Personal Milestones and Pesky Cameramen!!

Twenty years later, and I finally got to complete a 10k. road run. Thanks largely to a night on the canvass, when I met Irene Hennebry, whose husband Peter runs the fine Evergreen Football club blog, I volunteered for the Kilkenny City Harriers Road race series. This started with a two mile run, which yours truly had missed on that very night, and continued with a four mile and then last week, a five mile run. These leave the Smithsland retail centre near the Woodies shop on the Kilkenny Ring Road, and continue out the Waterford road and up into the country roads of Grovine and Wallslough, before coming back down to home. The road is beautiful, and it's great to see fields of rape-seed showing that farmers are finally catching on to this biofuel.

Anyway, onto Monday afternoon, and a loose mid-life crisis to myself a few months ago that I would try the 10k distance for the Carer's Association, whose National headquarters is here in Kilkenny. The pressure was on, and I was delighted to make my longest distance since 1987. That year I had trained with friends for the Dublin City Marathon, only to get injured a week before the race.

So when I made it over the line in 52.25 on Monday (no sniggering you real runners out there), I was very happy indeed. Unfortunately, tonight means another six miles, and then three next week. Then, who knows. I'll keep going I hope,, and maybe try a half marathon next-any suggestions out there??

The final humility was to see the gregarious Limerick photgrapher, Dónal Foley of the Kilkenny Voice newspaper pointing his big wide angle lens-which was needed in my case- at me as I struggled to the line. I'll post his handiwork here later to give you all a good laugh, and to remind myself to leave the t-shirt on the next time-I did promise didn't I!! Meanwhile, tonight and a 58 minute 6 miles brought the half-marathon ambitions back to earth. The Radox eased the pain though-who knows?! Watch this space......

Gobshite of the month

No need to say much about this pic except that the future of so-called dissident republicanism is in safe hands- by the way this was snapped at the demo against the Croke Park battle against the 'ould enemy'. Tiocfaidh ár intleacht lá éigin luath.

Laethanta Draoichta i bPáirc an Chrócaigh

Is fada óna rabhas ag blogáil anseo i nGaoluinn, ach le Seachtain na Gaeilge agus sin uile ag druidim linn, tá sé in am dom. An chúis go bhfuilim ag scriobh an tseachtain seo ná an dá lá iontacha a chaitheas i gcomhlúadar cháirde agus clann i bPáirc an Chrócaigh le déanai. Bhios mar cheann de bhaill Chumann Lúthcleas Gael a chuir i gcoinne an dá riail seafóideacha a bhi inár dTreoir Oifigiúil (Leabhar rialacha an chumainn). Thosaios an troid i gCiarrai mar bhall de chlub an Choireáin, i gcoinne Riail 21 a chuir cosc ar bhaill na bpóilini sa tuaisceart nó sa Bhreatain a bheith mar bhaill an chumainn.

Is ait gur riailigh Seán Kelly, Cathaoirleach Bhord Chiarrai CLG ár rún as ord. Chun a bheith féareáilte leis, gan Kelly, mar Uachtarán CLG go dti anuraidh, gach seans nach mbeinn i bPáirc an Chrócaigh in aon chor le cúpla seachtaine anuas ag tacú le foireann rugbai na hÉireann gan é.

Cé go raibh an chluiche i gcoinne na Fraince an-stairiúil, is úafásach an toradh a bhi air, agus thóg an dá nóimead deireanach sin ó dhraiocht an lae. Cá fios anois conas a n-eireódh linn le Stringer agus an Drisceoladh!! Ar aon nós nach mbeadh sé deas dioltas a fháil i Stade de France i gcraobh an domhain!

GOAL Mile- Working off the turkey ar Lá an Dreoilin

When I spotted that my favourite third world charity, GOAL, run by that indomitable fellow Southy Kerryman of mine John O' Shea, were holding their annual GOAL mile in Scanlon Park, our local council-run running track on St. Stephen's Day morning, I was delighted to volunteer to take part. Having spoken to Lisa O' Shea, John's daughter and a fair successor to her Dad in organisational terms, I was delighted to be able not alone to run the mile, but also to officially start proceedings as Deputy Mayor. Along with about 50 others I completed the mile at a reasonable pace and did a bit more to get rid of the excess from the day before. It was a beautiful morning in Kilkenny, and the phrase of another Kerryman, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, whose life story was told in a wonderful RTÉ documentary on Christmas Day was ringing in my ears- 'Nach iontach an lá é a bheith beo- Isn't it a great day to be alive'.

My thoughts went out too to those for whom our over-commercialised, stressed but very fortunate lives are a world away, particularly those in Darfur, for whom John and GOAL have campaigned so strongly. Well done to Frank, the local organiser, and the staff of Scanlon Park, particularly the master of the Boro (The GAA club not the council !) Martin Gaffney who gave his free time to open up and lock up. Hopefully the GOAL mile will be an annual feature of Christmas life in Kilkenny.