By Eimear O’Dwyer
A DUNMANWAY family has claimed five All Ireland medals at national clay pigeon shooting competitions.
The Dunmanway Clay Target Club won the inter-county club shoot in May to represent the county in the recent national finals, where he team of six came home first in division two.
Four members of the team are from the same family – Seamus O’Sullivan and his three sons Barry, Jimmy and Shane.
Seamus said this win has been a huge honour for his family, and playing the sport at this level with his sons was a once-in-lifetime opportunity and a big boost to the club.
‘This win gives everybody in the club hope going forward that there’s no reason why any of the guys coming up in the club can’t achieve the same in the future,’ he said.
His oldest son Barry, 19, is in his second year of a mechanical automation and maintenance fitter apprenticeship. Next in line is Jimmy, just turned 18, who has recently completed his Leaving Cert and is now starting an apprenticeship in the same field.
The youngest, Shane, is 16 and attends Maria Immaculata Community College in Dunmanway. Shane brought home a second All Ireland medal, having achieved third place in the training licence category.
‘It’s huge for us and it’s huge for the club,’ said Seamus. He said their success is thanks to the hard work and dedication of Thomas Murray and John Carroll who maintain the grounds and ensure the smooth operation of the club.
The six team members worked well together on the day and that the win hasn’t quite sunk in yet, he added. ‘We went up to do our best and enjoy ourselves and we worked well together on the day.’
The other members of the team are Wayne Morrison from Watergrasshill and Mark Cotter from Kanturk.
