Full house with the cycle to the Macroom parkrun - 1st Nov 2025

Over the last 18-months or so, both Grellan McGrath and myself have been cycling to the various 5k parkruns in Co Cork.

It started off as just going for a cycle to a parkrun but it kind of morphed over time into a challenge to see if we could do all eleven of them.

In July of 2025, we cycled to Glengarriff for number nine, post HERE.

In August of 2025, we made the long trip down to Bere Island for number ten, post HERE.

The last remaining one was Macroom for number eleven. The difficulty at this time of year is the early morning start in the dark and getting there before 9:30am.

To make it more interesting and a bit of a challenge, we planned a route where we would avoid using the national N roads or Regional R roads as much as possible. That of course meant lots of hills!

We waited for the clocks to change at the end of October so that we would have an extra hour of daylight in the morning. Even at that, the clock was literally ticking for when we could do it before it was too dark in the mornings so we decided on Saturday the 1st of November.

I left my place at 6:20am in the dark and it was bit like the previous trip to Glengarriff in that I was heading off when some people were still coming home from the night before.

After 2kms or so, I came across four young fellas walking along the road in the dark with one of them wearing a wizards hat! As you do.😄

I eventually got to Grellan's place in Ballincollig just before dawn and we set off on the journey west... Ballincollig - Kilumney - Aherla - Cloughduv - Crookstown - up the hill to Kilmurry - down by the Gearagh - back up another hill and down into Marcroom with about 10-minutes to spare.

Parkrun #93 for Grellan McGrath

I had done the Macroom parkrun once before in 2015 but that was traveling there by car, getting there by bike was a completely different proposition.

Macroom is probably the most technical of the parkruns in Co Cork in that it has multiple loops. It's a kind of course where the first timers briefing is a bit of a waste because it seems so confusing but once you do it, it's pretty obvious.

Last Saturday, there were plenty of stewards at the critical junctions so there wasn't much chance of going wrong.

There are a few pulls in the 5k course but nothing too bad. Overall, it's a nice 5k parkrun set in a woodland setting which happens to be part of the local golf course.

After finishing the parkrun, I took a few photos of some runners behind me... Album.

Anyway, we both finished and job done, number 11 of 11. It was a case of then going to Lynch's Café for a cuppa before heading home via Bealnamorive, the Model village and then cross country to Ballincollig.

At the end of the loop from Ballincollig, we were on the R618 for only 3kms and spent the other 67kms of the loop on quiet country roads.

After leaving Grellan in Ballincollig, I got home just over an hour later with a total of 113kms on the bike.

In conclusion... That's it, job done, we had cycled to all eleven of the 5k parkrun in Co Cork. It's probably safe to say that we're the only two to have done it as not too many people cycle to the parkruns let alone doing all of them in the county,

It raises an interesting question... I wonder how many people have completed all eleven parkruns in Co Cork regardless of transport? 50? 100?

As for what's next? First up, Grellan will be doing his 100th parkrun sometime around Christmas hopefully.

As for the bike and 2026??? The Kingdom looks interesting...

Macroom 5k parkrun to celebrate 500th event!

The 5k parkrun in Macroom was the very first parkrun in Co Cork and it started way back on the 18th of May 2013. It would later be joined by the Clonakilty parkrun in February of 2014 and Bere Island in August 2014.

On the 2nd of November 2024, the Macroom event will be celebrating their 500th edition! ..and I hear there will be cake!

For more info on the Macroom parkrun, go to https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/

Sinead Twomey completes 250 parkruns

Well done to Sinead Twomey who completed her 250th 5k parkrun at the Castle Demesne event recently!

If we say one parkrun a week then it would take about 5 years of more or less doing a 5k parkrun every Saturday to reach this impressive total.

Looking at the stats on the Macroom 5k parkun page, Sinead did 205 of her 250 parkruns in Macroom, 9 in Ballincollig and the balance in a multitude of locations.

I wonder who has done the most 5k parkruns in Cork? Are there many over 250 parkruns? What's the max?

Corks oldest 5k parkrun hits 350 events - 13th Nov 2021

The 5k parkrun in Macroom hit a new milestone last Saturday with the 350th running of the event!

The first 5k parkrun in Dublin was in Malahide in November of 2021 and the Macroom event was the first one in Cork starting just six months later on the 18th of May 2013.

Behind that figure of 350 events is a huge amount of work done by the various volunteers over the years and all for free.

There are now nine 5k parkruns in Cork with the event in Youghal being the newest one starting just a few weeks ago in October of 2021. I'd expect in time, we'll see more several more 5k parkruns around the county.

You can find links to all of the 5k parkuns in Cork HERE

A closer look at the Castle Demense 5k parkrun numbers in Macroom...

