The Beginning — The 1960s & 1970s

In Lucan during the 1960s, seeing someone running on the local roads was a rare sight.

One notable exception was Tom Byrne, who could regularly be seen running around Lucan, Newcastle and Coolmine. Tom competed for Dublin City Harriers and won the Dublin Senior Cross Country Championships in 1966 and 1967, a feat later equaled by Eamonn Coughlan.

As new housing estates were built in Hillcrest and Arthur Griffith Park, several people with an interest in athletics moved into the area.

Among them were:

• Tom Byrne, an experienced distance runner.

• George McIntyre, who had moved to Arthur Griffith and was running with Clonliffe Harriers.

• Brian Carty, from Hillcrest, whose interest in athletics came through his brother Gerry, who was involved with Metropolitan Harriers.

• Seamus Costello, also from Hillcrest, who had previously run for Tipperary.

The group began discussing the possibility of establishing an athletics club in Lucan.

At the time, discussions were taking place about whether the new club should affiliate with the NACA, which was associated with the GAA, or the BLE, the internationally recognised athletics body in Ireland. These discussions coincided with moves that ultimately brought the two organisations together to form what is now Athletics Ireland (AAI).

1978 — Lucan Harriers Is Born

On 24 October 1978, a meeting was held in Lucan to establish a new athletics club. The aim was to create a club affiliated to the Board Luathchleas na hÉireann (BLE), catering for both juvenile and senior athletes, male and female, from the Lucan area. A further meeting was arranged for 14 November 1978 in the hall beside Esker Church.

With Bill Coughlan, father of Eamonn Coughlan and then President of BLE, in attendance, the club's first committee was elected.

The First Committee

• President: Sgt. Fahy

• Chairman: Brian Carty

• Vice Presidents: Fr. McCarthy and Bill Coughlan

• Registrar: Colm Murtagh

• Secretary: N. Flynn

• Treasurer: Seamus Costello

• Captain: Tom Byrne

• Vice Captain: George McIntyre

• PRO: Liam Dunne

And so, Lucan Harriers Athletics Club was officially on its way.

Training was organised at several locations around Lucan:

• Tuesday: Esker Church Hall — 7:30pm

• Thursday & Friday: Boys National School, Lucan Village — 7:30pm

• Saturday & Sunday: Griffeen Park car park — 11:00am

The club originally registered its colours as red shorts and a red singlet.

The kit evolved over the years, with black shorts introduced in 1981, followed by the familiar red singlet with the black diagonal stripe in 1988.

Griffeen Park — The First Track

In 1978, the club was given use of the pitch beside the car park in Griffeen Park.

A grass track was developed and maintained there while the club searched for a more permanent home.

Despite the limitations of the facility, the club continued to grow. Lucan Harriers also hosted Open Sports events which attracted hundreds of athletes from clubs across the area and beyond.

Under the coaching of Tom Byrne and the leadership and energy of Brian Carty, the club flourished.

Membership grew to around 200 athletes, and Lucan Harriers began making its mark on the national athletics scene.

However, the grass track was also used by a football team, meaning athletics regularly had to give way.

As membership continued to grow, it became clear that Lucan Harriers needed a permanent athletics facility.

1983 — Building a Permanent Home

In September 1983, work began on the current club site to develop an all-weather athletics track.

There was one major challenge: the club needed to raise £36,000 towards the cost.

Club members rose to that challenge.

Fundraising included:

• Cake sales

• Race nights

• Raffles

• Road races

• Bucket collections

• Sponsored events

Over a three-year period, the club raised the required £36,000 — approximately £1,000 every month for 36 months.

It was an extraordinary fundraising effort at a time when money was scarce.

The foundations of the club's future were being laid.

1998–2004 — A Clubhouse Takes Shape

In 1998, the Lucan Sports Association was formed, bringing together three local clubs:

• Hillcrest Football Club

• Weston Hockey

• Lucan Harriers

The association campaigned for a clubhouse and, through capital funding and extensive fundraising by the clubs, the clubhouse was eventually built on the current site.

It was officially opened in 2004 by Mayor Robert Dowds and Tánaiste Mary Harney.

2015 — The Next Big Development

By 2015, the club had once again set its sights on a major improvement to its facilities.

Lucan Harriers secured €200,000 in funding towards a new tartan track.

Once again, the club faced the challenge of raising substantial matched funding.

For the following three years, members threw themselves into fundraising for what had become a half-million-euro project.

The club was about to enter a new era.

2018 — The End of the Cinder Track

On 15 January 2018, Lucan Harriers members ran their final lap of the old cinder track.

Among those present were Anne McGee, Vinny Murtagh and Jean Murtagh, who had themselves run their first lap of the cinder track back in 1984.

It was an emotional moment — the end of an era that had lasted for more than three decades.

Work on the new track began in February.

Unfortunately, the original contractor, Crawfords, went into administration in April, resulting in further delays.

Thankfully, McSweeneys were subsequently secured to complete the project.

2019 — The New Tartan Track

On 27 September 2019, Lucan Harriers officially opened its new tartan track. The opening was performed by Mayor Vicki Casserly.

Club Chairperson Marie Collins, former Chair Fiona Hegarty, and the committee members involved in the project were recognised for the drive and determination that had brought the development to completion.

The new track represented another major milestone in the history of Lucan Harriers.

Lucan Harriers Today

Since those early days in 1978, the club has grown enormously.

Today, Lucan Harriers has over 500 members, with sections including:

• Juvenile Athletics, ActiveYouth

• Little Athletics,

• Senior Athletics /Masters,

• Fit4Life.

The club caters for athletes at all levels, from young athletes taking their first steps in athletics to athletes competing at national and international level.

The club has also grown significantly since 2018, when membership stood at around 300.

Looking to the Future

The story of Lucan Harriers is still being written.

The club continues to work with South Dublin County Council on the next stages of development at the facility.

From a handful of runners meeting in Lucan in the 1970s to a club of hundreds of athletes today, the journey has been remarkable.