The Athletics Ireland GreenTrack Philanthropic Programme will host a special commemorative dinner in New York on Saturday, 31 January, celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the most remarkable achievements in Irish athletics history, the World 4×1 Mile Relay record set in Dublin in 1985.

On 17 August 1985, Ireland’s men’s 4×1 mile relay team of Eamonn Coghlan, Ray Flynn, Marcus O’Sullivan, and Frank O’Mara delivered a performance for the ages, running a world-record time of 15:49.08 in front of more than 8,000 spectators at Belfield, UCD. Four decades on, the record still stands, a lasting testament the exceptional talent of the quartet.

The legacy of that era is further reflected on the Irish all-time mile rankings, where members of the relay team continue to feature prominently, holding four of the top six performances ever recorded by Irish athletes.

Irish All-Time Mile List

1. 3:49.26i – Andrew Coscoran – New York, NY (2025)
2. 3:49.77 – Ray Flynn – Oslo (1982)
3. 3:49.78i – Eamonn Coghlan – East Rutherford, NJ (1983)
4. 3:50.62 – Mark Carroll – Oslo (2000)
5. 3:50.94i – Marcus O’Sullivan – East Rutherford, NJ (1988)
6. 3:51.06 – Frank O’Mara – Rome (1986)

All four members of the world-record relay team will attend next Saturday night’s celebration. The following day, Irish athletics will once again take centre stage in New York, with some of Ireland’s leading internationals competing at the 118th edition of the Millrose Games at the famous Armory venue.

The event will be headlined by Cian McPhillips, who finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships. The Longford athlete is set to take his place in a stacked men’s 800m field featuring five athletes with personal bests under 1:43. McPhillips returns to the Armory, where he won the junior mile in 2020.

Athletics Ireland continues to develop diversified income streams to support its growing membership of more than 75,000 athletes nationwide and to enhance resources for high-performance programmes. In 2025 alone, Irish athletes represented the country at over 20 international events. Athletics in Ireland spans a broad and inclusive spectrum which includes walking, running, jumping and throwing – across indoor, cross-country, track, road, mountain and ultra-running disciplines.

For further information on the New York event, please contact: daraghbrowne@athleticsireland.ie

About GreenTrack

GreenTrack is the philanthropic programme of Athletics Ireland, established to support, nurture and develop young athletic talent nationwide. Through patron-led fundraising, GreenTrack aims to create a sustainable support system that enables early talent identification, performance coaching, educational development and long-term career support.

By investing in young athletes at the earliest stages of their journey, GreenTrack helps ensure Ireland’s next generation of stars have the opportunity to progress to the highest levels of competition, including European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games.