An Cosantóir

| 27 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE Naval Service team in the "All Army" junior cross-country championships in 1991, winning by a narrow two-point margin (the first time the NS had ever won a cross-country team event at all-army level). Tom joined the athletics committee in 1989 as the Naval Service Rep. Highlights of his time on the committee include helping to establish the Defence Forces 10-mile road race in 2013, being team manager for the Defence Forces team at the CISM international cross-country in Belgium in 2016, where the men's team placed third; and, being team manager for the Naval Service team that won the Defence Forces senior cross-country championships in 2016. A stalwart of the athletics committee, Tom was active in organizing events across the Defence Forces until he retired in 2017 after a remarkable 45-year long career. Commandant Tom O'Keefe (Retired) Tom joined the Defence Forces as a cadet in 1976 and was commissioned 2 years later. A keen long-distance runner as well as an orienteer, highlights of Tom's athletics career include placing second individual in the "All Army" novice cross country championships in 1983 and winning 6 team medals in the All Army senior cross-country championships over the years. He also represented the DF in the CISM World Orienteering Championships in Hungary in 1993. From an early stage Tom was also actively involved in organising athletics events, starting out in an organisational role as the cross-country Rep for the Curragh Command in 1980. He was also closely involved in the CISM world military cross- country championships on the two occasions when that event was held in Ireland - in 1994 he was a liaison officer for one of the visiting delegations and in 1998 he assisted Comdt (Retired) Pat Healy on the organising committee. Tom served as chairman of the DF Athletics Committee from 2003 to 2013 (handing over the role to the writer in 2013). He retired from the Defence Forces in 2015 after long and loyal service to both the organisation and the Athletics Committee. CPO Cian McParland Cian joined the Defence Forces in 1999 and has worked in the Naval Service in a communications role since then. A keen runner, he has been a member of the athletics committee as the Naval Service Rep since 2014 and will be well known across the Defence Forces for his relentless hard work behind the scenes organising athletic events each year. He is rightly proud of his role in establishing the Defence Forces 10-mile road race which was inaugurated in 2013 and has been successfully hosted by Cian and his colleagues in the Naval Service every year since. Cian was team manager of the Defence Forces cross-country team at the CISM international cross-country in Schaffen, Belgium in 2018 where both the men's and woman's teams achieved podium placings. He was also team manager of the winning Naval Service team at the Defence Forces senior men's cross-country championships in 2016. CQMS Pat Byrne Pat joined the Defence Forces in 1994 completing his military training in 3 Infantry Battalion. From the outset, Pat established himself as an outstanding athlete in long- distance events. His many athletic achievements are too numerous to mention but they can be summarised to include: winning the Defence Forces senior men's cross-country championships on 12 occasions, winning the An Cosantóir 10K on 9 occasions; and representing the Defence Forces in CISM international military competition on no less than 21 occasions. Pat joined the athletics committee in 2010 and since then he has organised a number of DF championship events and acted as team manager at international events including in Switzerland in 2012 at a European level CISM cross-country event where the Defence Forces men's team placed second, and at the European cross-country event in Schaffen, Belgium in 2019, where both the men's and women's teams achieved podium placings. Pat has spent most of his career in the DFTC. Still an active competitive runner at master's level, he is a member of Tinryland athletics club in Carlow. Comdt (Retired) Tom O'Keefe (Yellow T-Shirt) Pictured with members of the DF Athletics Committee CPO Cian McParland at a recent event CQMS Pat Byrne Comdt Noel Conway, Warrant Officer (Retired) Tom Kelly and CPO Cian McParland at this year's An Cosantóir 10k race

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