St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club – A History

Vincent Supple writes about the early history of our Club

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.”

— H.G. Wells

Although not directly connected, it seems the Dublin-Jerusalem cycle and St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club will forever be linked. The Dublin to Jerusalem cycle was a one-off event in the parish of Balally. In August 1983, a group of 23 cyclists, including three blind riders, led by Father Paddy Lyons, departed Balally Parish Church. In 32 days of cycling and camping, they reached the Holy City of Jerusalem, an extraordinary achievement. After a few days in the city, we flew home. This group of cyclists never again cycled together. They dispersed into the community, returning to work, school, and college.

An Exciting New Challenge

However, a handful of riders from that group continued cycling. We met at Parkvale on Saturday mornings and headed out for leisurely spins. Martin De Burca, Mary Supple, John Callinan, Anthony Roe, and yours truly cycled just for pleasure, sometimes joined by one or two more. Early in 1984, Cooperation North introduced the Dublin to Belfast Maracycle, an initiative to promote cross-border relations. This was a cycle to Belfast on a Saturday and back to Dublin the next day. Nationally, 1,600 brave cyclists responded to the challenge, many probably setting foot in Northern Ireland for the first time.

With the help of Mr. Paddy Byrne, principal of St. Tiernan’s Community School, we organized a group of students—boys and girls—who trained diligently for this event. Pat Feehan in his van provided backup, assisted by Ray McDonald. How could we fail? We called ourselves St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club for that weekend, and the name stuck. Yes, there were tired legs and bums, but a group of 26 people cycling 204 miles in two days was a marvellous achievement. Staff had a lovely meal ready for us on our return.

Cycling & Hostelling

We soon found ourselves with a regular cycling group heading out on Saturday mornings. For a bit of adventure, we organized a cycling weekend to Achill for a group of 27 in March 1985. We strengthened our backup team with Linda McCarthy and Tracy McDonald in preparation for the June 1985 Maracycle. The same routine was followed with the same positive outcome. Growing rapidly, we had to assign leadership roles to the more senior riders in the club—still only in their teens. We quickly recognized that having good leaders on the bike was critical. In November, we organized a two-night cycle weekend to Glendalough and Tiglin for 42 members. Cyclists loved touring and hostelling.

Tandem Race for Visually Impaired Cyclists

In 1985, we were invited by the National League of the Blind to supply four pilots to partner visually impaired cyclists for an event in England. Called the “4th Cold Tulip Tandem Cycle Marathon for Visually Impaired Cyclists,” it was held in Spalding, Lincolnshire, on Sunday, April 27. David Supple, Paddy Feehan, Joe Feehan, and Nigel Ennis were selected as pilots. The event was an individual time trial for 63 tandems with riders from France, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and, for the first time, a team of four tandems from the Republic of Ireland. There were two categories: all-male and male-female. We were thrilled to come away with a win and a second place in the male-female category.

Club Affiliation

In March 1986, we affiliated with the Catholic Youth Council as St. Tiernan’s Cycling & Adventure Club. This affiliation provided us with the essential public liability insurance cover. Weekend cycling was now well established. Parkvale was our meeting point, with distances varying between 25 and 45 miles, extended as riders gained strength and experience. We hostelled in Ballinclea in March and November, and club racing was introduced on a limited basis.

France 1986

France—a Mecca for cyclists, so why not us?

In early July 1986, we disembarked in Le Havre with 42 club members, including a backup team. The group was mixed—25 male and 17 female. Keith Ennis and Nikki Colgan were the youngest, both aged 13. We cycled and camped for 17 days until we reached Cherbourg, arriving back in Rosslare on July 22. Our tour took us through Lisieux, Versailles, Paris, Chartres, into the Loire Valley, through Blois, Tours, Angers, Fougères, Dinard, St. Malo, Le Mont St. Michel, Bayeux, and Cherbourg. The highlight was a diversion to Evreux for the finish of the fourth stage of the Tour de France. We were blessed with two marvellous backup teams in two vans: Pat Feehan and his brother-in-law, Dave Colgan, working with Roisin Keohe, Tracy McDonnell, and Linda McCarthy. The cyclists were amazing, and their sparkling new club jerseys added to the experience. It was a great adventure for everyone, especially the young riders. Though not without risk, we knew, trained, and trusted them. It was truly a memorable trip.

