With a rich sporting heritage, Drimnagh Castle has excelled in team and individual sports for decades. A number of former winners of the Sport star of the month award have gone on to represent Ireland in Athletics, Soccer and Basketball and Dublin in Gaeilc Football & Hurling.
Drimnagh Castle Sports star for the Month of November is Gavin Molloy. Gavin has represented The Castle in Basketball, Gaelic Football & Soccer. Gavin was part of the all conquering Drimnagh Castle U17 Soccer team that did the treble in 2017. They won the South Dublin league, the Dublin Metropolitan League and the Leinster League. Gavin was instrumental in the treble winning season, driving the team forward from left back and controlling the back four. Gavin was also part of the Bohemians U19 team that qualifed for the Uefa League this year.
Greg is part of our U16 & U19 basketball teams. Greg is captain of the U16 team that reached the East Leinster final & qualified for the All Ireland playoffs. Greg has also been selected for the Ireland U16 panel to play in the European Championships in Summer 2020.
Darragh has been competing in athletics for both Drimnagh Castle & his club Donore Harriers for a number of years. He has won numerous colleges and club titles in this time. His latest achievement saw him capture gold in the 400 m hurdles in the All Ireland Juvenile Championships and the Gold again in the 4 x 400 m relay in the All Ireland Senior Championships. Below is an interview with Darragh which discusses his progression in athletics over the years.
Ronan Lyons sat down with Darragh to discover the story behind his success.
What made me want to join athletics was when we went to Santry for a schools race I won my very first race in 75 meter hurdles so that’s when I decided that I should join an athletics club.
2. When did you start?
I started athletics in March of 2017
3. What was the training for the races like?
Training for a big race like an All Ireland’s race, training usually starts 2-3 weeks before the event. Training starts with me and my coaches going through my technique and do a couple of runs over 6-8 hurdles and race distance and race pace and do little gym work nothing too much just to keep the muscles working this gets you ready for the races.
4. What was your routine? And was it hard to keep up?
My regular routine is
Monday-core work
Tuesday-running training for 2 hours
Wednesday-gym for 1-2 hours
Thursday-running training and core work for 2 hours
Friday- rest which means some light work like stretching or yoga
Saturday-running and gym training 3-4 hours
Sunday-Plyometrics
No it’s not hard to keep up because it is enjoyable for me to train and get better as an athlete and see the improvements.
5. Do you take part in athletics outside of school?
Yes I take part in athletics outside of school I’m in a running club called Donore Harriers based beside the Phoenix park
6. Do you have any plans for your future? If so what are they?
Yes I have plans for the future, hopefully this year to make it onto the U20 Irish team and later on the future go to the Olympics and world championships .
7. In the races you’ve won, how did it feel when you crossed the track in first and when you received your medals?
It felt great knowing the work paid off because early this year I had a calf tear that heavily restricted my training and had to train harder to get back into shape for competition. When I received the medals it felt even better cause it is a physical object that shows your achievement and reminds you of each race.
8. What advice would you give to a young person starting athletics?
The advice I would give to someone starting of in athletics would be "don’t be afraid to enter and compete in races, do as many as you can to better yourself and build up your confidence and get the feel of how it all works".
Interview by