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History


The original St Peter's Athletic Club in Dromiskin was founded in September 1955 and remained in existence until 1959. During these years the club enjoyed significant success in local cross-country competitions, winning the Louth Senior Men's team title in February 1958. Among its members back then was the late Noel Carroll from Annagassan who subsequently developed into one of Ireland's greatest ever athletes. During the 1960s Noel won three European Indoor 800m titles, a feat which has never been surpassed or equalled by any other athlete in this event.

St Peter's AC was reestablished in 1986. The first chairperson was Noel McQuillan, the secretary was Maria Mackin, and the coaches were Anna Mackin and Patricia McCormack. James McKeown of the Readypenny Inn, who had been an athlete with the club back in the 1950s, sponsored the club kit. Initially the club trained at the national school in the village. In the early 1990s the field at the back of St Joseph's GFC grounds, which is owned by the Darver / Dromiskin community, was drained and made available to St Peter's for training. The club has since installed facilities for the long and triple jumps and shot putt in this field. The club's fundraising activities have always been well supported by the local community, and Ginnety's in Dromiskin has often been the venue for these events.

During the 1980s and into the 1990s St Peter's leading athlete was Maria Mackin, who was one of the best athletes in the country in the heptathlon and 400m hurdles. Other leading athletes in the club in these years included Aaron Carolan, Fiona Mackin, Aoife McCarthy, Pamela McConnell, Gary McCormack, Mary McKeown, Jason Mulligan, Ciarán O'Sullivan and Rachel Shearwood.

In more recent years the leading athletes in St Peter's have included Sorcha Conway, Conor Durnin, Lauren Finegan, Emily Kerr, Hilary Kerr, Shauna Martin, Olivia McDonald, Peter McDonald, Kevin McManus, Laura O'Neill, Emily Rogers, Frances Rogers, Mark Rogers and Helen Ryan. Olivia McDonald has won several medals at the Irish Senior Track and Field Championships since 2006.

In September 2006 twelve athletes from the club travelled to Dunfermline in Scotland to compete in the Pitreavie AAC Young Athletes' Trophy Meet. Highlights since 2007 have included a Coaching and Training Camp in Poznan in 2007 and a Coaching and Training Camp in Vila Real de Santo António in 2012, and trips to the Pitreavie AAC Young Athletes' Trophy Meet (again) in 2009, the Southport Waterloo AC Open Medal Meet in 2010, the Southport Waterloo AC Open Medal Meet (again) in 2011, Southport Waterloo AC Open Medal Meet (again) in 2012, Tartan Games in Gateshead in 2013 and the Southport Waterloo AC Open Medal Meet (again) in 2015.