Every Cyclist Remembers 1987

Stephen Roche astonished the cycling world with victories in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the World Championships, while Sean Kelly reigned supreme in the world rankings. That year, we cycled and hostelled in four different locations. The club affiliated with the Federation of Irish Cyclists (FIC) for racing licenses and with the CYC for touring and hostelling. A full club racing program was developed, with three racing members competing in the Junior Tour of Ireland. Others excelled in the Community and Comprehensive Schools Cycling Championships at Eamon Ceannt Stadium. Our two-week summer tour took us south through Limerick, Kerry, Cork, and Tipperary, covering a distance of 700 miles. 29 riders were supported by our faithful backup teams. The St. Tiernan’s Parents’ Association and Dublin VEC grant-aided some of these activities. A number of parents also made private donations, which were much appreciated.

Operating on Two Fronts

By 1988, with 121 registered members, the club was developing on two fronts: open racing and touring. Separate touring and racing subcommittees were headed by Ken Sherry and John Callinan. Hostelling to Tiglin and Glendalough was organized by Joe Feehan. Time trials were held at Crooksling, and track racing took place at Eamon Ceannt Stadium. Some club members also participated in the Wicklow 200. The summer tour in 1988 took us to the west of Ireland, covering 620 miles with 36 members, plus the regular backup group. Poor weather did not dampen our spirits. Six senior riders—Kieran Ahern, Tom Medcalf, John Callinan, Eoin Pearson, Bernard Murray, and David Supple—piloted six visually impaired cyclists in a special tandem event at Clonee, organized by JJ McCormack and the Federation of Irish Cyclists. St. Tiernan’s School won the Schools Cycling Championships on the track. Ken Sherry and Eoin Pearson completed their coaching courses, forming a strong coaching team with John Callinan. Leadership courses were delivered by Nicky O’Leary of the CYC. New committee members came on board, with sponsorship for the first time from Jack Kennedy of Arctic Refrigeration.

1989 and Beyond

Changes were ongoing at the committee level. That year, we had 31 racing members and 113 touring members registered—a record high. Hostelling and touring continued, including the Wicklow 200, the Border Trek, Lap the Lough, and the Maracycle. Racing activities had now become so many and varied that it is impossible to document them briefly, except as follows: Paddy Doran, FIC, coached our racing cyclists, with further support from parents of members involved in open racing. Andre Engeman recorded a great result and published league tables. The emergence of a talented and powerful racing section was very striking, with winners at different levels, including Andre Engeman, Brian Kennedy, Paul Doyle, Aidan Duff, Keith Bannon, Killian Byrne, Eoin Pearson, David Mager, David Kyne, Alan Doyle, Rory Mitchell, Tristan Dunne, Gareth Stokes, John Callinan, and Gary McNulty.

The 1990s

In the summer of 1990, the club returned to Limerick, Kerry, Cork, and Tipperary for two weeks of cycling and camping with a group of 36. In racing, Gary McNulty, Aidan Duff, and Brian Kennedy finished first, second, and third in the National Championships at the under-14 level. Club membership stood at 110.

The 1991 summer tour took us to the sunny southeast, cycling and camping over 600 miles through Wexford, Dungarvan, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, and Kilkenny. By 1992, membership had declined, principally from the touring category, to 75 members. Our final summer tour, to Scotland in 1993, was oversubscribed. With our loyal backup and support teams, our group cycled and camped for two weeks from Stranraer to Dumfries, Edinburgh, Stirling, Crianlarich, Oban, Glasgow, and back to Stranraer.

Shifting Focus

Over time, the touring riders gradually drifted away to other activities, except for the “Grey Brigade,” who are still active to this day, though their numbers may now be no more than a handful.

Tragedy Strikes

In May 2004, tragedy struck when Brian Lennon, aged 29, died suddenly while visiting his parents. A pleasant and popular young man, Brian was an accomplished cyclist and a tough competitor. His death had a huge impact on his cycling colleagues and all who knew him.

Looking to the Future

By 2013, the racing section in St. Tiernan’s had around 50 members. They were well-organized and highly regarded in racing circles as serious competitors. They are the legacy of an astonishing dream of one man who, in 1983, led a group of cyclists from Dublin to Jerusalem. Ironically, this same person never became a member of St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club.