Club Stories: Cushinstown AC

Cushinstown AC began its journey in the early 1970s. Our founding members never rested in developing the club and as time passed by, the club worked towards having their own Athletics Complex.

Cushinstown AC developed a running track, athletics facilities and dressing rooms with works beginning in the summer of 1985. The facility was opened on the 29th of April 1990.

The clubs vision continued and with the help of many different committees, club members, volunteers, local community, neighbours’, and friends the club kept growing. We now have a facility of over 1400 sqm.

The vision of our club is to build on the existing work of CAC. To build a stronger, healthier, and more sustainable sporting community for all.

The club will carry on their guiding principles: Partnership, Teamwork, Equality, Honesty, Respect, Integration, Openness, Inclusion for all, to participate in lifelong patterns of involvement in sport.

Our ongoing venture is a new Fitness Studio/Sensory room. Our Overall vision is to address inequalities in sports participation, ensuring quality and accessibility for all groups.

We have had success at county, Regional and National level followed from our first national title in 1979 the club has gone to produce numerous national champions. We have had athletes who have represented the club and Ireland at six Olympic and para-Olympic games from 1996 to 2016. Starting with Sean Cahill in Atlanta in 1996, to Lisa Callaghan in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Bejing 2008. Heather Jameson in London 2012 and Paul Keoghan in Rio 2016. We have had much Pentathlon and Heptathlon and hurdle success with both Elizabeth Morland, Shannon Sheehy and Grainne Redmond representing Ireland at World European junior Youths and u20’s. We have also had many athletes who competed in the Celtic Games and other international events.

We have collaborated with our local sport clubs, GAA, LGFA and soccer from local parishes who have had the use of our facilities for many years. We deliver activity programmes to help teenagers to continue to participate in sport and hopefully reduce the level of dropout in the teenage years.

We as a club have changed lives through sport and have driven gender equality by encouraging women in sport to act as role models and shows men and women as equals. Athletics is a sport for life, and you can be involved in any aspect of your local club at any stage and age.

We are looking forward to our upcoming celebration on the 9th of September 2023.

Thank you to Edell Lenehan for contribtuing this piece on behalf of Cushinstown AC, Happy 50 years!