Here’s another interesting trip down Hospital Lane! Iris Burke joined Donore Harriers in 1983 and was an integral member during the formative years of the Women’s section (formed 1982). She has the distinction of being the first female officer in the club as she fulfilled the Honorary Secretary role in the 1989/90 season. Iris was also a fine athlete who competed on the track, road and cross-country.
Here’s some words from her coach Gerry Ronan: “Iris Burke was one of the first non-distance running members of the Donore Harriers women’s section, along with Gillian Diffley – the famous Irish model, Anne-Marie Fagan and Margaret O’Halloran – the first national champion in the Pole Vault. Iris was a tough and brave 400/800m competitor who was never afraid of hard work or of expressing her opinion. I remember, in particular, the courage it took to change schools to further her education.’
‘She was very much a leader amongst her peers, and a young woman who always knew her own mind. She was in many respects the Lara O’Byrne of her day, in that every training session was brighter and easier for her presence. She would have made an excellent Ladies captain…”
Maurice Ahern, Club Director, said this about Iris: “Iris was a great club person, very enthusiastic, and a good runner also. She was part of a very good group, back in the early days of women in the club. She was a leader in her day”.
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin, 1969
WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? St. Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School, Dublin 8
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH? I started my career with Bank of Ireland, Lifetime Assurance in 1989 I held several roles over a fifteen-year period from customer services to I.T. I then moved to county Wexford and was a stay-at-home mother for a few years with my son Wesley. I completed a degree with I.T Carlow, Wexford Campus in 2012 and then moved back to Dublin. I now work as a QA Engineer in Workday, a US cloud computing company.
IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? One year after the ladies’ section was opened in 1983, I joined Donore Harriers.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? In the summer of 1983, I ran in the community games in Maryland where my grandparents Patrick and Catherine Keegan lived. I won a few races and my grandad’s brother-in-law Alfie, seen me run. He suggested I join Donore Harriers as I lived 850 metres from the clubhouse in Hospital Lane. My mother, Carmel brought me down to the clubhouse. I was thirteen and we met with Gerry Ronan. Gerry told me to come back in the September when I turned fourteen, so I did.
WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? No
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? 800m
WHAT WERE YOUR ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Besides athlete, I was Honorary Secretary in 1989
WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? There was not any one person, but I really enjoyed watching the Olympics, track and field.
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Bite Me – Ally Hilfiger
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Madness, 3 Arena
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?
1. The Great Escape
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Pulp Fiction
FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? China, especially X’ian the home of the Terracotta Warriors.
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Visual Arts (photography and painting)
IF DESERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
1. Cry to Me – Solomon Burke
2. Dance Monkey – Tones and I
3. Love Shack – B-52s
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO WERE YOUR COACH(ES)? Gerry Ronan and Eddie Hogan (for a short time)
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT?
Eastern Region U21 400m 1st, 1987
The team also won the U21 4 x 400m., Helen Saunders, Tracey Ryan, Patricia English and me
Mardyke, Cork, 1985 – National Senior 4 x 800m the team was 3rd, Valerie McGovern, Helen Saunders, Lisa Sheridan and me, I was sixteen.
WHAT WERE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)? 1987, 2:24 for 800m; 61 for 400m and
69.3 for the 400m hurdles
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Training at the Polo Grounds, sprints. Gerry had thumbtacks in the railings marking the various distances.
WHERE DID YOU DO THE SPRINTS SESSIONS? We trained in various locations more so on a Sunday at UCD, Belfield track, Sundrive Park had a dirt track, Trinity College on the grass in the summer evenings and the Cricket and Polo grounds in the Phoenix Park.
DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Gerry was a stopwatch fanatic and timed absolutely everything, so running 1 mile x 4 as fast as possible with 5 min rest it was gruelling.
DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? The senior ladies Valerie McGovern, Pamela O’Connor, Lisa Sheridan went to see Queen in Slane. They showed me a singlet and said it was Freddie Mercury’s. I could not believe it, they said smell it, so I did. They roared laughing and then they told me it was not his and instead belonged to one of the men from the club.
