by Perri Williams
Last week Peter Lynch (Kilkenny City Harriers) broke John Treacy’s 32-year-old 10-mile road national record – a record that has stood since 1993. In February 17-year-old Pia Langton finished second in the Senior Indoor 800m and that was just a month after competing in the High School Mile at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston. Cathal O’Rielly was a member of the u23 Irish team for Euro Cross, his second time making the Europeans. Cliodhna Manning was part of the Irish 4x400m quartet at the recent European Indoor Championships. Cathal O’Rielly, Ruairi McEvoy and Callum Barron represented Ireland at the Celtic International. The girls u15 and u16 set new National relay records. Along with Peter, the above are just a few of the achievements of KCH athletes, over the last four months.
Regarded as the powerhouse of Kilkenny Athletics, since 1953, there has been a plethora of success stories. Marita Walton, Sinead Delahunty, Geraldine Nolan, Fiona Norwood, Emily Maher, Joanne Cuddihy, Seamus Murphy, lan Wilkinson, Phil Brennan, Eamon and Seamus Costelloe, Adrian O’Dwyer, Eileen O’Keeffe, Ciara Everard, Brian Maher, Aoife Hickey, Brendan Nugent, Cliodhna Manning, Pia Langton, Ciara Deely, Aoibhe Richardson, Shay McEvoy, Cathal O’Rielly, Rory Lodge, Peter Lynch, Eoin Everard - the list is endless and almost impossible to continue without mistakenly omitting an athlete of note. Suffice to say, this is a club that has produced a steady stream of talent over the last 72 years. All but one of the county’s track and field Olympians are Kilkenny City Harrier athletes.
What is it that makes Kilkenny City Harriers what it is? I spoke with Chairperson Nicholas Dunphy recently, who shed some light on some of the reasons for success.
1. Multi-disciplined approach along with focus on the team
“What works for us is a collection of approaches and activities” said Dunphy who was elected chairperson just this year, after spending eight years on the KCH executive committee. “First, we have a multi-event approach to athletics up to u14 and this includes Cross-Country running. We also like to focus on the team aspect and that is at any age; relay races, cross-country teams and national league” he added. Promotion of this team aspect has never been felt more than in the recent success of its teams. Just last year for the first time ever the club qualified for the European Clubs Cross-Country with both their junior ladies and senior men participating. This was on the back of their magnificent win’s at the National Cross-Country a few months before. Then of course there are the relays. At Juvenile level outside of Ratoath AC, Kilkenny City Harriers are one of the most prolific medal winners at the Leinster and indeed All-Ireland relays. Just last week, their girls u15 and u16 not only won their 4x200m indoor relays but set new National records in both.
This holistic approach of multi-event participation along with the team concept helps athletes find their niche while broadening overall athletic development. Additionally, ensuring long-term participation and enjoyment. “We want that u8 athlete to be still in the club at 35” said Dunphy.
2. Continued Participation
Emerging into the late teen and junior years, within the club structure there are several groups across multiple ages and disciplines, with athletes focusing on that niche the younger age structure helped to define. Once again Dunphy is keep to emphasize the concept of continued participation. “We want those that have come through the younger structure to continue to be part of the sport at some level. There are plenty of roles to be filled and plenty of teams to be part of” he continued”. Dunphy himself got involved in the club administration after he finished athletics. The club is blessed with a great team of coaches.
3. Coaching excellence
Good coaches are important too. Ones who understand athletics and the athletes. From former international athletes such as Rob Daly and Fiona Norwood, Niamh and Noel Richardson, whose experience of making that transition from juvenile to senior level athletics is critical for the clubs continued development. Other coaches are there too – a long list of them. Then of course there is stalwarts like May and Nicola Barron and the semi-retired Sean Lynch (grandfather to Peter Lynch and Bray Runners Niamh Murray), whose longevity in the club, creates its own set of best practices in club development. There are so many coaches catering for the varying and wider needs of the members and “we have them covered” said Dunphy. He is emphatic that support from the executive committee and the wider committee is there for the coaches. This is critical for the coaching and athlete success.
