Location...The village of Galbally is located in the south-east of Co.Limerick.
Directions....Note the following on the map above...
R515...main road from Charleville to Tipperary town. It intersects the R513 in Knocklong. Turn osuth here.
R513...main road from Mitchelstown to Limerick going through Ballylanders, Knocklong, Hospital and Caherconlish.
R662...main road from R513 road from Mitchelstown to Tipperary town.
Depending on where you are coming from, these roads should get you to the approximate area.
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| Road junction on the R513 to the south of Knocklong. Traveling south, take the left here for Galbally. |
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| Road junction on the R513 to the south of Ballylanders. Traveling north, take a right here for the R662 for Galbally. |
Map of Galbally.......The start and finish line at the southern side of the village is about 200m away from the local rugby club which serves as the venue for the race.
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| Race HQ...Galbally Rugby Club |
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| Monument to Olympian James Fahy |
Course profile...
Course description...The race starts just to the south of the village...
...through the centre and then out the other side to begin the climb out of the village...
This is a long straight road in a very narrow valley hemmed in on both sides by steep hills and forestry...
...and begins to level off around the 0.5 mile mark...
From here, the road begins to go twist and turn as it drops slightly and then rises again at 1.2 miles. At 1.3 miles, you turn off left onto a narrow road and a much sharper climb...
For the next 800m, the road twists and climbs...easily the hardest part of the course. At 1.8 miles, you turn a corner to the right and the start of a long straight section that rises more gradually...
At 2.2 miles, you reach the top of this straight section which then drops away to the next corner at 2.4 miles.......and then a left and a sharp climb to the highest part of the course at 2.6 miles...
At this stage, you are just past the halfway mark and the worst is behind you. From the highest point, the road descends rapidly as you lose about 27 metres in elevation in the next half a mile.
At a crossroads at 3.1 miles, the downhill running comes to an end as you turn left onto the R663 road and begin a gradual uphill climb again...
At 3.5 miles, the road twists to the right and the Galtee mountains come into view to the south-east...
From the corner up ahead, you begin the long descent to the finish line as you lose 45 metres in height.
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| 4 mile mark...downhill all the way |
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| 4.3 miles...you pass the junction of the road from Ballylanders |
At 4.8 miles, you approach the junction where the rugby club is located. The Jim Fahy memorial is on the right. You stay left...
Once around the corner, it's a short run in to the finish line beyond...
Overall.......A 5 mile course on mostly quiet country roads. Challenging first half with plenty of downhill running in the second half. Probably a bit too hill for setting personal best times but located at the mouth of the Glen of Aherlow, it's a scenic spot.
Appendix...
In the village of Galbally in SE Limerick, there is a monument dedicated to the Irish athlete Jim Fahy.
This short article tells the story of who he was...
Jim Fahy, world champion of the three jumps, was born in Galbally, Co.Limerick in 1880. He lived with his aunt on a farm, an ordinary life until, at the age of 18; he jumped, without shoes, against the renowned champion, Chandler, in Cork and won. His performance was recorded as 37 ft 4 ins. This was the beginning of an athletic career which was to lead him to break the world record at Calumet Park, Chicago and become an Olympic champion. That day he cleared 40 ft 3 ins in three jumps.
After his initial success in Cork, Jim competed as a standing jumper whenever possible and usually won. Jumping from a stationary position and thus transforming concentrated power into action is a natural Celtic gift at which he excelled. It is said that he didn’t formally train in those days, or worry in any way about his diet... he just went along to meetings where the three standing jumps were on the programme and simply jumped further than anyone else.
At the Olympic Games in 1906 in Athens Jim broke the world record for 3 standing broad jumps and won the crown for the single broad jump. He also represented Ireland by taking part in the games in Stockholm, Rome and Paris.
In 1908 Jim moved to Chicago where he continued his athletic success. He was granted membership of the Illinois club and competed for several years without being beaten. Another peak of his career came when he broke the world record in 1923. In addition to his performances as a jumper he was a lifelong supporter of the G.A.A. and was involved with the organisation of Gaelic games in Chicago. He personally welcomed and hosted the Tipperary Hurlers when they played and won in Chicago in 1926.
In spite of his relocation to Chicago, Jim returned home many times and it is said that his heart always remained in Galbally. He married a lady from North Tipperary and they had one son who joined the priesthood. In addition to his sporting legacy, Jim inspired great affection and respect, and was known as a good family man, friend and Christian.
