Blackheath Archers 

Club History

History of Archery

Archery has a long and honourable history encompassing hunting, warfare and more recently, sporting  endeavours. The technology of bow and arrows has come a long way from the first stick and string hunting  weapons, via Henry the V's longbows at Agincourt, to todays carbon fibre marvels we see at the Olympics.

 

Movie characters such as Katniss and  Legolas;  TV shows such as Arrow, and  the spectacule of the Olympics and Paralympics attracted many new devotees to the sport. The profile of archery has never been higher.

 

The enduring fascination of such an apparently simple discipline is down to the challenge presented by mastering the physical and mental aspects of the sport. While many find equipment selection & maintainence an engaging hobby in itself.  Archery is one of the few sports where regardless of physical capability, age or sex, participants can participate and should they choose, compete.

 

As archery grows in popularity and sophistication Blackheath Archers will also continue to grow and develop. So if you are a shooter looking to make some new friends, want a new practice venue or if you fancy giving archery a try for the first time, contact us at Blackheath Archers.

History of Blackheath Archers

Blackheath Archers was started in the 80's by Jim Conroy who represented Ireland at the 1976' Montreal and 1980' Moscow Olympics and who can still occasionally be seen on the line coaching potential stars of the future. The club has run since then in close association with the Irish Wheelchair Association and we still have our Monday night training in the IWA in Clontarf. Another key personality in the development of the club was Pat McLoughlin  who represented Ireland in the 1984' Stoke Mandeveille and 1992' New York Paralympics. Pat coached  in the club until his untimley passing in 2020.  The most recent senior international sucess story is Kerrie Leonard who represented Ireland in the 2021' Tokyo Paralymics. Other international sucesses have been achieved by our  Juniors and Cadets of whom 3 are recent or still are members of the Irish under 21 squad. Other competiative sucesses along the way have included national titles in Gents Master Recurve in both indoor and outdoor disciplines, Ladies Cadet champion on 4 occasions and many, many, other medal placings at provincial and club level competitions.

 

Members of the club (as of Dec 2023) hold seven national Irish records 

Provisional FITA - Gents Master Recurve

60m Outdoor - Gents Master Recurve 144 arrows

60m Outdoor - Gents Master Recurve 72 arrows

60m Outdoor - Gents Master Recurve 36 arrows

30m Outdoor - Youth Ladies Recurve 72 arrows

18m Indoor - Gents Master Recurve 120 arrows

18m Indoor - Ladies Cadet Recurve 120 arrows

 

Aside from the competative sucesses  the club has enjoyed over the years we have many recreational archers who simply enjoy shooting their bow. Some use shooting as a form of mindfulness, clearing their head of everything except the next arrow, for others  the "chat" is as important as the shooting. Whatever the motivation to get into archery there is a place for you in the club.