12
Back Row: Ronnie Long, Neil Cusack, Mick O'Shea, John Cussen and Tom Comyns
Front Row: Niall O'Shaughnessy, Rosamary Ryan, Frank O'Mara, Jim Hogan and Barbara Johnson pictured at a ceremony to honour Limerick's Olympic Athletes which took place at the Clarion Hotel, Limerick.
Limerick Olympic Legends Reunion 2012Short Press Release.May 23rd 2012.Limerick Athletics to honour Olympic Legends.2012 is the year of the London Olympic Games and it is unlikely they will be staged as close to Limerick again. Limerick is well established as a European City of Sport, but it also has a long tradition of Olympian athletes locally, stretching back prior to the birth of the Free State. Three of Limerick’s most famous athletes Frank O’Mara, Mick O’Shea and Niall O’Shaughnessy, will return from the USA to join their Irish based Olympic colleagues, in a unique reunion in the Clarion Hotel on Saturday evening next the 26th May. Limerick’s first Olympic athlete to compete for Ireland was John O’Grady of Ballybricken who competed in Paris in 1924 and he was also the first flag bearer of an Irish Olympic team. To this day the O’Grady monument at the Fairgreen stands in his memory. At the Amsterdam Games in 1928, Denis Cussen of Newcastlewest, capped fifteen times for Ireland in rugby, competed in the 100m. The period 1964 to 2000 was a golden era for Limerick with local athletes involved in every Games except for 1996. Jim Hogan born in Athlacca, was the first of this group and he ran in the 10,000m and the marathon for Ireland in Tokyo 1964 and then ran for Great Britain in Mexico four years later in 1968. Two former pupils of St Munchin’s College, once a famed athletic nursery, Niall O’Shaughnessy of Adare and Neil Cusack ran in Montreal in 1972, with Cusack running again four years later in 1976 in the famous Munich Games competing in the marathon. Mick O’Shea from Clare Street was the sole Limerick athlete in the 5000m in Moscow 1980. Frank O’Mara, another student of St Munchin’s College - and Limerick’s greatest Olympian of modern times, competed in the next three Olympic Games in Barcelona 1984 in the 1500m, Seoul 1988 in the 5000m and Los Angeles in 1992 also in the 5000m. Barbara Johnson of Rathkeale also competed in Seoul in 1988 in the 400m hurdles. Finally in Sydney in 2000, Limerick again had two athletes competing Rosemary Ryan in the 5000m and Tom Comyns in the 4x100m relay.Thanks to the dedicated work of a new generation of local coaches in clubs like Limerick AC, Dooneen AC and Emerald AC, track and field athletics is making a strong return in popularity around Limerick. The upsurge in recreational running has also provided an opportunity to promote running, get athletics into local schools as an attractive sport option, increase local athletic club membership and improve public health levels.Supported by Shannon Development, Limerick Corporation and the County Council a further aim of this initiative is to develop a series of Olympic trails around the city and county. Kevin O’Connor of Limerick European City of Sport explained that “each trail will be named after a Limerick Olympic legends to encourage running especially among younger children and in schools. Limerick is fortunate to have a potential network of top class running trails and with clear branding and strong promotion it will be a major boost for the sport locally”The concept has been received very well by Athletics Ireland and the Olympic Council of Ireland. City of Sport status has provided a significant positive boost to the image and the economy of Limerick building on the success of Rugby, GAA, Soccer and the facilities at the University of Limerick, Ireland’s premier sports campus. Associating these trails with the Limerick’s most famous Olympians of the modern era is a strong reminder of our rich athletic Olympic heritage. Several athletes were members of Ireland’s oldest athletic club – Limerick AC founded in 1877, although one of Ireland’s most eminent sports historians Ronnie Long, has uncovered new evidence that it may have been founded as early as 1873. Saturday night next will see a large gathering of Ireland’s leading athletic lights from past and present descent on the Clarion Hotel to honour some of Ireland’s greatest Olympic athletes. Prepared by Kevin O’ConnorLimerick City of Sport
Picture: Don Moloney / Press 22
Limerick Olympians 014
26/05/12
Back Row: Ronnie Long, Neil Cusack, Mick O'Shea, John Cussen and Tom Comyns
Front Row: Niall O'Shaughnessy, Rosamary Ryan, Frank O'Mara, Jim Hogan and Barbara Johnson pictured at a ceremony to honour Limerick's Olympic Athletes which took place at the Clarion Hotel, Limerick.