The 5k parkrun in the Castle Demense in Macroom was the very first one on Cork and it started way back in May of 2013. The numbers per week since then are shown below but it's hard to really see the trend due to all the variability.

I've included a few key dates like the start of the Tramore Valley Park and Ballincollig parkruns. Both of these attracted runners closer to the city and seemed to have a short term impact on Macroom.

According to the Macroom parkrun website, the latest stats show the weekly average is 52.4 for all 218 events to date. An impressive 2,149 registered runners have taken part in the last 5 years and that doesn't include all those who hadn't registered.

To get a true picture of how Macroom is doing, I calculated the average for each year and plotted them.

As you can see after the initial surge in 2013, the number dropped in 2014 and 2015. Since then, it has gradually increased although it dropped a bit in 2018.

The 2018 average was 56.7 which is still ahead of the long term average of 52.4.

No parkrun is of course possible without the army of volunteers who make the event possible every week. It's a credit to them for what they have done as they head towards their 300th event in a few months time.

If you're interested in giving it a try then it's on at 9:30am every Saturday morning. You'll find more info on this website... http://www.parkrun.ie/castledemense/

A look at the parkrun numbers in Macroom

Over the last few weeks, I've had posts up about the various 5k parkruns in West Cork and how they were doing. This time, we'll have a look at the one in Macroom.

This particular parkrun is the oldest one in County Cork having started back on the 18th of May 2013. Since then, it has been held 165 times and a total of 1530 people have taken part. The average number per week based on all 165 events is 48.

The chart below shows the history of the event.

2013.....It started in May and got roughly 50-60 per week. In the second half of 2013, it slowed down a bit to about 40-50 per week.

2014.....It seems to get about 50 per week in the first half of the year with a noticeable drop to about 30 per week in the second half.

2015.....It starts off with a surge to about 50-60 per week with probably some help from the Operation Transformation TV programme. In the Summer, it tapers off to about 40 per week but the numbers get a bit weak towards the end of the year. The Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun in Cork City started in September and this is shown in the chart. Some of the runners closer to the city may have opted for the new run and the number dropped to about 20-30 per week. All the storms at the end of the year also resulted in some cancellations.

2016....In the chart, you'll also see the date for the last 5k parkrun in Tramore Valley Park. Despite the fact that 533 ran in Cork City, 77 runners still turned out in Macroom. This just goes to show how much Operation Transformation can have an impact on parkrun numbers.

For the next few months of 2016, the numbers were pretty good with about 70 per week taking part. No doubt a lot of this was due to the fact that the Tramore Valley Park event closed and some of those people new to parkrun opted for Macroom instead. Towards the end of May, the numbers dropped and the new parkrun in Ballincollig has caused a further drop. The Ballincollig event started on the 23rd of June and this is shown a B in the chart.

Over the last few weeks, it has been back down to about 30 per week. This is about 10 or so down on the same period last year.

The parkrun in Macroom isn't exactly the flattest but it's a nice spot all the same. It's located in the Castle Demense and the entrance is shown below which is next to the main Killarney road.

For more info on the Macroom parkrun, go to http://www.parkrun.ie/castledemense/

The Park Run in Macroom is one year old...

One year ago on the 18th of May 2013, the very first 5k Park Run in Cork was held in Macroom. The graph below show the numbers that have attended each week...

Initially, it started off with about an average of about 65 per week....took a dip during the bad winter storms....but then came back in the spring of 2014. Currently, it's about 55 per week on average. That's a slight drop on this time last year but is still relatively strong. It could just as easily have fizzled away to nothing after the initial enthusiasm but it didn't. When you consider that it is based on volunteers organising it every Saturday morning then the number are pretty impressive.

Review of the Macroom Park Run numbers

Park Runs started off in the UK in 2004 and have since become very popular. The concept is simple enough....a timed 5k course in a local park and people take part for free every week.

In May of this year, a new Park Run started in Macroom which was the first one in Cork. As outlined in this earlier post, there was a question mark about whether a weekly 5k event in an area with a low population density would keep going after the initial interest had worn off.

The event last Saturday was the 26th week and it is now going for six months. As can be seen from the graph below, the numbers have declined slightly of late but they are still getting around 50 people per week.

By the way, that peak at the end of August was due to Sonia O'Sullivan making an appearance.

Obviously as it's a free event, there is a large voluntary effort required to keep it going week after week regardless of the weather. The next challenge that they will probably face is trying to keep the numbers up over the wet and cold winter months.

There was talk a few months ago about other Park Runs starting up in Co.Cork but there has been no news of late. Anyone got any info???