4. High Performance
What has been a big factor in producing the stream of international athletes over the past number of years has been the establishment of the high-performance committee and their athletic support programme. The aim of which is to provide the next generation of talented athletes with the means to follow their international dreams. The programme works with high performance athletes and those that are close to it, to bring them to the next level. This initiative was launched a few years ago and is driven by a committee chaired by Dr Bill Cuddihy. The programme identifies talented athletes who would then become eligible for funding to allow for travel, competition and physio expenses, removing the financial burden and enabling them to compete against the very best in their chosen field. Other larger clubs predominantly in Dublin or Cork have similar support structures. The concept is exactly what any club with solid athletic foundation’s needs. It is well recognised that progression in sport isn’t always linear. Creating some sort of flexible structure like the high-performance programme will enable a club to reach out to its young athletes with athletic potential. Thereby enabling those athletes to achieve a lot more with some help and support from the programme to realise that potential at a further level. That is not to say that every club should just go out today and create a high-performance unit. “We were in a place where we could do it” said Dunphy. With representation is every Olympic Games from 1996 right through to Tokyo in 2020 (21) and consistent representation at the European Cross-Country since 2019, we knew it was time”.
5. Ability to manager traditional athletics along side fit4life
There is another side to the club too, fit4life. Throughout Ireland fit4life has grown enormously. More and more adults, often into their forties and beyond are participating in running. Sheer numbers registered in this section have for some clubs meant that competitive athletics as we have traditionally known it has become less of a focus for a club. However, despite having an enormous fit4life section this dwarfing of the traditional athletics has not happened in KCH. The club carefully crafted measures that enabled both to thrive. “Fit4life has their own subcommittee” said Dunphy “and they have their own training slots independent of the juvenile and senior club. They do have a coach who is on the executive committee and Ian Comerford is on the wider committees” said Dunphy. This has helped maintain the status quo. They run cross-country and road races and there is always a KCH singlet to be spotted amongst the moving packs of road runners.
6. Accessibility of the support team
Another thing that has helped the club become what it is today is the concept of the “support team” being so assessable. Mai Hutt is on the track each night and any member can talk to her and she will bring things back to the committee. The same goes for the other coaches in their respective groups. That accessibility is huge” suggested Dunphy “and any thoughts to make the club better are always welcome”.
7. Facilities
Facilities play a role in establishing a solid club. Kilkenny is fortunate to be blessed with excellent facilities for athletes. The Castle Park, the canal and the track at the Watershed, a triad of stomping grounds that young and old avail of. And of course the Ring Road, that from the moment it was built became a magnet for runners.
Given the extensive number of items that Dunphy mentioned as having played a part in the success of the club, I asked him what he considered the clubs greatest success to be; “The coaches are always there for you, through the good and bad times. It is hugely important for the athletes that the coach believes in them and in turn they believe in the coach. And of course it has been a phenomenal achievement to have an athlete selected for each of the Olympics since 1996”, the 2025 Chairman said.
8. Club Ethos
What about the club ethos? “Our ethos has always been athletes first and then in terms of organization it is club first” he stated. “if our athletes are not first and foremost, we are doing something wrong”.
9. Planning for the future
While the club has built upon its past strengths, it is also keen to plan for the future. At the moment there are a host of athletes in both juvenile and senior making a name for themselves. KCH is keen to keep them going. Keen to keep the club going. Being as professional as ever, the club does have a Club Continuity Plan. “Thanks to the great things done by the committee officers through the years, it makes doing the job for the next person so much easier”. Dunphy not only considers the officers a team from a committee perspective, he also considers them a democracy. “If anything remains undecided, like all good democracies, it goes to a vote” he said. We always have worked together, and we plan to do so in the future. Decisions are not led or pushed by any one officer. We are keen to ensure no age group or section of the club is missed out. What makes Kilkenny City Harriers a seamless club is that no area is missed, and every member has a voice.
Having a club in Kilkenny, such as Kilkenny City Harriers with a solid structure can have a ripple effect, positively influencing other clubs in the county in several powerful ways. For example, they can become a benchmark for other clubs. Having a club like KCH with effective governance, clear communication, sustainable finances, and a strong athlete development pathway, other clubs may observe and adapt similar strategies. In every county in Ireland there is a Kilkenny City Harriers to some degree and embracing the positives that such a club exudes should be encouraged.
Kilkenny City Harriers exemplifies a balanced approach to athletics that honours tradition while innovating for the future. Their commitment to comprehensive training programs, member engagement, while nurturing a competitive environment collectively creates a dynamic club where athletes not only train hard but also grow personally and socially. This unique blend of inclusivity, excellence, and forward-thinking ambition is what truly makes Kilkenny City Harriers a great athletics club.