WRITTEN BY KIERAN KELLY
Introduction
For me in the mid-2000s as a teenager starting off in Raheny Shamrock in our previous clubhouse, a hollowed, old and cold building, that was formerly a national school, upon entry in the narrow hallway on the notice boards you were graced with a printed list of club records. The majority of them and all sprint records, I was a sprinter back then, were in the 1980s. Club records stand as a bulwark in a club as the highest ever achievement in an event and for those ambitious something to target. On the other hand they stood as a looming shadow. The club did have successes since the 1980s with national titles and a number of club records broken but it was as if the 1980s stood as a monkey on the club's back, that it was partially frozen in time. I would like to take you back to a successful decade for Raheny Shamrock, the decade that was the 1980s.
Ireland in the 1980s
It was a decade of infamy for Ireland in political and socio-economic terms. Unemployment and emigration were high, the political backdrop of the time played a part with 5 general elections during the decade, 3 of them in 17 months, as the office of Taoiseach went back and forth between Charles Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald. There was more positive memories in music and sport. In music there were 2 Eurovision victories and the international successes of artists like Enya and U2. In sport Eamon Coghlan won the 1983 World outdoor 5000m title in Helsinki, John Treacy won silver in the 1984 LA Olympics Marathon, Stephen Roche won a famous treble of major cycling competitions in 1987 and the Republic Of Ireland senior men's national football team qualified for its first ever international tournament in Euro 1988.
National records in men's 400m hurdles and national titles
In June 1985 Ciaran McDunphy set a national senior men's 400m hurdles record. The then trainee chef was participating in a triangular international tournament featuring Ireland, Catalonia and Scotland. In a proud day representing Ireland, McDunphy won his race and set a national record of 51.11 which would last for 9 years. McDunphy had also set a national junior record in the 400m hurdles 2 years previously, a record that would stand until 2010.
The decade saw 14 national senior individuals titles between the track, field and road disciplines with Dick Hooper winning 3 marathon titles between 1980-1982 and another in 1984, Mark O' Connor - Javelin in 1982, Ciaran McDunphy - 110m hurdles 1984-1985 and Ciaran also won 400m hurdles in 1985, Malachy Sheridan - Pole Vault in 1986, Sally Wigesundra - Javelin in 1987, Rose Hayden - Half Marathon in 1988, Susanne Cobbe - 600m indoors in 1988 and Olive Bollard - half marathon in 1989.
Ciaran McDunphy in action for Ireland
Hooper Dominance and Raheny Shamrock at the Olympics & Paralympics
The Hooper brothers, Dick and Pat, would dominate the national marathon from 1978-1984 with 6 titles in 7 years, 5 for Dick and 1 for Pat, and a top 2 between the two in 1980 that secured their places in the 1980 Olympic marathon in Moscow. Dick would represent Ireland again at the Olympics in LA 1984 and Seoul 1988, finishing 24th in the latter. He ran a lifetime best of 2 hours 12 minutes 19 seconds in qualifying, a time that is currently 8th in the Irish all time list.
There was also a Paralympian for the club in the era as David McNally was selected for Seoul 1988 in the C8 category, coming 5th in the long jump and 4th in the 4x100m relay.
Brothers in Arms, the Hoopers being presented with their medals at the national marathon by Bill Coghlan, father of Eamon Coghlan
National League
The national league is a track and field competition where clubs compete over two rounds to decide qualifiers for the final, promotion and relegation between the premier and first divisions with points given to a club athlete for their placing in an event. 8 competitors for an event (1 athlete per club) with 9 points for 1st and 7 points descending to 1 point from 2nd to 8th. With the club developing a strong spine across track and field it made a major push for the top prize in the premier men's division coming just short behind the powerful Dublin City Harriers team of the time with 2nd place finishes in 1987 and 1988. The top prize still eludes the club.
National League day in Santry, 1987
The Birth of the Raheny 5 Mile
The club's blue riband event was the brainchild of Pat Hooper, then chairman in 1984, with its debut in January 1985. It is one of the top road races in Ireland and has been held every year since its inception on the last Sunday in January , virtually in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, and attracts 4,000 plus runners of all abilities and regularly sells out. The inaugural winners were male - Martin Kelly of Dundrum in 23 minutes 43 seconds and female - Marese Cullen of Castlepollard in 28 minutes 45 seconds. Club female stalwart Olive Bollard was back to back winner in the female category in 1988 and 1989.
Conclusion
Seen in many and my eyes in the mid to late 2000s as the club's undisputed golden age, the 1980s was in many ways equalled and surpassed by the 2010s where new club records were set and today in 2025 the club records from the 1980s are a minority. Mick Clohisey and Orla Comerford represented Ireland in the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics respectively, Comerford won 2 bronze medals in 100m and 200m at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championship, 25 national senior individual titles were won (11 more than the 1980s but 7 more in real terms* ), the premier division's men second place finishes of 1987 and 1988 was equalled in 2019 and the holy grail of the men's national senior cross country team title was achieved for the first time in the club's long history after so many second place finishes. The club won 2019 Athletics Ireland Performance Club Of The Year for its achievements that year.
However some club records from the 1980s do remain and records in particular such as Dick Hooper in the marathon and Ciaran McDunphy in the 400m hurdles may well last for some time, feats that say more about the calibre of those athletes than subsequent athletes not reaching their standards in the succeeding years.
*The amount of indoor titles won in the 1980s (1) was deducted from the amount won in the 2010s (5) as the national indoor championships only began in 1988 with Susanne Cobbe being the club's only national indoor title winner of the 1980s.
Kieran Kelly is a Raheny Shamrock athlete and member for 20 years. He has written a book on Raheny Shamrock's senior Irish internationals from 1968 to 2022 titled Green, White and Green.