Charlie Kelly runs through the years after a lifetime of athletics involvement

There’s a photograph in his collection that sparks a memory for Charlie Kelly. It was taken in Liz Crumlish’s front room in Lower Main Street in Letterkenny and features a number of well known faces from the local athletics scene back in 1978.

“Fr. Kieran McAteer was there along with Michael Cullen, Dick Duffy, Liz, and myself and Tony Murray of the Bank of Ireland who were sponsoring the first Donegal marathon back in that year. We had the occasional meeting in Liz’s house. She put in a lot of work for Letterkenny Athletic Club and was also a director in the Community Centre.”

Charlie himself can never describe himself as a native of the town but he certainly played his part when he finally got there
He arrived into the world in the townland of Augheygault near Drumkeen, the son of Frank and Annie (née Bustard) Kelly. They had three other children, Majella (she and her husband, P.J. run the Arch View Nursing Home in Letterkenny), Sean and Frankie. Their grandmother came to the hiring fairs in Letterkenny, walking all the way from Gortahork.

“She got a housekeeping job in Convoy.” And it was there that she met Charlie’s grandfather with the two of them eventually settling down in Augheygault. “My father was a postman in Convoy and we went to live there in the 1960’s. My mother worked in the Convoy Woollen Mills.” Charlie himself would also weave his way into employment there in subsequent years. “Tommy Murphy was working there with me.”

Charlie’s athletic career took off with Lifford AC under the guidance of Ben O’Donnell. He recalls training with his brother, Sean, Malcolm McCauseland, Christy Keirns, Sean Boyle, and Sean McLaughlin who is now based in Australia. I remember training for the Donegal Cross Country Novice Championships and I was crossing a river when the heel of my foot hit against the sharp edge of a stone. I can remember the pain to this day!”

And somewhere in his collection of athletics memorabilia is a silver medal from those Championships – from pain to gain…!
“All in all I didn’t have a very exciting athletics career,” he admits. But he would more than run up the miles and achievements in the administrative end of things.

In 1971, Charlie was posted to Dublin where he took up a position as Fear an Phoist, initially based in Sheriff Street.
He remained in the capital for three years before returning home to Letterkenny. It was there on one of his visits that he met his wife to be, Sally, in that centre of romance, the Fiesta Balloom. “We got married in St. Eunan’s Cathedral in 1972.” And went on to have three children, Oisin, Ashling, and Daire.

Close to three years ago, Sally had contracted Covid followed quickly by Charlie. “Sally went into hospital on Tuesday morning and I went in on Tuesday night. We were in separate rooms. Eventually the two of us got rid of Covid but Sally had underlying conditions.”

And in February two years ago, Charlie’s beloved spouse passed away at the age of 71 years. The days and months will go by but the memories of her remain. 
Meanwhile, Charlie recalls many of the personalities who helped shape the local athletics scene and were instrumental in laying the original track at Letterkenny Community Centre.

“Leo Cullen did a lot of work in that regard – he was on the track committee and there were others who played their part.
“I have a video of the day the track was opened when we had the likes of Eamon Coghlan, Jerry Kiernan and Neil Cusack and other big names along to compete on the day.

“I remember Fr. John O’Donnell from Kilmacrennan was the President of B.L.E. at the time and was present for the opening. Indeed there was a big crowd there on the day, not just to watch the stars in action but to welcome the fact that the town now had a track to call its own.”

Charlie himself was elected chairperson of Letterkenny Athletic Club in 1979 and a year later saw the track officially opened. Next on the agenda was the building of a clubhouse that opened in 1983. He is quick to deflect any credit from his own involvement in those achievements but as anyone will testify, Charlie Kelly was key to much of the developments back then.

Again, he pushes that credit in other directions. “Michael Cullen was the P.R.O. of the club and did a massive job. Those were the days, of course, when there was no social media and technical expertise. All the results sheets were done manually by Michael and he kept the club to the forefront and kept everything up to date.”

Another individual who was involved in local sport was Dick Duffy. “He set up the Schoolboys Football in the town and in 1977 got involved in Letterkenny A.C. and was Secretary for a while. Dick did an incredible amount of work for the town.”

Charlie also notes the emergence of the Community Games. “That was a big thing and it was thanks to Mary and the late Michael Crossan that it was such a success. It gave so many young people the chance to compete and some of them went on to greater things.”

Athletics in Letterkenny continued to make strides in those early years through the dedicated, and talented, involvement of the likes of the McCarron brothers, Noel and Eddie, John Bosco Doherty, Michael Crampsie, and the Fox siblings, Charlie and Seamus.

“They did so much work as well and I recall Noel and Eddie out lining the all weather track for competitions.”
It was in the administrative end of the sport that Charlie Kelly really excelled – spending ten years as Treasurer of the Donegal County Board along with spells as Secretary and Chairman.

He was one of the guests of honour at the recent celebration dinner organised by the Letterkenny Athletic Club marking its 50th anniversary. And fittingly for someone who has done so much for the sport over the years.