So time for that big 1916 anniversary special to get underway, to give some proper recognition to the enormity of an event which impacted on so many of that generation, and so many of those that followed.
It would forever change the lives of countless young Irish men and women, and began with that brilliant meeting of minds upstairs in Wynne’s Hotel, Dublin, on the night of Monday, April 3rd, 1916, where it was agreed to stage the first ever Irish Schools Athletics Championships.
Then that other big 1916 event happened, so the first Irish Schools Championships, set for Saturday May 20th, at Lansdowne Road, were postponed “due to the rebellion”, and eventually took place that September.
It may or may not come as a surprise that it wasn’t until 1970 before any schoolgirl events were added – although it didn’t take them long to make their mark. That year, the speedy Vera Sherry from Monaghan Vocational School won the first senior girls cross country – later followed by the likes of Sonia O’Sullivan, Catherina McKiernan, and Fionnuala Britton.
One of the earliest stars of the schoolgirl track and field events was Patricia Amond-Lawler from Presentation College in Carlow, who in 1976 won a junior girls sprint double over 100/200m; she then ruled the senior girls grade, winning sprint doubles in 1979, 1980 and again in 1981.
What is your earliest memory of the Irish schools athletics?
There were a few of us representing Presentation College in Carlow and my earliest memory of racing was heading with them to the South Leinster Schools Competition staged in Bunclody, Co Wexford, and sprinting in a very bumpy field.
How did you first get involved?
The Community Games is where it all again and what inspired me and then encouragement from the school, especially through our PE teacher.
Was sprinting always your speciality?
Yes sprinting was always my speciality (In 1979, she was also invited to compete in the American High School Championships in Chicago, where she finished second to future World Champion Merlene Ottey of Jamaica.)
How hard or indeed easy did you train back then?
It mostly came very naturally to me but I did train three days a week during my schools years, and it was nearly always only a Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. My sister Mary was also competing around the same time as me and also won a few Irish Schools titles. That was definitely a help because we trained together and I think we brought the best out of each other.
How important were the schools championships as a stepping stone to your senior career?
Schools competition was very important to us as a stepping stone. It’s a process by which I became a senior international. Having these competitions were fundamental to my success at senior level (Amond-Lawler went on to win a series of Irish senior sprint titles; she also won a European Cup 400m in 1985 and competed in the 4x400m relay at the 1987 World Championships in Rome).
Your son Marcus has also recently won schools titles (he set the senior schoolboy 100m record of 10.59 seconds, in 2013, and last Sunday won the Irish Indoor senior title in 20.96 seconds); have the schools competition been equally important for him?
Enormously. It gave him and his sister Grace (silver medallist in both 100m and 200m at intermediate level) huge confidence. As a parent and coach I believe it was as important for them as it was for me. In my opinion it is one of the best competitions on the Irish athletics calendar every year.
Do the schools athletics still have a special place in your heart and does it help sustain your faith in athletics – given you are now involved in coaching?
The schools athletics still have a special place in my memory. There’s no pressure, just the fun element and also getting qualification for the Schools International gave me the opportunity to travel outside the country for the very first time. These days it does help sustain my faith in athletics because at that age it’s all about school rivalry, fun and watching real raw talent shine.
