Condolences to his family.
This is the notice... https://rip.ie/death-notice/denis-buckley-cork-carrigrohane-631346
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
Welcome to the Running in Cork blog, home of the Cork running community. This is the largest website in Cork & Munster for news on road races and general running news. Included are a current race calendar, race previews, photos, results as well as some local, national and international news items.
Condolences to his family.
This is the notice... https://rip.ie/death-notice/denis-buckley-cork-carrigrohane-631346
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
Back in March of 2026, Aideen Coleman sent me a message to say that the Junior parkrun in Ballincollig for 4-14 year olds had over 300 finishers, more than the local 5k parkrun the previous day. I put up a post about it HERE.
After that, I was thinking about all the other parkruns in Co Cork. How are they getting on? What are their numbers like? Are they all growing like Ballincollig?
First off, there are eight 2km junior parkruns in Co Cork and the locations are shown on the map above. I calculated the average number of finishers per week for each event for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and I plotted them as a chart.
Ballincollig was the only event to show growth for two years in a row. Out of the eight junior parkruns, six recorded a decline in 2025. Dunmanway (Dromleena Lawn), Togher (Clashduv), Ballinlough (Nursery Drive) and Haulbowline all showed a large drop in 2025.
I asked Aideen why the Ballincollig junior parkrun is so popular compared to the rest and she said that having a 5k parkrun at the same location on a Saturday is a huge help.
There is a certain amount of synergy between the two events in that the 5k parkrun participants are much more likely to be aware that there is a junior parkrun at the same location on Sunday and might bring their kids along. The 5k parkrun can also help in terms of being a pool for potential volunteers to help out at the junior event.
It's probably no accident that Ballincollig and Mallow are the two largest junior parkruns in Co Cork and both have 5k parkuns on Saturday. Aideen gave the example of the Tralee parkrun so I looked at those numbers...
Do numbers really matter???... Some may argue that large numbers don't really matter and they'd have a point. As long as there are enough volunteers and the event goes ahead week after week then that's fine.
It is probably fair to say however that reasonable numbers do matter. The more children taking part means more parents in attendance and the larger pool of people from which to draw volunteers.
In conclusion... Looking at the stats, it's very much a mixed picture for the junior parkruns in Co Cork. While Ballincollig and Mallow seem to be doing pretty well, some of the others seem to be in decline.
Looking at some events, they have had to cancel events from time to time due to a lack of volunteers. If the decline in numbers continues then it seems likely that some events may cease in the future.
If anyone is interested in trying to boost their numbers then it might be worth contacting the team behind the Ballincollig parkrun to see what they are doing right.
The Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k is the most popular race on the BHAA calendar and this year was no exception with 1048 finishers. While that is down a bit on the numbers for 2025, it's the second highest numbers for this race.
Final results HERE
15% Discount...... John Buckley Sports gave out 15% discount to all finishers in the race. Use your race number and present it in the shop to avail of the 15% discount. It will apply to any purchases in their shop which is across from the Opera House in the heart of Cork City. Needless to say, the amount you save with the discount may well exceed the race entry so they are well worth getting. Note that the discount is not restricted to just one item. When you are using it, you can buy several products at the one time and get 15% off the lot.
The FTD brothers are currently doing 33 marathons in Ireland in 33 days and on Monday the 18th of May, they will be starting one in Cork City.
They will be starting at 10am in Tramore Valley Park and are doing a loop around the city as shown on the map below.
Update: Doug Minihane has a photo gallery of the run HERE
Details below...On Monday 18th May, Jordan & Cian will take on the Cork leg of their incredible challenge:
![]() |
| First 3 men in the 5k (L-R)... Diarmuid Nolan, Rob Kehoe & Sean Lucey |
The annual Darrara National School 5k & 10k near Clonakilty was held this year on Friday 15th of May 2026.
![]() |
| First 3 women in the 10k (L-R)... Julie O;Brien, Sinead O'Regan 2nd & Maura Regan 3rd |
The combined 5k & 10k times are show below...
Position Bib Number Time Name Notes
'But past is all his fame. The very spot
Where many a time he triumph'd is forgot.' Goldsmith.. The Deserted Village
When do we accept ourselves and where we are. As runners we are fantastic and still we beat ourselves up trying for further glory. When does acceptance finally hit us with the reality of age and just how we are actually beating it and performing on a daily basis.
