POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR COMMUNITY.
Catherine joined Bandon Athletic Club in 1967 at the age of nine. Fifty years later she was the clubs longest serving member and was still competing for the club in the Cork County Masters. Catherine was a competitor she medalled at County, Munster and All Ireland level across every event from 400 meters to 1500 meters. She was also an excellent Cross Country runner. Catherine played Camogie for Bandon and was a member of Cork County’s first ladies football team. She played with Bandon Hockey Club. But it is a Coach with Bandon Athletic Club that Catherine is best Known. Catherine held the position of head Coach of the Club for 25 years. Here she coached hundreds of children with great success.
Catherine was dedicated to Bandon Athletic Club and to the youth of the town. She new wrote anyone off, there was always a second chance. She paid membership for those who could not afford it. No stone was left unturned to make sure athletes got to competitions and specialist coaching and training. He son Ronan writing an article in Irish Runner magazine described her selfless dedication. “ It’s a memory that will stay with me. At a hospital in Cork in early June she was busy scribbling notes on the back of a menu card-jotting down names and events- preparing the Bandon Teams for the upcoming National League. Just days later cancer would finally take my mothers life, but even in these moments, after 50 years as a member, she was preoccupied with the future of her club.
Cathal Dennehy twice voted Ireland Sports Journalist writing in the Irish Independent stated ‘ Duggans devotion to the club was well known in Bandon, she knew how sport could shape young lives so made it her mission to bring everyone she could to athletics and keep them involved. Over time she helped Bandon become one of Irelands biggest and most successful clubs’ Stephen Macklin then National Endurance Coach said of Catherine ‘ she was the God Mother of that club, the amount of hours and effort she put in, everybody down there recognised that. She was phenomenal. While Catherine coached athletes who reached Olympic, World and European Level her encouragement to all no matter what there ability was always to the fore.
Catherine Duggan received the Bandon Opinion Community Club Person of the Year Award in 2001. In her acceptance speech she referred to her love for the town of Bandon and the need to have a united effort to enhance sports facilities in the town and particularly athletics. Along with Club President Billy Good the idea of a Bandon Athletic Club was launched. While both Catherine and Billy have passed the idea has lived on and will become a reality very soon. Many dedicated people have been involved but to people in Bandon, athletics is still strongly associated with Catherine Duggan or better known to some as Catherine Wilmot.
Billy Good, Club President speaking at Catherines funeral put it well when he said. ‘ Catherine was more that a head coach, she could best be described in addition to being a mother figure, counsellor and psychiatrists among other things. When an athlete young or not so young had a bad performance, Catherine was there to comfort and advise.
Catherine is always talked about and missed dearly in the club, as we near the end of our development of a place to call ‘home’ we know Catherine has been rooting us on to get to that finish line, as in Catherines words after every competition ‘you did great today’.
