From a boy scout with little interest in sport to captaining the Irish senior team in the International cross-country championships. That’s just a part of the sporting journey of Tony Murphy. Tony competed in Donore Harriers club colours for almost three decades, many as the club captain. Indeed, he was integral to the club’s great success in the golden Eddie Hogan coaching era of the 1960s and early 70s.

Here is a summary of Tony’s outstanding athletics career –

In 1960 Murphy was on the Donore Harriers team that won the National Novice cross-country championships. In the following year, he was a member of the successful National Junior XC team and came 2^nd in the Junior 3-mile track championship.

1962 saw the junior team retain their XC title, with Murphy being selected to represent the Irish team to compete in the International Under 20 XC championships at Sheffield. This was the 2^nd time the U20 competition was held and Ireland’s first participation in the event. He also came 2^nd in the IAAU 3,000m steeplechase.

He represented Ireland in track and field internationals versus Scotland in 1963 and England in 1964. Also in 64, he won the National Senior steeplechase (IAAB) for the first time.

He came 2^nd in the 1965 AAUE National Senior XC behind teammate Tom O’Riordan and was on the Irish team that contested the International XC championship at Oostend in Belgium. On the track he won the IAAB National 3,000m steeplechase title.

<<NOTE: 1965 National Senior XC: 1^st Donore Harriers – 1 Tom O’Riordan, 2 Tony Murphy, 3. Jim McNamara, 4. Brendan Dunne – 2^nd Donore Harriers ‘B’, 3^rd Crusaders AC>>

In 1966 Tony Murphy again finished 2^nd to O’Riordan in the National Senior XC championship as the Donore Harriers team won its 9^th consecutive title. The team went on to finish 2^nd in the European Club XC championships at Arlon in Belgium behind Portsmouth AC. Tony won the AAUE steeplechase and 10-mile track titles in the same year.

<<NOTE: 1966 National Senior XC: 1^st Donore Harriers – 1 Tom O’Riordan, 2 Tony Murphy, 3. Tony Hopkins, also T. Power, N. Dunne & P. Redican – 2^nd Civil Service AC>>

Murphy won the 2^nd BLE (formed 1967) senior steeplechase title in 1968. He also won the Eastern Region XC title and came 2^nd in the BLE national 15-mile road championship.

Work relocation saw Murphy compete in the London athletics scene in the late 60s and early 70s. Competing for Ealing & Southall AC he helped his new team to team victory in the North of the Thames XC championship in 1969. In 1971 the team came 3^rd in both the North of the Thames and Middlesex County XC championships.

The Donore Harriers star was Ealing & Southall AC club champion over 5,000m and 10,000m in 1972. He spearheaded the E&S AC team to win the highly competitive Middlesex County XC championship and came 3^rd in the Middlesex 3,000m SC in that year.

Back home in Dublin in 1973, Tony Murphy came 2^nd in the Eastern Region XC and led the Donore Harriers team to victory. He was also a key member of the team that won the Dublin XC senior team.

Tony was also on the Donore Harriers teams that won the National Road Relay and the Dublin and Eastern Region XC titles in 1974. In the same year, he came 2^nd in both the Dublin 5,000m and 10,000m championships. He also represented Ireland in a track match versus Romania and Germany at Bielefeld, Germany.

In the following year he came 17^th and 4^th team scorer in the National Senior XC championship at Naas, as the Donore Harriers team won their 18^th consecutive XC title. The team also won the National Road Relay and Eastern Region XC team titles – and came 2^nd team in the Dublin XC. Tony won a silver medal in the Dublin 5,000m.

<<NOTE: 1975 National Senior XC: 1^st Donore Harriers – 4 Tom O’Riordan, 9 Eddie Spillane, 13 Mick Flood, 17 Tony Murphy – 2^nd Galway City Harriers, 3^rd St. Finbarr’s AC>>

Tony was on the Donore Harriers team that came 3^rd behind winners Clonliffe Harriers in the 1976 senior XC championship at Ballinasloe. The team also came 2^nd in the ’76 National Road Relay. He won a bronze medal in the Eastern Region 5,000m race.

