Dermot McGranaghan appointed Athletics Ireland Regional Development Officer for the North West
Athletics in the North West has been given a major boost following the announcement that Dermot McGranaghan has been appointed the new Athletics Ireland Regional Development Officer for the area.
From a family steeped in the sport, the 50-year-old McGranaghan is a well-known and popular figure throughout the region and was a very successful athlete in his youth.
As a competitor, Dermot was a leading member of one of the most successful Cross-Country teams ever produced by his boyhood club Finn Valley.
From the U12-U19 age groups, he led his club team to unprecedented success amassing a total of 30 National Championship medals for club, county and province including 15 gold medals.
More recently he has balanced his job as Club Development Officer for Finn Valley with running the Dublin Marathon every year from 2012-2017 with a best time of just over 3 hours.
Off the track, Dermot has been an elected member of the Athletics Ireland Juvenile Committee since 2015 and the National Coaching and Development Committee earlier this year.
He has also had the honour of managing the Irish Athletics Youth team 4
times at the Celtic Internationals.
Always keen to continue his personal development, Dermot is one of a small number of qualified National Technical Officials in the country and is an IAAF Level 3 Qualified Coach.
His father Peader is one of the most respected coaches in Donegal having first got involved in coaching Finn Valley in 1974 and remains as committed and dedicated as ever to this day.
His sister Catriona is a former double winner of the National Junior Cross-Country title while his twin sister Sinead has recently won two medals at the World Masters Athletics Championships.
He was educated in Stranorlar Technical College and received his degree in Letterkenny IT.
“I am honoured to be named as a member of the Athletics Ireland RDO team responsible for the North West Region.” McGranaghan said after learning of his appointment.
“Athletics is my passion and I am very excited to be joining a successful team and bringing my experience and know-how to the job to grow the number of qualified coaches and athletics leaders in the region and to really focus on developing the clubs to ensure they are fit for purpose to face the challenges of an ever-changing society.”
Married to Mary, his two children Adam and Abbie are both successful
athletes and Abbie has recently been selected for the Donegal U13 Gaelic
Football Development Squad.
Tags:
