Carrick-on-Suir Triathlon Club

The club originated from the success of the Carrick Triathlon, first held in 1994 and organised by Carrick Development Association as part of their river festival to promote the river Suir. It was a relay event; Sean Kelly took part, as did Garry McCarthy who was on the winning team as a swimmer. The event blossomed from there and the race and the distances got bigger. The club itself was very small in those days with a few members such as Kevin O Brien, Joe Carton, Donal Jacob, Paul Murphy, Garry McCarthy and Francis Kennedy.

In 1998 the Triathlon coincided with the visit of the Tour De France to Carrick. The then President of Triathlon Ireland was the infamous Peter Jack who took part in the Triathlon, and afterwards even presented the prizes. With Peter’s help and encouragement we became affiliated to Triathlon Ireland; the event had come of age and Carrick acquired Premier League status. The club has become a lot bigger since then and all of our members have done the club proud.

Our main aim of the club is to promote the sport of Triathlon, to have fun doing it, and even more important to enjoy the social side and friendships that are made along the way.

The event in Carrick could not have gone on for the last 12 years without the help of the people of Carrick and the surrounding area. To them we say a big thank you. Long live Carrick Tri and the Carrick Triathlon!

Some Notable Club Members
Kevin O Brien has worn the green vest for Ireland, he has also won all-Ireland medals at Triathlons and Duathlons. Sean McEvoy has also won all-Ireland medals. David Shelly won a junior gold and Anna Fee a junior bronze. Marie Casey-Breen won a bronze in the European Championships and also won the 3-day Ironman in Northern Ireland. Fergus McGirr also won the same event. Eoin O Riordan and Kenny Power both competed in the Ironman Austria in 2005,and Eoin is going back this year for more punishment. Orla Power, a local Carrick girl with a running background, won two races in 2005, in Newry and in Dublin. Other podium places in 2005 & 2006 went to Kevin Shelly, Kenny Curran and Nellie Hall. In recent years Donal Jacob, Vinnie Power, Malachy McGlynn, Richie Rudkins, Bernard Connolly, Rolf Power and Robin Stubbs have all completed an Ironman. In the 2009 Carrick-on-Suir Triathlon club members Catherine Brown and Brianne Mulvihill finished first and second respectively in the female category, the first time ever that a Carrick club member has won the Carrick race.

Carrick-on-Suir Area

Carrick-on-Suir (Rock of the Suir) is a picturesque small town in the South East of Ireland with a current population of around 5,000. Though small the town has a diverse heritage and a rich history. In a spectacular setting, the town nestles in the lush and fertile valley between Slievenamon to the North West and the Comeragh foothills to the South.

The name Carrick-on-Suir comes from the Irish translation of Carraig na Siuire which means the "Rock of the Suir". The foundation of Carrick as a settlement might have some origin with the gaelic Deisi tribe who at one point ruled the whole of Waterford as well as south-east Tipperary. They fended of Vikings and local raiders until about the late 12 century when the Normans came and ultimately shattered their power for ever. Soon after the Deisi Tribe was finished forever their lands were taken over by Anglo-Norman families and other Gaelic settlers from around Ireland. The land they settled on covered the entire diocese of Waterford and Lismore including Carrick.

Carrick-on-Suir was one of the seven walled towns established in Tipperary by the Anglo-Normans following their conquest of Ireland in the 12th century. It was, in fact, the largest town in Tipperary in in Medieval times, with 36 acres being enclosed by the town wall, parts of which still survive. There was also a river wall, an unusual feature in medieval towns because of the interference with access to the river front for trade Carrick-on-Suir became known as Carrig Mac Griffin after the Norman Matthew Fitzgriffin, Lord of the manor of Carrick. Matthew Fitzgriffin is also said to have built a Castle at Knoctopher in about 1200 which eventually became one of the principal ruling seats of the Butler family.

From their base in Waterford, the Norsemen made regular incursions to Carrig from which they raided the surrounding countryside taking animals and crops to help supply their main base. It is recorded that an Anglo Norman family came to Carrig named the Le Brets little is known of them, but that they left behind their ruined Manor House of the Butlers. Then in 1309 came Edmond le Bottiler, who was later created Earl of Carrig in 1315. His son received the title Earl of Ormonde and the older title was abandoned. The Butlers were to be the most influential family throughout the history of Carrick.

As a market town on the River Suir, Carrick-on-Suir grew in prominence during the medieval period, when the woollen industry was set up by the Butler family and contributed to the town's prosperity. In 1447, a stone bridge known as the Old Bridge was built across the river. The town parks were erected when a committee of town merchants and gentlemen was set up to deal with the sum of £600 which was left unexpended from the famine relief fund. Land was granted by the Ormonde family and it was decided to set-up public parks and plant trees on the Fair Green. The project was completed in around 1868 and Carrick's handsome parks can still be enjoyed today. The modern history of the town was centered around the tanning industry that arrived in 1934 to 1938. Factories and businesses now flourish in Carrick.In the early 20th century, the tanning industry prospered in Carrick-on-Suir, although it closed down in recent times. Carrick-on-Suir is also the birthplace of the cyclist Sean Kelly, who became internationally renowned in the 1980s, and gave his name to the town square and sports centre. The town is surrounded by fertile farmland, with the East Munster walking way passing through en route to Clonmel.