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Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month of November 2020 - Fr Liam Kelleher

Fr. Liam Kelleher is Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month for November 2020

Cobh

Tuesday June 22nd 2021

 

 fr liam kelleher cork city sports athletics person of month november 2020

Fr. Liam Kelleher, is Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month for November 2020

 

The award was presented to Fr. Liam at a ceremony in Cobh, Co. Cork, on Tuesday June 22nd 2021

 

The Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by 96FM/C103FM, The Echo, The River Lee, Cork Crystal and Leisureworld

 

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fr liam kelleher cork city sports athletics person of month november 2020

Fr. Liam Kelleher with representatives from Cork City Sports, Frank Walley, Tony'OConnell and Liam O'Brien

 

 

Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month - November 2020 - Award Citation

Fr. Liam Kelleher is the November 2020 recipient of the Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month.

The Cork City Sports Athlete for the month of November 2020 goes to Fr. Liam Kelleher, Cobh, for his tireless work for Athletics over many decades

Press Release 

With activity curtailed during the Covid pandemic, the Cork City Sports Committee decided to present the November 2020 award to Fr Liam Kelleher, for his active involvement in the sport, as well as many other sports, for the past 50 years.

 

East Cork's Rising Stars - Irish Runner Feature July-August 1988 - Cork  Athletics

Fr. Liam Kelleher and Liam O'Brien

 

On Tuesday June 22nd, the award was presented to Fr Liam. Present were Frank Walley, President Cork City Sports, Chairperson Tony O'Connell and Technical Director Liam O'Brien, Cork City sports. Regrettably the prestigious Athletic event will not be held this year because of Covid, however the situation is improving slowly, and the National Track and Field Championships are down for decision on June 26th and 27th, at Morton stadium, Santry, Dublin.

Ironically it was at that venue that Liam O'Brien, coached by Fr Liam, won the first of his numerous National steeplechase titles. It was there that the first Juvenile steeplechase event ever held at National level run. Liam went on to gain his first International in the Irish schools singlet. Liam went on to win a total of 11 National Senior Steeplechase Titles and his crowning glory came in the Steeplechase at the 1984 Olympic games, in Los Angeles, when he reached the semi-finals. He was a regular on the Irish team for many years, and a testament to his longevity in the sport was the fact that when he was over 40, he represented his Ireland in the Europa Cup, winning in 8:47, ahead of the Russian favourite.

Fr Liam made reference to Liam's glorious career, and complimented him on his achievements, and his continued involvement in the sport, at East Cork level, and as chief organizer of Post Primary Athletics. A nice touch from Fr Liam, he thanked Liamo for bringing his own name to the fore for his coaching ability. Now the wheel has turned full circle and both men are still actively involved.

Fr Liam also thanked Frank Walley, a former National Sprint Champion, for his commitment to the sport through the Cork City sports, and for the wonderful work he has done in Cobh, helping restoring the iconic St Colman's cathedral. In fact the presentation was made outside the cathedral. He also complimented Tony O'Connell, who has played many roles in the Cork City Sports, including Chairperson and PRO.


In reply, Cork City Sportsl thanked Fr Liam for his many years of dedication. From the grassroots during his time in Midleton, in the early 70's, when hundreds of young people were helped in the sport. The successes were amazing, including taking 1st and 2nd team places in 2 ages in the All-Ireland Cross-Country Championships. At schools level coaching St Mary's Cross-Country team to both Junior and Intermediate All-Ireland Schools Titles, on the same day, taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the Junior under 15 race.

He organized trips to Donegal and the West of Ireland In 1972, to Scotland in 1977, and to Crystal Palace, London, on a coaching course - Liam O'Brien was on those trips. Another trip is worthy of mention, was when both headed off (uninvited) to an Olympic coaching course, at Louvain, Belgium, where Steeplechase Olympic Champion and World Record holder, Gaston Roelants, was present. He was a huge inspiration to both Liam and Fr Liam, who was then National steeplechase coach.

The Midleton days ended in 1977, with transfer to Tullylease, a small village on the Limerick border, with just 39 children in  the primary school. Within the year, 4 athletes he coached, with Christy Brosnan at  nearby Dromcollogher, won the first 4  races on the programme at the Munster Cross-Country. They needed a track to train on, and that gave rise to a 400m all weather track in Tullylease. The International Sports drew world class athletes like Olympic Champions John Walker and Steve Ovett, and world champions Eamon Coghlan, John Treacy and Frank O'Mara, and many other internationals including Liam O'Brien. Fr Liam was a founding member of West Limerick AC.

 

Dromina

Dromina was the next port of call, where the Adidas Dromina 10 attracted the cream of Irish athletes. The course record was set by the late Jerry Kiernan at 46:30. While there, he set up North Cork AC, still a powerful force in the sport, with Michael Herlihy director of operations.