Another day in the men’s clubhouse, Hospital Lane they had a boxing ball attached to the ceiling for upper body training. Not sure if this was Gerry’s but we were practicing and when punched continually it sounded like a gun. Because we were beside the barracks the soldiers would check the perimeter walls down the lane. So, on this occasion they were doing the rounds had their guns, they got a such a shock and fright at the noise coming from the clubhouse. It seemed funny at the time.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
YOU MUST HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN TO JOIN DONORE HARRIERS. DID YOU FEEL DAUNTED JOINING A TRADITIONAL CLUB THAT WAS DOMINATED BY MEN’S ATHLETICS? Yes, I was one of the first junior women to join. Because I was coached by Gerry Ronan, we were a separate group from Eddie Hogan’s athlete’s we only really met the senior men at events, meets or AGM’s. It was a very male orientated club back then, and it took time to build on the women’s success. At the time Donore Harriers only had singlets specifically for men, unfortunately under the arms had to be sewn if you did not wear a T-Shirt. So, I sourced club lady singlets with the help of Maurice Ahern. It took time, but we got them. The principal of my secondary school Mr. Weir would read the Irish Times on a Monday morning and he would see my name from the races at the weekend. He would tell me to concentrate on my schoolwork more.
WHERE DID YOUR INTEREST IN ATHLETICS STEM FROM? Community Games
TELL US ABOUT THE FACILITIES AND GENERAL MOOD AT THE HOSPITAL LANE CLUB HEADQUARTERS? The lady’s facilities consisted of a portacabin/ container. Because I lived 850m away from the club I ran there as a warm-up and ran home as cooldown. I showered at home. When we met on Tuesday Thursday evening and Saturday mornings the ladies had a chat and laugh, especially when Pamela O’Connor, Lisa Sheridan, Helen Saunders, Roisin and Mary O’Doherty were there. The junior section grew then, with Gillian Diffley, Anne-Marie Fagan, Patricia English, Tracey Ryan, John McGrattan, Liam Brennan and Austin Lynch – who were my good friends too. We trained with Charlie and Ali from Liffey Valley. Ali was an 800m runner and she was a great training partner and friend. She moved to California in the late 80s.
WHO WERE THE BIG CHARACTERS AT THE CLUB BACK THEN? David Lynch, Tony O’Reilly, Tony Murphy, Jim McNamara, Charlie, Herbie McClelland to name but a few. David Lynch was always very kind too and brought me in his car to races on many occasions.
WHAT WAS A TYPICAL TRAINING SESSION LIKE? Typical sessions were tough, but great at the same time. Brilliant satisfaction when you finished the sessions. Gerry Ronan was a great coach and I achieved so much over the years with him coaching me. We did a lot of hill running, fartlek, stamina training and we did weights over in Templeogue College at the time. We practised a lot with the hurdles and perfecting our technique. Training was varied, Gerry was truly knowledgeable. Looking back no doubt he studied his craft.
Every year he would plan out an extensive training program setting out competition, performance, conditioning, and technical objectives. He was just brilliant.
He was a joker too, playing tricks on us all the time. One time we were on the bus and he showed me a scratch card ticket. It looked like he had won a lot of money as he had the figure three times. I was so gullible (back then) I believed it and was shocked and delighted for him. But sure, it turned out he had filled the figures in from a computer. I am very grateful for the work, effort and kindness that Gerry gave me in my formative years. He was so encouraging and supportive and entered me into so many events. I have a bronze Dublin Championship medal for the Shot Putt. There were only three competing! Looking back, I wonder how he did it all as he worked full time.
I won many races over that time and I had the opportunity to run for Ireland in the cross-country at Liverpool, and on the fantastic indoor track in Birmingham.
YOU WERE THE CLUB HONORARY SECRETARY IN 1989, WHEN AGED ONLY 20, HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT AND WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU? THAT PROBABLY MADE YOU THE FIRST WOMAN OFFICER IN THE CLUB ALSO? I attended the A.G. M’s every year, advocating for the ladies’ section and if I am recalling properly in 1989 it was held in the men’s clubhouse in Hospital Lane. I think I put myself forward – maybe with some encouragement. I knew at the time it was a responsible role to have, gosh I must have been the first woman officer now that you say that. Back then it was just natural for me to participate and collaborate. I helped Maurice Ahern with the administration side of the club. I always put myself forward, fearless in a way, as I was also a member of the Legion of Mary on the South Circular Road since I was about thirteen and I held the role of treasurer there. From an early age I did a lot of voluntary work in the Little Sisters of the Poor, SCR, feeding the elderly ladies in palliative care and helping in the kitchen at lunch and dinner. I did this alongside my running. Being a member of Donore Harriers and my voluntary work gave me a great foundation in life. It shaped my life in so many ways and I have always spoken fondly of my days at the club. I loved running and the club.
