Every coach and volunteer of our Club dedicates their time on a voluntary basis. We believe that athletics have the power to break down walls, forge friendships, and transform lives.

List of Coaches of Shannon AC 

Chris Sloan 

Qualification: Assistant Coach and Rugby Level 1 coaching 

Favourite Discipline: 400m

What I do in Shannon AC: (Glorified helping dad!) Assistant coach or general exercise and preparation for training.  Warm up etc.

Achievements: In my day…. Numerous of County, Provincial and All Ireland medals in various disciplines including 400m, 800m & 1500m.

Eamonn Cleary 

Position: Chairperson, coach and athlete

Specialist Events: Shot Putt, Discus and Long Jump

Achievements in Athletics: Numerous County, Munster and National titles at underage. Senior County and Munster Titles.
Senior national medals in National League.  Eamonn’s goal for the club is to ensure that every athlete who joins Shannon AC are provided with a fun, safe and successful environment.

Frank Short 

Position: Vice-Chair and Designated Liaison Person

Specialist Events: Sprint 

Achievements in Athletics: Fantastic coach knowledgeable to interest anyone in sprints. Former Rugby player. His adult sessions are on Tuesdays 6.30 - 7.30 pm. 

Jennifer Cleary 

Position: Level 1 coach, the Committee member 

Specialist Events: Children athletic development, Throws

Achievements in Athletics:  Two silvers for Shot Put and Weight for Women at Neenagh Indoors in February 2025. 

John Hourigan 

Position: Assistant Coach, the Committee member, dedicated runner 

Specialist Events: Children athletic development, long distance runs.  

Achievements in Athletics: Participation in multiple sports running events across Ireland. Dedicated volunteer of 
Illaunmanagh parkrun in Shannon. 

Karl Fitzmaurice 

Position: Assistant Coach, the Committee member, our absolute star runner 

Specialist Events: Long distance runs. Karl runs adult runners groups throughout the year. 

Achievements in Athletics: Second in the Big Apple Half Marathon, held in New York on December 14 2024. Karl finished the demanding course in 1 hour nine minutes and 58 seconds.

Keith McNamara 

Position: Committee Member and Coach 

Favorite event: 60m&100m Hurdles

Keith is Recreation & Leisure Graduate with numerous coaching qualifications, and  over 20 years of experience in various  track, field and aquatic sports within Clubs, Schools, Third Level Institutions, Leisure Facilities, Local Government and National Governing Bodies at all levels both national and international.

For many years Keith has specialized in working on Fundamentals movement skills and long term participation in sports
while been an I Coach Kids pledge holder.

Rob Bryan

Position: Assistant Coach, the Committee member, runner

Specialist Events: Long runs 

Achievements in Athletics: Rob is absolutely mad about running and he shares his devotion with others so willingly that there's no one who could compete him in that field! Not a month goes by without him taking part in a running event what brings him tones of medals! Rob is also a dedicated volunteer of Illaunmanagh parkrun in Shannon. 

Rob Stephen 

Position: Assistant Coach, the Committee member, dedicated runner 

Specialist Events: Children athletic development, long distance runs, charity runs.   

Achievements in Athletics: May you not be deceived by Rob's silent attitude. He's an absolute volcano of energy and great ideas. Rob assist at almost every training session for kids guiding them through each part of athletic drill. Rob is a devoted volunteer of                Illaunmanagh parkrun in Shannon. He also started the GOAL Mile event at our club, in December 2024. Rob is mad about long distanced and takes part in multiple running events across Ireland. 

Sinead Lenihan

Qualification: Level 1 Coach, Safeguarding Children 3rd Level

Initial motivation: deeply personal, driven by a desire to support her sons' athletic pursuits and overall physical development. 

Now, in her dual role as a coach and Children's Officer: 

 Sinead is responsible for safeguarding children at Shannon Athletic Club. Sinead ensures that all Club procedures and policies are compliant with  safeguarding policies designed to protect children and vulnerable adults. These policies include ensuring a safe environment, actively preventing abuse, harassment, or exploitation, and having clear procedures for reporting and responding to safeguarding concerns. 

Sinead's role as SNA at St. Tolas National School in Shannon further showcases her commitment to youth development, both in sports and education.  

Wojciech Wisniewski

Qualification: Level 1 Coach 

Favorite discipline: Race Walking 

Athletic achievement: Gold for Race Walking during Indoor Champs in Neenagh in February 2025. Usually trains younger kids, with the special emphasis on their physical education and development. Wojtek wants to start a race walking group for regular trainings.