Toolan family continuing to break new barriers in sport

Born in Galway in 1957, Shane Toolan has crammed more than most into his sporting life. And it seems it has rubbed off on his daughters, Claire and Niamh, who are making a mark in the sporting world in their own way.

Rugby, soccer, athletics, Gaelic football, refereeing (Gaelic and rugby) and sports nutrition are the talking points when the Toolans gather for a family chat.

There is no doubting that dad, Shane, is known not just in Donegal but throughout Ireland and if his present plans are anything to go by, an international career is beckoning.

A multi-faceted sportsman from his schools days, he has competed in athletics, rugby, Gaelic and soccer mostly and more recently he has returned to athletics at Masters level where he has been placed at national level in his favourite discipline, the 100m and 200m.

As he turns 65 in October, he has his eye set on a new target, taking on the best in the world. "At the moment my times would be in the top 30 in the world for the 65+ so why not have a go. The World Championships are set for Poland in March of next year, so that is the new target," says Toolan.

Now domiciled in Ballyshannon, Toolan won various Connacht titles in athletics and in soccer and rugby with The Bish (St Joseph's) in Galway. But while he was a natural at athletics, team sports took over, despite winning National Junior sprint U-20 titles at the age of 17.

After college he joined Allied Irish Banks and that took him on a journey through Galway, Mayo to Donegal and wherever he landed, he played with the local team, be it Gaelic, soccer or rugby.

The number of clubs to have Toolan's name on the teamsheet were many and varied from Realt na Mara, Bundoran to St Eunan's and Buncrana, where he won a Junior championship medal in 1988. He played senior championship for Bundoran against St Eunan's and for St Eunan's against Bundoran and was on the panel when the Letterkenny club won the senior championship in 1983.

He played soccer with Ballinasloe Town and in the Mayo League and in Donegal he played with Buncrana Hearts while in rugby he played for Ballinasloe and all four clubs in Donegal - Inishowen, Letterkenny, Donegal Town and Ballyshannon.

And after his playing days were over, he took up refereeing, firstly at rugby which he has been whistling for 28 years while he added GAA refereeing (after being approached by Pat Walsh) when he was 50.

Nowadays, you could find Shane anywhere in the county and the length of journey matters little. Indeed, he revels in getting around the county and clubs are not penalised as a result.

But the interesting part of his story is the return to one of his great loves, athletics. "It happened during lockdown. I met Bosco Reid getting some physio and he mentioned that I should try the Masters athletics. So I started training and joined Tir Chonaill AC and I found that I was able to compete, finishing 2nd in the 100m in the Ulster championships in 2021 and 3rd in the 100m and 200m in the nationals."

On the weekend before last Shane took the whistle in Bundoran for the Realt na Mara v St Michael's league game on a wet and windy Friday night. The following morning he was on his way to the Mary Peters Track in Belfast where he finished 2nd in the 100m and 200m and on Sunday he was off to Burt to referee an important Division 3 league game between Burt and Naomh Muire - a hectic schedule for a teenager, not alone someone just a short distance from getting the Bus Pass.

That love of sport has been handed on to Shane's two daughters. Claire played Gaelic football but had a greater interest in swimming, qualifying as a Lifeguard and working in Waterworld.

Then at second level at IT Sligo, she became interested in rugby refereeing and has gradually moved up the ladder. She moved from Ulster Rugby to Connacht Rugby after securing employment in Galway and was on an upward curve in development.

A trip to Australia put a spanner in the plans as Covid struck. But it didn't stop Claire as she took up the whistle Down Under and is now beginning to make her mark, being asked recently onto the Women's National Panel where she will be getting appointments in the Women's Super Rugby games. At just 27, she has time on her side and she is certainly a chip off the old block.

Shane's second daughter, Niamh, was much more into playing that Claire but a bad wrist injury curtailed her. She played with Aodh Ruadh and also played two seasons with Enniskillen Rugby Club, winning two Ulster U-18 cups alongside current Irish internationals Kathryn Dane and Clare Bowles.

At college in Sligo IT, she took a course in nutrition and has just finished a Masters in Galway. "As part of her Masters she was asked to get involved with the Galway Minor Camogie team in her first year," says Shane. "They ended up getting beaten by Kilkenny in the semi-final but she was asked back this year and they defeated Kilkenny to reach the final."

It is something Niamh is very interested in and she has submitted her CV to Arsenal - her and dad's favourite soccer team! "As a result of her work with the Galway minor team, she has been asked to help out with a few clubs in Galway and there has been other approaches.

"She is very meticulous in the way she goes about her work and she is prepared to go abroad to advance her career if that's what it takes."

No doubt there will be plenty of advice from Shane - a man who would never use two words where 10 was possible. As a referee he is oblivious to what might be coming from the sideline and if it comes down to a war of words, there would be only one winner!
Approaching 65, Shane is not ready for the slippers and it looks as if the girls will carry on the Toolan sporting legacy.