DMP club celebrates a major milestone
DMP ATHLETIC CLUB 75TH ANNIVERSARY NIGHT IN THE TALBOT HOTEL
OVER 100 people attended a club reunion, marking the 75th anniversary of the DMP Athletic Club at the Talbot Hotel.
The event was attended by current and former members of the club who took the opportunity to reminisce with friends and clubmates.
Vice Chairman John White oversaw proceedings, speaking about the club and its achievements during the year. Minister of State Paul Kehoe was a guest of honour and he also wished the club well in all of its endeavours while Jimmy Parle, whose father was a founder member of the club, spoke about how the club had changed and grown over the years.
Jimmy, who is in his 80s, is a lifelong member of the club, having joined it as a young boy in 1942. The crowed enjoyed a wonderful dinner and entertainment from Derek Cunningham and Louise Jones.
A presentation was also made to the Clubperson of the Year. The award was presented by club chairman Michael Farrell’s son Michael to juvenile multi-event athlete Conor Brennan, in recognition of his hard work and achievements during the year.
Speaking after the event, chairman Michael Farrell paid tribute to the vision of the founder members, pointing out that 75 years ago they had had the foresight to set up an athletics club and plan for the future of the sport. He said the club had an unbroken 75-year record of service which he hoped would continue for many more decades.
The club, he said, had had produced numerous international athletes over the years and he expected many more to come in the future, pointing out that the club had a number of really strong juvenile athletes, remarking that the future was very bright.
He particularly thanked Minister Kehoe for his assistance when the club was applying for grants in relation to upgrading their facilities, saying that the 200-strong membership of the club now had use of a 75m tartan runway, two long jump pits, a high jump warm-up area, a javelin runway and a fully floodlit ground at their base in Sinnottstown Lane, thanks to Sports Capital Grants.
‘We plan to have the official opening of these facilities if we ever get fine weather,’ he joked, adding that the next step for the club would be to fundraise to build a
clubhouse.