The founder of the Grange athletic club.- Paul Barry.

“Of lads that wore their honours out,

Runners whom renown outran

And the name died before the Man.”-A.E.Houseman.

As written by my father Sean Buckley ,probably as a favour to Donie Turner ,an athlete who came under Paul’s benign influence . This article appeared in various papers in the south in Autumn of 1965. This article is the archetypal story of the charismatic founder who sets up an athletic movement amongst the young and then just as he has only started he dies suddenly . So great is he missed that his followers are imbued with the greatest of energy and the club that he has founded goes onto great success ,locally, provincially,nationally and eventually internationally. This arc of success rises in the a small country area in North Cork in the early 1960s ,surging to great national success in mid

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What is a public page?

Hi Olan , I was a former Grange a.c. back in the 60s . I am doing a little history on the club in those days -it's founder Paul Barry and the great athletes that he inspired before his sudden death.
Bobby Buckley Athlete of the year in 65,66,67.Grange A.C.

showing the prizes spring 1966.

It is a wonderful spring morning in 1965 or 1966 . I am on the far back row of this group and we have won everything in Cork Cross Country that past winter . I should know . These eight made up much of the winning teams from novice upto senior. In the centre front the two happy pair, reacting to the bystanders are Team Captain Jas.Cummins and Junior Champion Donie Turner. Flanking them is the balding JonnyBeechinor and on the other side is a shy but tough runner Sean Roche.The back row is left to right John O Reilly,Con O Connell, John Mehigan and myself Bobby Buckley. behind are the cars that brought us everywhere Donies' Anglia and Jonnys' Beetle parked outside the reconditioned farm building. It is a sunlit moment . Gone are Con killed tragically in 1967 and Jonny Beechinor died recently.