Dromcollogher is in the south-west of Co.Limerick near the border with Co.Cork...
Directions.....Dromcollogher is located to the west of Charleville near the Limerick - Cork border. If you are coming from say Limerick city then the easiest way is probably to head south towards Cork and turn off at Charleville and follow the directions for Newtownshandrum, Milford and Dromcollogher. If you are travelling north from Cork then turn off at Buttevant and go via Liscarroll.
As you enter the town from the east then you should see that the road forks into two where the central square is. Take the right here (R522 to Newcastle West), drive a few hundred metres on what is a very straight road and you will pass the start line just opposite a service station. The GAA hall where the entries will be taken is just beyond this on the left.
Entries......Entries are normally taken in the GAA hall with prize giving and refreshments later in the Community Centre which is 400m away.
GAA grounds...just beyond the start line...
Community Centre....
Course map...
Course profile...
Course description...The course is basically in the shape of a triangle and is unusual from most races in that a lot of the route is dead straight. The start line is hard to miss it with a big yellow line across the road with 'START' painted on the lamp post ;o)
From the start, the road is dead straight and slightly downhill. This is the view as you leave Dromcollogher after about 300m.....
This straight section lasts until about 1.4 miles where you turn off left...
This is another view of the junction......
As you can see, you are turning onto another straight section of road except that it's narrower with a very gradual rise.
View near the 2 mile mark...a straight narrow road...
At about 2.6 miles, you hit the next junction and it's left onto the R515 road which goes to Broadford and Abbeyfeale....
This is the view from the junction with a signpost showing some bends ahead...
After the bends, the road continues to climb gradually as you approach the 3 mile mark...
View at 3.2 miles showing the end of the gradual climb ahead...
At 3.4 miles, the road levels off as it goes through some twists and turns. At 3.6 miles, you begin the gradual descent into Dromcollogher. As you re-enter the town, you pass the church at 3.9 miles...
From here, it's around the corner and up 200m or so up a hill to the finish line in the square...
Overall.....A 4 mile race in south Co.Limerick with a lot of history. Very fast opening mile. There is roughly a 30m difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points of the course but most of this is gained or lost gradually. A reasonably fast course.
Additional info...
History of the race......
The race was originally started back in the time of the original running boom in the late 70's and early 80's by Christy Brosnan and Joe Quaid of North Cork AC. The original idea was for it to be part of the Dromcollogher Carnival which has been going since the 1940's and for the race to take place on Monday evening, a tradition that survives to this day.
In its heyday, the race used to attract some of the top runners from all over Munster even though the prizes were always modest in comparison to other races at the time. On one occasion, Liam O'Brien from Cork won the race the day after winning the National 3000m steeplechase title! The triangle shaped course started and finished in the main square of the town much to the delight of the crowds. This did however mean that the race was in fact 'slightly' longer than the advertised 4 miles ;o)
One of the other unusual features of the race at the time was that the winner received a small porcelain figurine. One of the biggest employers at that time in the town was Irish Dresden, a German company which made high quality collectable porcelain items in the town which employed over 60 people, a huge number in what was and still is a rural area.
West Limerick AC help out with the organisation of the race and they put up a cup in memory of Christy Brosnan who unfortunately has now passed away. This replaces the old cup which was named after Marky O'Shea who used to run in the local races of the late 70's and early 80's barefoot, a long time before minimalist running and Vibram Five Fingers became all the rage ;o)