North Cork produced many champions including Olympians, Barbara Johnson (400m hurdles) at the Seoul  Olympics, in 1988, and 3 time Olympian Peter Maher who, after winning the Munster Senior Cross-Country, won the National 10 mile road race. Peter emigrated to Canada, the country of his birth, coming to Ireland when he was one year old. His career blossomed in Canada, in making 3 Olympics in the Marathon and 3 World Championships, and, famously, in 1987 in Rome,  he led the worlds best and was half a mile ahead at 19 miles on a scorching hot day.  With temperatures hitting 35C, his drinks mysteriously disappeared, and he became dehydrated and struggled to finish. He broke the world 25k record, won 18 Marathons, with a best time of 2:11. 

Staying with the marathon, Fr Liam coached the Curtin sisters to first and 2nd woman in the Cork City Marathon. The club produced numerous scholarship athletes including Anita Philpott, who won the US National Junior Cross-Country title during her first year there, while on Scholarship at Providence colleg. Before that her arch rival here was Sonia O'Sullivan and both were on the Irish Junior 3,000m team, managed by Fr Liam, at the European championships, in Birminghamin 1987. Both had come back injured from the USA, but both went. Sonia had to opt out, as the injury not sufficiently recovered.  Anita was not fully recovered but easily qualified for the final, where she finished a creditable 6th behind subsequent world champion, Fernando Ribero of Portugal. Injury dogged the rest of Anita's short career which ended when she reached the final of the European Senior 3,000m, a race which Sonia O'Sullivan won.

Add in the Stack brothers, Kieran and Brian, from Doneraile, Garret Barry and Cormac O'Riordan from Buttevant. The Charleville trio the late Ger Twomey, Geoffrey Sheehan and Finbarr Egan, and Michael Cotter from Macroom, and that is an insight into the huge contribution Fr Liam brought to the sport in North Cork. There are so many others who did not emigrate, like the Kennedy's of Buttevant, the Collins brothers from Ballydesmond, the Casey brothers from Milstreet, Doneraile's Seanad Roche and Ann O'Kearney Flynn, Eileen Curtin. Buttevant, etc


East Cork

It was back to East Cork, in 1988, to Inch, in the parish of Killeagh, which led to another athletic dynasty. He spent a year going around about 30 National Schools, marked out an 800m circuit, and gave every pupil a run at this distance, now through the efforts of Frank Greally it's the "Daily mile" for schools. It worked! After spending a year trying to set up Glenbower AC, called after the wood in Killeagh, the club got permission to trade. He unleashed his charges in the County Cross-Country, and they took 12 team prizes, and went on to become the leading Juvenile club in Ireland at track and Cross-Country

 

Whiitechurch 

Another move took place in 1994, this time to Whitechurch, from where he continued to return to Midleton to coach Glenbower athletes, with Liam O'Brien, at Midleton CBS. The National Cross-Country Championships were awarded to Blarney AC, in conjunction with Whitechurch Community Council, and they were another huge success.

In Whitechurch a new phase in sport took his interest, when the girls in the school wanted football, he reluctantly agreed, and that culminated with as much success as the athletics. First Sciath na Scoil titles were garnered. Rockban club was formed, and the County Under 12 team title came, and the club followed up the line to All Ireland success at Junior and Intermediate level.

Then Cork came calling and the County had not even a Senior team. Fr. Liam took on the Intermediate team, with Charlie McLaughlin, and duly won the All-Ireland. Looking to the future they established a School of Excellence and Summer camps.

In 1999, Fr liam was transferred to Grenagh, as Parish Priest, and contemplated retiring from sport. But training for the under 14's would take place in Grenagh. Winning the Munster 'B' title in 1999, defeating Tipperary by a point. As Team Manager he led them to an 8-34 to 0-0 victory over Tipp in the first round of the Munster championships in 2000, before going on to win the All-Ireland. Three more followed under 14, 3 under 16 titles, 2 minor titles, all in the space of 6 years, and the rest, as they say, is history. After a stint in the USA he came back in 2013, got involved with John Cleary and the County and won 3 minor titles. He encountered his first loss with Cork in 20 years in an all-Ireland final losing the final to Galway by a point  and called it a day.
It is well to remember that all these happened while  managed by Fr liam attending to his priestly duties. Being Co PRO  and at National for athletics and Ladies football.


Fr. Liam edited and produced the Marathon athletics magazine for 21 years.  He also established the Imokilly People newspaper for East Cork, and founded and co-edited, Peil, a National magazine for ladies Football. Throw in the attendance at 8 Olympics, numerous world and European athletes championships, Manager of Irish teams at World and European Championships. Many years were spent at management level of the National Executive of Irish Athletics. While officially retired from parish duty at 76, he is still as active as ever at local level at football and athletics. Since the start of the pandemic he has live-streamed mass every day on his Facebook page which has 5,000 followers. Is it any wonder the Cork City Sports presented this award.   

 

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