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k Park Run...Sat 27th July 2013

A total of 78 people took part in this 5k run. The results can be seen HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k Park Run...Sat 20th July 2013

A total of 49 people took part in this 5k run. The results can be seen HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle Park Run...Sat 29th June 2013

This 5k Park Run last Saturday in Macroom attracted a field of 72 runners. The results can be seen HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k Park Run...Sat 22nd June 2013

1    John MATTHEWS    19:32    VM40-44    M 26.2 RRC
2    Dave LINNANE    20:32    SM25-29     M
3    Donal TWOMEY    20:51  VM40-44 M West Muskerry A.C.   
16    Edel O'LEARY    24:52    SW25-29    F
19    Karen OLEARY    25:16    SW30-34    F 
20    Mary LUCEY    25:19    SW30-34    F

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k Park Run...Sat 15th June 2013

1    John DUNPHY    19:19    VM40-44    72.82 %    M
2    Conor MCMAHON    20:30    VM45-49    69.67 %    M
3    Tom CUDDIHY    20:46    VM40-44    66.69 %    M
10    Rachel O'CALLAGHAN    22:25    VW35-39    F    
21    Riona CASEY    25:13    SW30-34    F
24    Claire KINGSTON    25:33    SW30-34    F 


The full results can be found HERE

Results of the Macroom 5k Park Run...Sat 1st & 8th June 2013

These are the results from the last two 5k park runs in Macroom...

Sat 1st June 2013...
1    Steve DARBY    18:11    VM45-49   M   Barnsley AC
2    Mark MCMAHON    18:31    VM40-44   M
3    Conor O CALLAGHAN    19:03    SM30-34   M
6    Hannah OLDROYD    19:42    SW25-29   F  Airedale Dodgers
16    Lora MURPHY    24:39    VW35-39   F
17    Karen OLEARY    24:47    SW30-34    F

The full results are HERE

**************
Sat 8th June 2013...
1    Niall TWOMEY    19:42    SM30-34     M     St Finbarrs AC
2    Unknown                                   
3    Tony DINEEN    20:33    SM20-24     M
7    Rachel O'CALLAGHAN    22:20    VW35-39     F
13    Grainne MULCAHY    23:58    JW14     F 
16    Riona CASEY    25:53    SW30-34   F    3 

The full results are HERE

Results of the Macroom Castle 5k ParkRun...Sat 25th May 2013

A total of 49 turned out for this 5k ParkRun in Macroom Castle Demense (64 last week).

Pos      parkrunner      Time      Cat      Grade      Gender      Pos      Club      Note      Runs 
1    John DUNPHY    19:18    VM40-44    72.88 %    M    1    Eagle AC
2    Niall TWOMEY    19:39    SM30-34    66.41 %    M    2    St Finbarrs AC
3    Maurice O SULLIVAN    21:22    SM25-29    60.37 %    M    3
11    Ann Marie MURPHY    24:58    VW45-49    63.62 %    F    1
14    Nora HAYES    25:38    VW45-49    61.96 %    F    2
15    Caroline KELLEHER    25:44    VW35-39    58.10 %    F    3

The full results can be seen HERE

Park Run comes to Cork...

Introduction.....Parkrun is an organisation that holds weekly timed 5 km runs throughout the UK. In more recent times, events have been introduced into Ireland. Old post in 2011 HERE 

It basically works by registering online and then getting a bar code to print out which you wear at any event you go to. Your bar code is then scanned at the end of each run and your time is updated to a results database.

Back in January, I had a post up about whether it was time for Park Runs to come to Cork? It generated a fair bit of debate with some holding different views on whether the concept was good for running or not.

The first event in Cork got underway in Macroom last Saturday, the 18th of May with 64 people taking part. This will be held now every Saturday in the Macroom Castle Demense at 9:30am. To take part, you need to register online first. More info HERE

The main idea behind the concept is that it is not a race but a timed run. You can do the exact same course a few weeks apart and you can see if your fitness is improving or not. You could also just use it as a training run or a casual run, whatever you feel like doing.


Looking at some of the other Parkruns in Ireland, here are some stats....
Enniskillen, Co.Fermanagh (Pop. 13.6k).....Numbers taking part 35 to 58
Cookstown, Co.Tyrone (Pop 11k).....Numbers taking part 18
Portrush, Co.Antrim (Pop 6k).......Numbers taking part 19 to 105

Macroom by comparison has a population of about 3,500 which is quite small.

The question now is how successful will it be in the long term? I have no doubt that there will be good numbers early on but what about in 6 or 12 months time when the novelty has worn off? Will people travel from Cork City and other towns to take part in it on a regular basis? Will it impact on local races? Will the glut of local races impact on it? Lots of questions with no answers. Only time will tell.