The Athlone man leading Irish athletics fan resurgence
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Kate O'Connor takes a selfie, with Seamus Carey and his sister, Mairead Slevin, in the background, after she finished the 800m and secured gold in the Heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships.Image 2 of 3
Mark English of Ireland celebrates with Seamus Carey, partially hidden by a security staff member, after winning the gold medal in the men’s 800m final. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.Image 3 of 3
Séamus Carey, pictured second from right, with from left, Deirdre McGing, Tom Byrne, Sarah Lavin, and Mila Webb during an Athletics Ireland merchandise launch at Morton Stadium in Santry. Photo: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile.By Kevin O'Neill
Aside from the outstanding showing of Irish athletes at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, there was another aspect to the event that caught everybody’s attention - the spectacle put on by the travelling hordes of Ireland supporters.
And behind the creation of such jubilant scenes, as Ireland captured two gold medals, a silver and a bronze, was Athlone man Seamus Carey, the founder and chairperson of the Irish Athletics Supporters Club.
Seamus set up the supporters club in recent years having met with like-minded enthusiasts and having originally started a WhatsApp group to keep athletics fans in touch with each other. That group grew quickly and just before the European Championships, his supporters club was recognised by Athletics Ireland as the organisation’s official fan club.
Apart from the supporters group, Seamus also set up a business, called Trackside Tours & Events, to provide opportunities for Irish athletics fans to get to major athletics meetings.
“My father was heavily involved in athletics in Tipperary before we moved to Athlone when I was five years old. We were always training with Dad for different events. He was a masters athlete and we would always watch athletics on the television.
"Back then though, international athletics meetings seemed like a magical world that you couldn’t really experience yourself. It was just something we loved watching.
“When I set up the group, I couldn’t really have imagined that I would be responsible for bringing 1,300 Ireland supporters to the European Championships.
"It’s just been a brilliant experience and what’s most pleasing is seeing how many families and young children are now part of the supporters club. We experienced some really magical moments in Birmingham and I am so pleased that so many Irish supporters had the opportunity to be there,” he continued.
Seamus said that the Irish support is now the envy of many other nations.
“We have people from the UK and other countries coming up to us at events, saying ‘I wish our support could be likes yours’. Our motto is about being inclusive and accessible, and anyone can join the group.
"We definitely have the loudest and best supporters, there’s no doubt. I mean, it made me so proud to see so many Ireland flags during the races and the medal ceremonies. The tournament organisers said that 12 per cent of ticket orders came from addresses in Ireland, so that shows the level of interest and passion in the country for athletics. It was great to be there and to help so many others be there, too,” he said.
Seamus said that he looks forward to continuing to support Irish athletes with another healthy contingent travelling to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.