By Philip O’Donoghue
Tracton athletic and cycling club was established at a public meeting at the Knocknamanagh old school in late 1953, and they were up and running for the 1954 season.
The first officers were:
President David Blaney Barry, Chairman Walter Ashcroft, Secretary – Tom Brady, Treasurer Bat O’Neill, Vice Chairman Jimmy O’Reilly and Assistant Treasurer Sean Ryan.
Sean Cotter, Sean O Neill, Donal Ashcroft, William O Neill, John Castleton, Jimmy O’Flynn, Timmy O’Flynn, Timmy Lynch, Dan Murphy, Donal Dempsey, Brendan Barry and Tadhg O’Callaghan made up the committee.
1954 must have been a good year to start a club with the excitement of Roger Banister being the first person ever to run the mile under 4 minutes. In the early years, Tracton athletics had many successes and they competed at sports throughout the country including Rylane, Nadd, Banteer, Blarney, Ballinspittle, Nohoval, Rising Sun, Old Abbey, Kinsale, Ballymore Cobh and many more.
The first county gold was won by Tom Brady in the (56lbs for distance) in 1956 and this was followed by John Castleton in the (triple jump) in 1958, other outstanding athletics of that time were the Murphy brothers of the Forge Minane Bridge, Danjoe and John, Bill Brady, Jimmy O Flynn, Jim Kiely, Jim Carroll, Michael Fennell, Anslem McCarthy, Walter Ashcroft and Sean Ryan were the performing cyclist of that time with many victories on the grass tracks, later on in the 1970’s Bob Murphy, Brendan Hennerty and Jim O’Sullivan had many fine performances on road and track cycling.
1957 saw the club win their first all-round trophy, “the Pinewood Cup” at Glenville sports for the best performing club.
Travelling to sports in that era was not easy and they often travelled in John O’Keeffe’s open back truck, Tom Brady once recalled going to Bantry sports on the back of a small motor bike and not getting home until the early the following morning after many punctures. Training facilities were very basic. Fields at Fennells in Rocky Bay, The “Stone field” in Laharn, John O’Callaghans in Ballinvologue where some fine sports meetings were held and a high jump facility in Brady’s of Knocknamanagh, in the 1990’s we had a training field on Bob Good’s land. 1967 was the year when Irish athletics had a major split which lasted 30 years.
Tracton affiliated to the 32 county N.A.C.A.I – National Athletics and Cycling Association of Ireland. That same year, John Patrick Fennell won the clubs first All-Ireland gold medal in the triple jump, Tom Brady won the first silver in the 56 LBS for distance and John Castleton first bronze in the long jump.
September 1967 the very first ladies joined the club and within 6 months they were on the first Cork ladies cross country team to win an All-Ireland. There were three Rice sisters, Imelda, Agnes and Theresa and O’Donoghue sisters Helen and Mary. Imelda took the gold in this event. This team were honoured by the Cork athletics Board in Feb 2020. 1968 was a brilliant year for Imelda, she also won the mile and half mile championship of Ireland. Later that year Helen O’Keeffe joined the club. 1970’s brought many new officers and athletics, Pat Coughlan, Tim Cronin, Gerard Walsh, Tony Murphy, Christy Desmond, Harry Quinn, Denis Quinn, Liam Cronin, Liam Nunan, Denis Noel Lynch, Austin Kelly, Cecil Gash, Pat Touhy, Tom Curtin and MJ Nunan. Outstanding juveniles of that era were Betsy Brady, Katherine Brady, Tim Dempsey, Frank Maher, Tom Kelly, John Dempsey, Ellen Deasy, James Castleton, Kieran Kingston, Jerry Brady and Jerry Brady.
In 1976 Philip O’Donoghue won the All-Ireland senior long jump and with this comes the honour to represents Ireland in an International meet in Belgium. Mid 1980’s saw a huge upturn in the juvenile section of the club when Dermot Mc McCarthy, Michael Kiely, Martin and Nancy Horan, Donal and Mary O’Leary, Stephen and Phyllis White , Richard and Geraldine McCarthy and Steven McCarthy got involved in this section. We had All Ireland winners’ medals from Ellen Brady, Mart Brady, and Linda O Leary Keith Horan, Darragh Dineen, Anna Mc McCarthy, Cara Mc McCarthy, Fionan McCarthy, Caroline White, Correnna Desmond, Tom Good, Jeremy Coughlan, Ian Coughlan, Brian White, James Kiely, Frank Lynch, David O’Callaghan, Sean O Sullivan, Geoff Mahar, Chloe Hegarty, Anthony O Leary Brien O Leary, Donna O’Leary Thomas Nyhan and Lillian Gash.
Other outstanding juveniles of the 1980s-1990 were Kate and Sarah Casey, Jonathan, Rory and Ciara Dineen, Dan and Joe Mc McCarthy, Brien McCarthy, David Horan, Gordan and Ben Searles, Laura Darby, Breda and Dan Good, Marion Twomey, Carol Twomey, Mags Dempsey, Elaine Guinane, Claire Ahern, Theresa Ahern, The Ambrose sisters Olive, Rose and Sheila. 1987 to 1989 our over 30s ladies relay team of Nancy Horan, Elsie Gash, Mary O’Leary, Breda Foley, Imelda Coughlan and Mary Dineen won 3 in a row 4x1000mtrs.
