A special mass for the deceased members of An Riocht AC will be offered at the clubhouse on this Wednesday evening at 8pm.
The mass will be celebrated by Castleisland PP, Fr. Mossie Brick.
The following is a list of people being acknowledged and prayed for on this special occasion:
Peter Rodgers, Anthony Cronin, J.J. Fleming, Donncha Brosnan, Tom Shanahan, Kate Moyna, Donal Curtin, Humphery Murphy, Tim Kerrisk, Danny Nelligan, John JJ Crowley, Fr. Jimmy O’Connell, Dan Kenny Brendan O’Connor and Denis Twomey.
There is no doubt but there are names of people on that list whose dedication is written on every stone and between every line in the evolving history of the club.
Building up the Club
All of them had a hand, one way or another in building up the infrastructure and success of the club from its foundation 46 years ago to what it is today.
Thankfully, there are people around who can ‘praise them while they can,’ to paraphrase Sigerson Clifford’s line from The Boys of Barr Na Sráide.
Club founder member, Con Dennehy will address the attendance in an acknowledgement of the past members’ contribution to the club and an appropriate musical end to the evening has been arranged.
Relatives and friends of the members mentioned above have been invited to attend and there will be light refreshments afterwards.
Irish Masters Track and Field
And the building goes on: just this week the club had the pleasant task of congratulating the masters athletics team members who won both relays at the Irish Masters Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Sunday.
A Remarkable Achievement
An Riocht won the 4×100 metre title for the fifth year in a row which is a remarkable achievement by any standard.
The 4×400 team also claimed back to back national titles. The 4×100 team comprised of Anthony Greaney,Ger Cremin,John McGynn and Mike Lynch.
The 4×400 team included Anthony Greaney, Ger Cremin, Brian Boyce and Joe O Connor.
Presentation to Denis Finnegan
And only last weekend club founders, Denny McSweeney and Tim Nelligan and former manager, Kate McSweeney were on hand to congratulate and make a presentation to club member and International athlete, Denis Finnegan from Killarney.
Denis Finnegan was one of the heroes of the European Athletics Team Championships in Norway recently who helped Ireland to retain its League One tatus in Europe.
Couch to 5k Road Race
And, looking forward to the weekend of Friday, August 30th and the first of the An Ríocht AC, Autumn Couch to 5k Series of three 5k Road Races.
The other two will be held on the following Fridays on September 6th and 13th.
Races start at 7:15pm on each of the three evenings.
These races are the culmination of months of Couch to 5k preparation and training and it will be the first time many of the ‘graduates’ will face the starter and take on a 5k road race.
The Exhilaration of Finishing
There’s a sense of exhilaration on crossing that line – even for those who trail the field and come into the stadium as dusk threatens to outpace them.
The fact that they finish, running, jogging or walking, is celebrated by their families, friends and by the organisers themselves.
And then it’s off into the pavilion hall for a welcome cup of tea and a bit of sustenance and the all important chat and mix.
The latter and the tea are elements of the event which visitors find most charming and they often express it in thanking the organisers. They go about their business with a metaphorical good taste and a promise to return.
