I was clearing out some old boxed this evening and came across an article from TIO January 1984 - 40 years ago. Though the contents may be slightly different, I think a very similar article could be written today.
Martin
CURRAGH NEWS, TIO January 1984
As this is the off-season for some of us less hardy mortals (self-imposed or otherwise) let us digress from the familiar hustle and bustle of weekend orienteering and reflect a little on some of the people who make the sport what it is... (for better or for worse).
The John Wayne Profile.
Paddy Joe Healy is the veritable man of all seasons. Who in the sport today has not heard of "orienteering's Mr. Nice Guy"? But orienteering itself is the recipient of only a fraction of this dude's talent. In 1972 he was a close runner-up in the National Decathlon. Since then he's been frequent All-Army Champion at the hammer and the pole vault, the triple jump and the mixed wheelbarrow race. He's also widely renowned as a bonesetter, arm wrestler, folklore historian and, more recently, a limbo dancer.
In orienteering, Pat has been runner-up in numerous elusive championships. Probably the main reason he has won no major O-title is that he has either organised the event or he has drawn the map! Indeed, his contribution to sport in general, and orienteering in particular, is second to none. PJ has, for instance, done for mapping what Eileen Loughman has done for O-suits. He has produced more maps in Ireland than anyone else – even Sean Cotter! What we are talking about here is a one-man mapping service with operational capacity of six maps per annum (that was, of course, until he got married). Now that Pat's a family man there's only time for five maps in the year! Pat organises the Community Games in Mosney, trains numerous local football teams, and runs the Suncroft Field Sports more often than you've seen the proverbial hot dinner.
His theories on training and coaching can be quite unconventional, to say the least, and are consequently the subject of much erudite discourse and deliberation. Indeed, most of the "greats" have passed through the guru's hands at one time or another. For instance, it's reputed that he took the youthful Murph under his wing and "rared" him on sets of 20 x 400 and pints of "nourishment", to produce the fine athlete we've all come to admire.
PJ is also an authority on car maintenance, beet harvesting, baby care and building construction. Only a while ago he was "Building the house, getting the job done, drawing the map, getting married and trying to put in 120 miles a week", an action-packed schedule by any superman's standard.
He has travelled abroad with the military team every year since 1976 Brazil made it C.I.S.M. trip number 8. He has also been indispensable to the national team over the same period. So, together with Wally Young, Pat is the most capped man in the sport.
The same guy has always yearned to move on to management and "show 'them all how to get it right" He is at present, along with Harry Quirke and Tom Hodson, masterminding C.I.S.M. '87 which takes place in Ireland. And what, then, of the immediate future? Who can tell, but 1984 could well be his year, because both himself and the Murph are certainly looking forward to the technically demanding Connemara terrain, the venue for this year's Irish Championships. With his "Swedish experience" the Murph probably has the edge, but with thw other cowboy just about anything is possible.
Curragh News has the pleasure of presenting the 1983 "Red Needle" Awards for outstanding individual contributions to orienteering. These are listed with the other awards and honours on a separate page.
