Confirmation today from the very go-ahead Olympic Boxing Club in Galway that in conjunction with the gatheringireland.com the club will host top English club Queensberry A.B.C from Stoke, Staffordshire on St Patrick’s Night.
The March 17th card has been dubbed ”St Paddy’s Day Bash- The Fighting Irish v The English”. It promises to be fantastic and entertaining afternoon and evening of boxing.
Both teams will have their respective National champions competing on the night. All are welcome to come out and support Galway’s finest as they take on their English friends.
The Queensberry A.B.C. which has strong Irish roots, arrive on March 16th and, as is tradition, will take part in the St Patrick’s Day parade before that evening’s boxing.
Doors open at 4.30pm. The first bout is at 5pm. There will be plenty of entertainment, including a raffle for boxing memorabilia.
The full program will be announced shortly. The Olympic BC have named an experienced Senior and Youth team for the eagerly anticipated clash and are looking forward to the occasion.
Some of their athletes will be aiming for National glory a week after the March 17th outing at the Boy 4 and Youth 1 & 2 Irish Championships.
The Olympic BC hope to see a full house for their Gathering of “The Fighting Irish v The English”.
Tickets for the St Patrick’s Day meeting between the Olympic BC and Queensberry A.B.C can be bought at the door or can be purchased from the following numbers – (087) 225 5953 or (085) 7303929.
If you are ‘heading out West’ for the “St Paddy’s Day Bash”, you can find the Olympic BC on the Seamus Quirke Road in Galway. For the benefit of those not familiar with the club’s history, read on:
“The Olympic Boxing Club was founded in the under the name of the Holy Family in the 1960′s and was later renamed, in 1988,as the Olympic Boxing Club under the guidance of Michael ‘Chick’ Gillen an accomplished boxer himself.
At the time Olympic B.C struggled to find a permanent building to train in but in 2000 moved to their current – and permanent – base on the Seamus Quirke Road. ”
The highlight of the club’s history to date was back in 1996 when local lad Francie Barrett went on to represent his country at the Atlanta Olympic Games and also carried the Irish flag at the opening ceremony.
Since then the club has gone from strength to strength winning countless county, provincial and national titles under guidance of head coach John Mongan who also has the honour of being a 1 star qualified European referee and judge and has officiated in many parts of Europe to date.
Many members of the Olympic B.C have gone on to represent their country in away tournaments all over the world including at World and European level as well as domestic level in the 4 nation and 6 nation tournaments and various round robin events.
Some of the club’s biggest stars, 1996 Olympian Francie Barrett apart, include World Junior bronze medallist (Budapest 2000) Coleman Barrett, and more recently European schoolboy silver medallist James Cleary so the Olympic club’s future is in good hands. Coley Barrett, cousin of Francie, won 13 of his first 14 professional bouts.
