Hehir ready for European marathon

It’s a particularly big weekend for sports enthuasiasts in the parish of Kilkishen and O’Callaghan’s Mills.

The senior hurling team from the parish play their neighbours, Broadford on this Saturday evening with a place in the county senior championship quarter-finals at stake.

On Sunday morning, the focus will switch to the European Athletics Championships in Zurich when Kilkishen’s Sean Hehir will compete in the men’s marathon.

A member of Rathfarnham AC, Hehir, who played underage hurling before concentrating on athletics, has had a tremendous year. Last October, he won the prestigious Dublin City Marathon, becoming the first Irish winner of the title in 20 years.

He described that success as “the stuff of dreams” and went on to pay tribute to the Marian club in Ennis, where he began his athletic career.

A primary school teacher in Scoil Mhuire Gan Small in Inchicore, Dublin, Seaan, who is coached by three-time Dublin marathon winner, Dick Hooper, said after his October success that his next target was to achieve the qualifying time for the European Championships.

“We have a strong panel for this team event and we can make up an Irish team that will be in with a shout of getting a medal,” he said at the time.

Sean is son of former international athlete, Cushla and former Clare senior hurler and senior team manager, Sean.