Murphy was also part of the Donore Harriers team that came won the Dublin XC title in 1978 and then came 2^nd in 1979. Tony won his last senior medal in 1980, when the Donore Harriers team came 3^rd in the National XC championship at the Phoenix Park. Clonliffe Harriers won the title and Jim McGlynn was first Donore Harriers athlete home in 14^th place.

In 1982 Tony was on the Donore Harriers team that came 3^rd in the Dublin 10-mile road championship. In the following year he won the National Masters XC, leading the team to victory. He also won the National Masters 5.000m title.

He also won several open road races and his best result in the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield was 2^nd behind Eddie Spillane in 1973. Tony also won the Faugh-A-Ballagh Cup as men’s club XC champion in 1980.

A sensitive pelvic injury required Tony to retire from competitive athletics around 1987.

It should be noted that Tony Murphy was a well-respected Club Captain in a period when the club dominated senior cross-country in Ireland. He later served as the Club President between 1983 and 1985. That was a significant period in the club’s history, as the women’s section had been newly formed and plans to relocate the club away from its Hospital Lane base were in process. Tony was also the Club Coach for a time – and is an Honorary Life Vice-President based on his services rendered to the club over the years.

In this interview Tony talks about Eddie Hogan, the legendary club coach, and his experiences at international cross-country championships.

STANDARD QUESTIONS

PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? Dublin 1942.

WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? Haddington Road National School.

WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH? I left school at aged 14 and then completed a dental technician apprenticeship. After that Pat Mullaly, the club treasurer, got me a job as a clerk with the Automobile Association. I worked for several years with the AA, including a 3 and a-half year term in London. Then I got a job with PMPA Insurance, whom I stayed with until my retirement.

IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? 1959

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? A long story! I was in the scouts and had little interest in sports and running. The scouts had an annual camp at the Mount Juliet area in Kilkenny and one day we followed the river – but were not allowed to go swimming due to the fast waters. So, we decided to run back to the campsite, and I was the first back. After that we used to do paper chase runs with me acting as the hare.

Later in the summer I was entered to the scouts sports day at Santry and came 2^nd in the one-mile race. It was 1958 and there was a lot of focus on the mile and the Morton Stadium at that time, as five men broke the 4-minute mile barrier in the 1958 Morton Mile.

Ignatius O’Brien, who organised the scouts races, put me into a couple of cross country races in the following winter and I placed in the top 3. In the following summer Ignatius invited me to join the club sessions at the old track at Irishtown. I have to admit that I knew very little about running and club athletics at that time. As I lived in Donnybrook at the time my local club was really Crusaders AC, but I later became a regular at Donore Harriers clubhouse at Hospital Lane.

It took me a while to adapt to proper training levels. In my very first championship race I was part of the Donore Harriers team that won the National Novice cross-country in 1960.

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? My favourite event was 4 and 5-mile road races. I won the Crusaders 5-mile road race in 1964 and subsequently won that event two more times. I also enjoyed the Dunboyne 4-mile, which I won in 1967. It was the first open race after the formation of BLE (Bord Luthchleas na hEireann) when the AAUE and NACA were merged. I was also the first winner of the Bowden Maguire 5-mile road race at Drogheda in 1968.

WHAT WERE YOUR ROLES AT THE CLUB? I was an athlete for the best part of 30 years. I had to give up running in 1987/88 due to a pelvic injury. I was the Club Captain for a very long time, and in the era when Eddie Hogan was the club coach. I was also the Club President between 1983 and 1985.

WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Obviously, Ronnie Delany after his gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games. There weren’t too many people out running the roads in the 1960s, so fellas used to shout out “Did you bring it with you Ronnie?” – a reference to the Olympic gold medal – to any man out on his run. As an avid Shamrock Rovers fan and a regular to their Milltown ground my heroes back then also included the likes of Paddy Coad, Tommy Hamilton, Liam Touhy, and Ronnie Nolan.

SOCIAL QUESTIONS

WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? I can’t remember which one, but either Cliff Richard at the RDS or John Denver at the Point.

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?

1. Westside Story

2. Vera Cruz (a Mexican/American cowboy film)

3. Sound of Music

FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? As a rule, I don’t return to a country once visited, but I have gone back to Italy several times. In particular, I like Sorrento – a southern city that overlooks the Bay of Naples.

WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Bridge, golf, and community work – particularly with my local resident’s association. To be honest, I don’t play golf anymore as my flexibility and coordination is not as good as it used to be. When my handicap went from 9 to 25, I decided it was time to quit.

IF DISERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

1. My Way by Frank Sinatra

2. That’s Amore by Dean Martin

3. You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry & the Pacemakers

ATHLETICS QUESTIONS

WHO WAS YOUR COACH(ES)? Eddie Hogan and myself.

YOU ARE THE CLUB CAPTAIN DURING THE EDDIE HOGAN ERA. WHAT MADE EDDIE SUCH A GREAT AND WELL-RESPECTED COACH? As far as I know he went to Germany on a coaching course. Eddie was always present for club sessions, so he built a trust with his athletes. He explained the session prior to each run. The sessions were seasonal and formed an overall plan that targeted major championships, in particular the national cross-country championships. He never told us to avoid open races, except in the lead-up to big championships. The other thing is that he varied the training sessions according to the time of the year.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I’d like to think that my overall athletics experience was the best. Probably my 6-mile run of 28.48 was my best run. It ranked me 2^nd in Ireland behind Bertie Messitt and was around 20 seconds short of the qualifying time for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. I also get great satisfaction from the fact that I beat every other Irish athletes that I came up against at one time or another. The list includes the likes of John Treacy, Eamon Coghlan, Derek Graham, Niall Cusack, Gerry Deegan. I may not have won the respective races, but it was nice to finish ahead of these great athletes.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES (PBs)? 6-miles – 28.48; 3-miles – 14.00; 2-miles – 8.59; One Mile – 4.13; 880 yards – 1.57.5; 440 yards – 53.5; 220 yards – 23.5; 10,000m – 29.59; 5,000m – 14.30; 3,000m – 8.24; 1,500m – 4.00; 3,000m Steeplechase – 9.07; 400m Hurdles – 58.5; 15-mile Road – 75.35; 10-mile Road – 49.30; Marathon – 2.27.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Probably 20 x 400m on the track.

DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Going up the Knockmaroon Hill 10 times and down the Anglers Rest side and over and back. If was difficult, but it was a great session for race fitness. Of course, the Hill had much less traffic back then, so it was safe enough to do a session.

WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN? Long run on the weekend, usually 15 to 20 miles depending on season. Club sessions on Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Easy running in-between. I never liked running in the morning, so most of my training was done in the evenings.

DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? I competed in every event in the National Track & Field League expect the Hammer and Pole Vault. In one match I was pitted again Paddy Smee in the 400m Hurdles. Paddy had either won or placed in the National Championships, so was favourite to get maximum points. He was in one of the inside lanes, whilst I was on the outside. Anyway, I ran well and won the race. The fact that I was practicing for the steeplechase helped my hurdling technique.

WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME?

1. Ronnie Delany

2. Liam Brady

3. Sonia O’Sullivan

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST RESULTS AS A JUNIOR ATHLETE? I was on the first Irish team to compete in the Under 20 international cross-country championships in 1962. It was the 2^nd year of the junior event, and the first time for Ireland to take part.

