Founding Member of Eagle AC (1982 – 1988)

Eagle AC were saddened to hear of the passing of one of it’s founding members Mr. Fred Gilbert, on December 24th, 2022.

Fred along with his wife Sheila Gilbert and Mick Clancy were the three founding members of Eagle A.C. originally known as the Eagle Track Club upon its commencement in the Autumn of 1982. Prior to this Fred was a well-known coach with the juvenile section of St Finbarr’s Athletic Club.

While Eagle Track Club had adult members from its beginning, the club’s main role lay in coaching the juniors and juveniles. Fred Gilbert was a passionate coach and the club he directed between 1982 and 1988 produced several excellent junior athletes. These included Fred’s sons Tony & Declan Gilbert, who won athletics scholarships to the University of Lowell near Boston. Tony O’ Gorman who won an athletics scholarship to Minnesota University & Fidelma Kirwan, who was a Celtic and schools’ 400 metres hurdles international.

With thanks to Paul Cotter ‘A history of Eagle Athletic Club’ was compiled in January 2022, more about the excellent Junior athletes fostered by Fred within the club at that time can be read here:

Eagle Athletic Club – A History Eagle Athletic Club – A History | Eagle Athletic Club (eagleac.net)

A well-known Eagle AC member since 1983, Mr Joe Murphy was thankful to Fred for giving him an introduction to Eagle A.C. on December 26^th, 1982, so he could complete in the Cork Road Championships.

Thank you to Joe for providing this photo of Fred competing alongside Joe & Michael in the ‘Mallow Metric Marathon’ in 1985.

We are ever grateful for Fred’s contributions to the establishment of Eagle A.C. as no doubt are many Cork athletes who trainer under Fred in their Juvenile years.

We offer our sincere condolences to Fred Gilberts family and friends at this difficult time.

Extracts from:

’Looking Back…25 Years of the BLE in Cork. The book was written and edited by Colm Murphy and was published ~ 1993. Eagle AC by Paddy Linehan

Eagle Athletic Club – A History Eagle Athletic Club – A History | Eagle Athletic Club (eagleac.net)

Contributions from Joe Murphy