Bernie O’Callaghan has been elected as the new president of the Ulster Athletics Council.
The Killybegs Athletic Club member and former champion race walker was elected president at the recent Ulster Athletics AGM. He succeeds Fr Peadar O’ Corragain from Monaghan and will hold the post for the next three years.
Bernie is a founder member of both Killybegs AC and Donegal Athletics County Board and over the years has held many high-profile positions both in Ulster and National Athletics, including over twenty-nine years as National Race-Walking Coach and a record fifteen year as Donegal County Secretary and nine years as Ulster Secretary.
As an athlete he won thirteen National Senior titles, seven individual titles and six team titles with Donegal, and set six national senior records. He was selected on the Donegal Athletics Team of the Millennium and inducted into both the Donegal Athletics Hall of Fame and the Ulster Athletics Hall of Fame.
Bernie O’Callaghan pictured in Lima officiating at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Bernie’s son Pierce also won National senior titles represented Ireland at European and World events and is currently Director of Competition with World Athletics. Pierce’s children have kept the family tradition alive, with his daughter Savanagh selected for the Irish Schools Athletics team last year and last month she became the first non-American to win the prestigious Penn Relays race walk in Philadelphia and has been selected on the Irish Under 18 team, which travels to Spain next month. Her sisters Taillte and Cuisle have also won National titles in race walking.
