Heery remains focused on sustaining rural communities

Former Athletic Association of Ireland (AAI) president Michael Heery turned 80 recently, but the Ballinacree man remains more focused than ever on the need to sustain rural communities.

Heery says it's vitally important that there is a continued emphasis by the government on helping sports clubs to develop their facilities because by doing so local communities can be sustained.

While the Ballinacree native agrees successive governments have done a lot in recent times in that regard he feels the focus needs to be maintained on helping clubs in various sports develop because they are the lifeblood of the communities.

A founder member of the local St Brigid's AC in 1970 Heery also played his part in helping St Brigid's GAA club get up and running in the 1960s.

He points to how those two clubs have become vital, integral parts of the Ballinacree community.

"We've got four acres that is used by the athletics club and another seven used by the GAA club and it's great for the community that we have those adjacent facilities, all inside one block of land," he commented.

"There's also the Community Centre where the old school was, all those kind of facilities are very important in helping to sustain a community like ours, to keep people together."

In an interview in this week's Meath Chronicle Heery reflects on his life so far, particularly in athletics.

He reflects on his years as an administrator and how he rose to become the top official in Irish athletics.

The Ballinacree man also outlines how he first developed a love for athletes by taking part in local sports days which were common in his youth.

He outlines how "more by accident than design" he progressed through the various administrative levels at county, provincial and national levels.

He became president of the National Athletic Cultural Association (NACA) and in that role was closely involved in the formation of the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI), also known as Athletics Ireland, in 1999

Heery also added that while great strides have been made in terms of the growth of athletics in counties such as Meath more needs to be done.

"When you think how Meath has the third highest number of registered athletes in the country it shows just how much has been done to develop the sport in the last 50 years," he remarked.

"There's a lot of people who can take great credit for that, but we have to keep doing what we can," added the man who is also the well-respected Co Board delegate for the St Brigid's GAA club.