I was on the Donore Harriers team that won the AAU National Junior cross-country team championships in 1961 and 1962; and I was 2^nd in the 3-mile junior track championship in 1961 and 2^nd in the 1962 3,000m junior steeplechase.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE UNDER 20 INTERNATIONAL RACE IN 1962. I NOTE IT WAS HELD AT GRAVES PARK IN SHEFFIELD? There is not a lot to say really about the event. There was a lack of communication and camaraderie compared to the open races back home. It was very much gun and go! The standard was obviously much higher, so it was hard racing and just trying to hang on to places.

I do remember that one of the other athletes – I think he was South African – asked me to swap singlets. I refused, as I wanted to keep my first Irish vest.

YOU WERE ON THE IRISH SENIOR TEAM AT THE INTERNATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY AT OOSTEND IN 1965, ALONGSIDE ATHLETES LIKE DEREK GRAHAM, JIM McNAMARA AND JIM HOGAN. WHAT ARE YOUR ABIDING MEMORIES OF THAT CHAMPIONSHIP? Jim Hogan did not run. He wanted to be put on a flight from London, but his request was refused. He was there as a spectator only. The team travelled by ship from Dublin to Holyhead, then took a train and another boat to Oostend. On the way back, we were given flights from London.

It was a frantic fast start, and I made my way to the front in the early stages. One week later when I returned to compete in the Martini International in Brussels, I saw a front-page newspaper photo in a window that showed me in the front group of the race.

YOU MADE THE IRISH TEAM AGAIN IN 1966, THIS TIME AT RABAT IN MOROCCO. THERE WAS A STRONG DONORE HARRIERS REPRESENTATION ON THAT TEAM. DEREK GRAHAM OF ANNADALE STRIDERS FINISHED 2^ND. TELL US ABOUT THE WHOLE MOROCCO EXPERIENCE? AND TELL US ABOUT DEREK GRAHAM? I was the captain of the Irish team that day. We were flown to Gibraltar and then took a boat and train to reach Rabat. Derek and Jim McNamara were great rivals who shared a great mutual respect.

Rabat was a nice place, and the people were friendly. We visited the kasbahs and stalls. However, one problem was that the natives did not speak English.

YOU WERE NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE CHAMPION 3 TIMES. WHY DID YOU TAKE UP THAT EVENT? I think it was Willie Dunne who suggested that I try the steeplechase. At first, I stepped onto all the barriers and would put my two feet into the water. But I went away and practiced the barriers and became more efficient at the event. Perhaps the jumping and landing impact caused the pelvic problems that ended my running experience.

WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THE HOSPITAL LANE CLUB FACILITIES? It was small and did not allow the club to expand in terms of membership and events. The club had some great field event athletes among the membership, which we very rarely saw. People like Brendan O’Reilly, Val McGahan, Jim Fanning, Dick O’Rafferty were never seen at Hospital Lane, but trained elsewhere.

YOU WERE THE CLUB PRESIDENT BETWEEN 1983 AND 1985, AN IMPORTANT ERA FOR THE CLUB WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEWLY FORMED WOMEN’S SECTION AND PLANS TO RELOCATE THE CLUB. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE/ACTIVITIES AT THE CLUB IN THAT PERIOD?

We purchased a portacabin to facilitate the women’s group. It was not an ideal facility, but it was the first step.

At one time, we had the idea to develop the facilities at Islandbridge (Hospital Lane), but it would have been too costly. Thus, people like Maurice Ahern, Pat Mullaly and myself were busy looking at alternative locations for the club. Maurice worked with the Youth Council and Pat with the Dublin Corporation, so they had good contacts. We all considered it necessary to obtain better club facilities in order to develop the club, in particular the juvenile and women’s sections.

HOW DO YOU CONSIDER THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE CLUB? I am probably not in touch enough to give a give a full answer. The great thing is that the club can accommodate more athletes and a wider variety events than in the old times. Athletes have better facilities and there are more coaches. The key to better success is to be able to hold on to your senior athletes. That’s an age-old problem!