I’m old in my sixties or am I young in my sixties?
I run a few times a week and go to races. I'm doing things that a person of my age couldn't, wouldn't or be encouraged to attempt years ago.
I have the mentality of a 23 year old
I have the social internet skills of a 33 year old
I have lovely friends I run with who are 43.
My Garmin tells me my actual fitness age is 53
My birth cert age is 63 and not long to go for free-travel
My knees feel 73 years old
I’m home from hols today and tomorrow’s parkrun could feel like 83 after all the beer and food.
Serious
Too many people pack up or lose enjoyment when they are not hitting the marks and making improvements continually. We age, accept it, but please allow yourself to be able to get slower and know that you are ahead of 99% of the population because you run. Accept your body however flawed it may be.
With age comes a deterioration in function but runners defy / delay / beat / kick the sh**e out of ordinary process. We are special. Injuries happen, recover, drive on.The majority of runners who stop running do so because of inability to accept a slowing process instead of embracing the love of still running.
I love seeing young people running and performing, striving to improve and setting new records. That is life and progress.
If your best days are behind you in term of times then maybe your best days are ahead in terms of love of running. The head or the heart? Support or despair?
Lecture over
'And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, that one small head could carry all he knew.' Goldsmith.. The Deserted Village
#pwr
The second race in the 2026 West Waterford AC Summer Series is coming up on Friday 22nd of May with the Ardmore 5-mile road race.
The race starts at 7:30pm and the pre-entry fee is €12 - LINK or €15 on the night.
Considering the location, it should be of interest to runners in east Cork.
From West Waterford AC... 29th ANNUAL ROUND TOWER HOTEL ARDMORE 5
Race number 2 in our series this year takes us to the fast course in the beautiful village of Ardmore. Join us in Ardmore for a great evening's running and thanks to our sponsor, The Round Tower Hotel we will have prizegiving and refreshments after the race.
Online entry only again and the fee is €12. The entry fee on the night will be €15
We also have an option to purchase an amazing gilet celebrating the summer series for just €20.
Number collection is. at Ardmore GAA club grounds (by kind permission).
29th Annual Round Tower Hotel
Ardmore 5 Miles, Friday 22nd May 2026 @ 7.30pm
![]() |
| (L-R) First 3 men... Andrew Hyland 2nd, Mark Walsh 1st & Eric Murphy 3rd |
Full results HERE
![]() |
| Orla Drumm of Cork City AC was the first woman |
![]() |
| First place finish for Dr Vivian Foley |
Full results HERE
Numbers... There were 284 finishers this year which is down just over 10% on the number for last year. The last time the numbers dropped below the 300 mark was back in 2013.
![]() |
| Tadhg O'Sullivan of Glanmire AC wins the 2026 Run Killarney Half-Marathon in a time of 70m 49s |
The big race in Munster this weekend was the Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k which was held on Saturday 9th of May 2026. In the half-marathon, there were 1211 finishers while there were 1206 in the 10k. Entries for this event sold out months ago.
Considering the event was in Killarney, there was of course a huge contingent of runners from Cork taking part.
![]() |
| Carol Finn wins the 2026 Run Killarney 10k in a time of 37m 28s |
* Apologies *
Never got around to a proper post this week. I contemplated retirement from running and writing rubbish recently. Let me elaborate.
I cycled with a friend of mine a year or 2 ago on a nice fine summer evening. Thanks Miss Ciara. It was a hilly scenic route and we passed the 42 km mark in a few seconds over 2hrs. Leisure cycling with a little effort, (not your head down, arse up, lycra brigade crew.. don't get me started..!), just normal people using a bike. I remarked that when the sub 2hr marathon mark was broken then a person would be running faster than we were cycling. Congrats Sabastian Sawe and fair play but you are killing me man.
So to compensate I took myself to sunnier climes to do a little warm weather training and wonder have I a future in running. Training for what has yet to be decided but at least the intention was there.
Sun, sand, sea, some dubious cocktail selections, some boardwalk runs, some sand dunes, some prayers for a good pair of knees. The future isn't any clearer.
Folks don’t take me seriously as I jest.
Glac bóg an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bóg thú.
Take life fine and easy and life will be fine and easy on you.. The Tailor Buckley. Tailor and Ansty 1942. One of my holiday reading books
#PWR