New gym opens in Kilkenny

Thomastown Athletic Club have teamed up with Grennan College where the club installed a gym in the Grennan College sports complex. 

The gym is now in use by both Grennan College school and Thomastown Athletic Club for training. The new gym with the state-of-the-art equipment is kitted out by Kilkenny senior hurler Conor Fogarty of Custom Gyms. It contains spin bikes, squat rakes, weights, rowing machines, plyometric equipment, and assault bikes. It is kitted out for a full team so they can train in a full session together.

Some of the equipment in the new gym at Grennan College, which is made available to Thomastown sporting community

The new gym for Thomastown AC was officially opened on Saturday last by sporting legend Mr. John Treacy. A two-time world cross country champion (1978-1979), Olympic Silver Medallist Marathon (1984) and former C.E.O. Sport Ireland.

“This is a superb example of a community working together with the support from the Sports Capital and Equipment programme to open a sporting facility for the benefit of all clubs in the area,” said Mr Treacy.

The attendance at the opening of the gym

"It’s projects like this that makes the life of politicians present tonight so much easier in delivery of projects and facilities for an area."

He congratulated Thomastown Athletic Club and Grennan college for their vision in making the gym a reality.

"You must support education with recreational facilities and space," added Ger Kirwan, Secretary of Thomastown AC. "When we approached the school about putting our gym equipment in their sports facilities, it was like a marriage made in heaven and a win for all sides.”

Ger Kirwan, secretary of Thomastown AC, addresses the audience

The new sports facility, while being used, had the space for a gym but the school didn’t see the possibility of being able to kit it out in the near to mid future. So, a call from Ger Kirwan and Michael O’Keeffe to principal Sean Og O'Sullivan was very well received.

“It was a 40-year project to get to this point," said the principal. "In 2014 the build started but we couldn’t build everything that was in the original dream, so we had to slightly scale back. The community has raised almost €100,000 over the years for this facility, so it's great to be able to give them this new gym now. It reaches the dream of what the original concept was about.”

COMMUNITY

Thomastown AC have already initiated making this gym facility available to all other sporting clubs in our community.

Chairman of the Thomastown AC, Michael O’Keeffe said, “This is a fantastic facility, and we hope to continue to enhance the facility for the benefit of all in the community in the coming years," said chairman Michael O’Keeffe. "It’s a great example where community partnership can deliver a facility for the benefit of all.”

This project is being made possible through funding from the last Sports Capital and Equipment Programme and our ongoing fundraising efforts.

“We continue with our fundraising effort. Our main fundraiser for this project continues to be our 24-hour sponsored run which started in 2020 and this has now become an annual event. It’s now not just a fundraising event but has become a family event where club athletes and families run continuously, relay style, for 24-hours over the Easter weekend."

Mr O’Keeffe added that the club would welcome an individual or company that wishes to sponsor any additional equipment for the gym.

The new gym facility will be open from 6pm to 10pm daily. Any club members from any club in Thomastown and surrounding areas are welcome to use the gym for a small fee of just €2 per session.