In 1988, a super draw for two cars was held, 2,500 tickets at £20 each were sold, a huge help for the expanding club. Outstanding club events were the annual open sport meetings, a juvenile sport and the Roberts Cove 5 mile which includes beach races and tug of war.
IN 1994 our club lotto was started by Michael Kiely and Martin Horan and 30 years later it is going strong , with proceeds divided between the athletic club and our 2 parish schools. From the mid-90s to 2010 we had a lean time on our senior section of the club but our juveniles kept us on the map, mainly the Lordans, Corrigans, O’Loughlins, O’Sheas, Harrigtons, Kinds, Mc Guinness, Marrons, Mahers, Hegartys, O’Callaghan’s of Bordee, O’Callaghan’s of Willow Hill, Goods of Ringabella, O’Learys Carrigaline, McCarthy’s of Willow Hill, Gearoid O’Donoghue, David O’Mahony, Paul Riordan, Colin Hayes, and the O’Sullivans.
In 2012 Ian Dorgan, qualified coach was invited to take training sessions to try and kick star our senior athletes, he started a couch to 5k and the up take was brilliant, people who had never ran before were running full marathons after 3 to 4 years. Martin, Nancy, Tom and Philip handed over the rejuvenated club to a new energetic committee, new chairperson every 2 years have bought the club to dizzy Heights. A flood lit training tract is installed at the Tracton Arts Centre with training every Monday and Thursday all year round. Ian Doran is now on his 12th year as couch and his easy encouraging style of training is admired by all. The third Tracton A.C 4 mile race is on Friday the 12th July, this is a very special one on the 70th anniversary of the club. Since 2012 the club has many brilliant athletes running 5ks, 5 miles, 10 miles, half marathons, full marathons and triathlons. Mainly John Lynch, Danny Fieldhouse, Nigel Bryan, Cyril Walsh, Ken Tierney, Elton Chambers, Michael Pigott, Ciaran Goggin, John Dowling, Mark Barry, Billy O’Mahony, Donnacha Kiely, Stuart Hosford, Moynihan , Brian Morrissey, Connor O’Mahony, Rodney Daunt, Michael Hegarty, Con Walsh, Dan Lynch, Eddie Murphy, Philip O’Donoghue, Nelson Lopes, Kevin O Connor, Kate McCarthy , Olive Sheila, Rose Ambrose, Mags Dempsey, Mags Moynihan, Breda Good, Cathy Good, Sinead Quinn, Katherine McCarthy, Grainne Lynch, Marie Buckley, Una Buckley, Laura Buckley ,Norma Collins, Sharon Kingston, Deirdre O Keeffe, Trish O Sullivan, Helen Jagoe, Siobhan Curtin, Correnna Cunningham ,Valerie Dempsey, Mary Cotter, Emer Nunan, Jane Pigott , Orla Busteed and Barbara Anne Richardson .
Our juveniles for the future of Tracton A.C are being trained by two excellent club coaches Correnna Cunningham and Dan Lynch and they are bringing great success to the club. In the last month they have won 8 county medals and at the National indoor championships, the Osborn sisters, Faye and Tara won gold and bronze in the under 15and 16 shot. Others who are performing brilliantly are the Lynch’s, Kim and Dan, Cunninghams Sally, Ella and Libby, Bricks John and Maria, Sisks Aron and Noah, Aila Cronin, Sean Og Higgins,Conor McCarthy, Clara Good, Finn Anderson and Catherine Collins. The club have just less than 100 juveniles registered and so many of these are full family membership: both senior and juveniles.
Tracton A.C was better known for field events, sprinting and middle distance running but over the last 10 years, well over 20 athletes have run full marathons and this was really proven in April of 2024, when 12 members of the club ran in 3 different marathons. Fiona O’Mahony in Paris Elton Chambers in London, and we had 10 ladies running in Rotherdam, Claire Ahern, Laura Buckley, Norma Collins, Breda O’Donovan, Cathy Good, Grainne Lynch, Mags Moynihan, Maeve Pigott, Elaine Rodrigues and Caroline Walsh. Adding these achievements to our juveniles April 2024 will be remembered as one of the best in the clubs 70-year history.
Athletics in Tracton cannot be spoken of without naming one man and that’s the late Tom Brady, Tom joined the Rising Sun Athletic Club before the formation of Tracton A.C, a big framed man, he competed mainly in weight throwing but he also jumped 5ft 11 inch in the high jump. Tom was involved for over 60 years in the club, he was chairman for 35 years a truly outstanding commitment by any standards, he also served five years as chairman of Cork N.A.C.A.I County Board and secretary of the Munster Council. Tom Brady was a brilliant public speaker at meetings; he could address a crowd for any length of time without any notes. He would surely be proud of today’s club.
The club would like to thank all those who served as officers, coaches or helped to run the weekly Lotto, sellers of tickets, the Tracton G.A.A for accommodating us in every way and to all our sponsors, long may it last.
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