DID YOU PREFER TRACK, CROSS-COUNTRY OR ROAD RACING? Track was my favourite. Even though looking back now I ran a lot of cross country too. I was slim and light so cross-country was extremely tough especially when they ploughed up the fields. I could barely lift my legs at times and lost many a shoe.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD EXPERIENCES? DO YOU KNOW IF YOU WERE THE FIRST WOMEN TO COMPETE IN THE WBB WHEN YOU TOOK PARK IN 1986? AND HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY IN 1989? Valerie McGovern was the first woman to run and win the Waterhouse Byrne Bard Shield. That was in 1985. She won in an amazing time 68.52. I reckon Gerry Ronan encouraged me to go for it the following year 1986. This race is based on handicaps of course. I ran from the front on my own for most of it, then I recall just before the last lap Jim McNamara caught me, then more passed me after that. That was an experience too, as it was the longest race I ever ran and to top it off running against the senior men was no mean feat either but delighted I did. I think Valerie McGovern went onto win the title a few times after that. Irish Life sponsored the race in 1989. I was honorary secretary then and Herbert McClelland was the Captain.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE TRIP/OUTING ASSOCIATED WITH ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? AND WHY? I had so many great trips with the club, such as going to Tullamore and so many other events around the country. We had sing songs on the bus, and I remember David Lynch singing ‘Monto’. The club parties were fun too, lots of great memories. I went to Cork in 1985 with the Senior Ladies and we ran in the Mardyke we came 3rd in the 800m relay. We celebrated by going nightclubbing and I had to pretend I was 18 to get in. I had a great time.
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIPS TO LIVERPOOL AND BIRMINGHAM? DID YOU REPRESENT IRELAND IN ANY OF THOSE EVENTS? Unfortunately, I never got to represent Ireland. I ran for the club in Liverpool not sure where I came. It was a cross-country race. How simple things were then! I received a lovely badge and had it sewn onto my hoodie. The host family were lovely, a father and daughter. The young girl brought me to the cinema, Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome (1985) was on at the time. Lovely experience going there. In 1988 Gerry Ronan planned our trip to Birmingham, a superb indoor track, suited me very well as I had a very short stride that was perfect for the tight bends in the 400m. I’m not sure where I came in that either. We stayed overnight and had a fun night of celebrations.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPORTING REGRETS? Yes, I regret that I stopped running when I did. The club moved from Island bridge, and I moved away from Kilmainham, so between building a career and re-locating I did not get to run for the club anymore. Even though I wanted to run the momentum just was not there. I played women’s soccer and five aside at work. Looking back now I missed out on the lovely facilities and track in Chapelizod. But running has stayed in my blood. In my early years I would have really liked to go to the USA, but my mother, Carmel, did not want me to leave Ireland as I was the only child at home.
DO YOU STILL KEEP A CONNECTION WITH THE CLUB AND WITH ANY OF THE ATHLETES FROM BACK IN YOUR TIME AT THE CLUB? Unfortunately, no! I lost contact with everyone when I left. In 1989 we did not have the social media platforms or mobile phones that we have today. I joined the Donore Harriers Facebook page some time back as I never forgot my time with the club especially in Hospital Lane. I have met one person since Senan O’Reilly in Wexford town on lots of occasions. Having lived in several other counties in Ireland over a thirty-year period I moved back to Kilmainham three years ago, to where the Rowntree Mackintosh factory stood – and to be precise 700m from Hospital Lane. I frequently walk in the Phoenix Park and recall all the good times that I had training and competing. I look at Hospital Lane today with all the changes and the recently demolished Black and Amber pub where there was an occasional glass of orange.