The first Athletics club was founded in Lorrha in 1940 St. Ruadhan’s Athletic Club. Lorrha was associated with the Nenagh, Ballinderry and Rathcabbin, Patsy Carroll was successful at the individual and team levels. The club made its first appearance in competition in nenagh on Jan 16th 1944. This was the Tipperary Junior Championship and out of a field of two hundred and eighty runners, St. Ruadhan’s won individual and team honours. St Ruadhan nest competed in Tipperary Town on Feb 23rd 1944. They took the team event in the County Junior Championship from a very big field. The team consisted of Michael Hourigan, Francey Hourigan, Tom Lambe, Peter Coughlan and Patsy Carroll. On the last Sunday of February that year the team went to Dunleer for the All-Ireland Inter club Cross Country Junior Championships and came sixth out of a field of over sixty teams. At the end of the season St. Ruadhan’s won the open Six Mile Cross Country at Birr.
Patsy Carroll