Limerick Olympic Legends Reunion 2012Short Press Release.May 23rd 2012.Limerick Athletics to honour Olympic Legends.2012 is the year of the London Olympic Games and it is unlikely they will be staged as close to Limerick again. Limerick is well established as a European City of Sport, but it also has a long tradition of Olympian athletes locally, stretching back prior to the birth of the Free State. Three of Limerick’s most famous athletes Frank O’Mara, Mick O’Shea and Niall O’Shaughnessy, will return from the USA to join their Irish based Olympic colleagues, in a unique reunion in the Clarion Hotel on Saturday evening next the 26th May. Limerick’s first Olympic athlete to compete for Ireland was John O’Grady of Ballybricken who competed in Paris in 1924 and he was also the first flag bearer of an Irish Olympic team. To this day the O’Grady monument at the Fairgreen stands in his memory. At the Amsterdam Games in 1928, Denis Cussen of Newcastlewest, capped fifteen times for Ireland in rugby, competed in the 100m. The period 1964 to 2000 was a golden era for Limerick with local athletes involved in every Games except for 1996. Jim Hogan born in Athlacca, was the first of this group and he ran in the 10,000m and the marathon for Ireland in Tokyo 1964 and then ran for Great Britain in Mexico four years later in 1968. Two former pupils of St Munchin’s College, once a famed athletic nursery, Niall O’Shaughnessy of Adare and Neil Cusack ran in Montreal in 1972, with Cusack running again four years later in 1976 in the famous Munich Games competing in the marathon. Mick O’Shea from Clare Street was the sole Limerick athlete in the 5000m in Moscow 1980. Frank O’Mara, another student of St Munchin’s College - and Limerick’s greatest Olympian of modern times, competed in the next three Olympic Games in Barcelona 1984 in the 1500m, Seoul 1988 in the 5000m and Los Angeles in 1992 also in the 5000m. Barbara Johnson of Rathkeale also competed in Seoul in 1988 in the 400m hurdles. Finally in Sydney in 2000, Limerick again had two athletes competing Rosemary Ryan in the 5000m and Tom Comyns in the 4x100m relay.Thanks to the dedicated work of a new generation of local coaches in clubs like Limerick AC, Dooneen AC and Emerald AC, track and field athletics is making a strong return in popularity around Limerick. The upsurge in recreational running has also provided an opportunity to promote running, get athletics into local schools as an attractive sport option, increase local athletic club membership and improve public health levels.Supported by Shannon Development, Limerick Corporation and the County Council a further aim of this initiative is to develop a series of Olympic trails around the city and county. Kevin O’Connor of Limerick European City of Sport explained that “each trail will be named after a Limerick Olympic legends to encourage running especially among younger children and in schools. Limerick is fortunate to have a potential network of top class running trails and with clear branding and strong promotion it will be a major boost for the sport locally”The concept has been received very well by Athletics Ireland and the Olympic Council of Ireland. City of Sport status has provided a significant positive boost to the image and the economy of Limerick building on the success of Rugby, GAA, Soccer and the facilities at the University of Limerick, Ireland’s premier sports campus. Associating these trails with the Limerick’s most famous Olympians of the modern era is a strong reminder of our rich athletic Olympic heritage. Several athletes were members of Ireland’s oldest athletic club – Limerick AC founded in 1877, although one of Ireland’s most eminent sports historians Ronnie Long, has uncovered new evidence that it may have been founded as early as 1873. Saturday night next will see a large gathering of Ireland’s leading athletic lights from past and present descent on the Clarion Hotel to honour some of Ireland’s greatest Olympic athletes. Prepared by Kevin O’ConnorLimerick City of Sport
Picture: Don Moloney / Press 22