Club History

Over the 145 years of the history of the club we have enjoyed significant success at local, regional, national, Olympic and World level.

Our first National Champions hark back to the 1880 and 1890s with the first recorded victory by D. Browing’s victory in the High Jump in 1881. Other notable victories in the 1890s include Tady McMahon’s double over 880yrds and the One Mile in 1891 and Patrick “Dockty” McNamara’s victories over the 100yrds and 220yrds in 1895 to list but a few.

Limerick AC were also one of the first clubs to have a women’s section in 1962, 4 years before the first National Championships for women were held. Our current President Mary Cronin won the first Limerick County Cross Country Championship held at Tournafula in 1962, while Susanne Cobbe was our first National Senior Women’s Champion in 1981 winning the title over the 400m hurdles. Her victories were quickly followed by Brenda Walsh and Olive Burke who won back to back Javelin and 100m hurdle titles.

Limerick AC athletes have competed at 7 different Olympiads since Neil Cusack competed in the 10,000m at the Munich Games of 1972 at the 10,000m. Neil also ran the Marathon in Montreal in 1976 having won the 1974 Boston Marathon in between, a feat still unmatched by any Irish athlete. Mick O’Shea competed in the 5,000m in Moscow 1980, while Frank O’Mara competed in 1,500m at the 1984 Los Angles games and in the 5,000m at both Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992. Our most recent Olympian was Tom Comyns who took part in the 4x100m relay team in Sydney 2000. We’re also very proud that former club President Ronnie Long was Team Manager in Montreal 1976.

The club’s greatest successes no doubt are the two World Indoor 3,000m championships won by Frank O’Mara in 1987 and 1991.

Liam Reale, Frank O’Mara and Neil Cusack have also all competed at the European T&F Championships while Mick O’Shea was a member of the team that won World Cross Country Silver on home soil in Limerick in 1979.

The club have also been the National T&F League champions in the men’s division in 1979, 1983 & 1985, while the women’s team were champions in 1996. The men were also National Cross Country Champions in 1983.