Paddy Fay - The Godfather of Irish Sprinting

I recently met Paddy Fay for a catch up. We met in Raheny GAA Club bar and the breadth of his sporting background was on show. All the GAA lads seemed to know Paddy and he explained that he used to be the Director of Underage Football in the club. It was something I never knew about Paddy.

His athletics coaching career included the athletics team in Lusk National School, where he was a teacher, and their success was exceptional particularly at sprints and relays. But primary school athletics was far from the pinnacle of his coaching career and when he finally retired he had amassed 59 National Senior medals, including 22 golds, 20 Irish Internationals and 4 Olympians.

It was Paddy’s move into relays in the mid 90 that defined his legacy. 

He recalled being handed the reigns of the National Sprint and Relay programme in late 1995, more of a toss and ‘there you go’ than a handoff. Morale was at an all-time low with the relays. Paddy wrote to all national sprint squad members and a gathering was held in February of 1996. Neil Ryan was being coached by Paddy at that stage and was probably Ireland’s top sprinter. With the group gathered Paddy asked what peoples plan’s for the season was. Neil piped up and said to break the Irish record and run in the Atlanta Olympics that summer. The room erupted in laughter, well most of the room. Paddy cut them off with ‘what are ye laughing at, he is deadly serious’. Paddy noticed one guy not laughing, Gary Ryan. Both Neil and Gary Ryan raced at the Olympics that summer.

Belief is a big thing in Paddy’s toolbox as a coach. Paul McKee, current National 4 x 400 Relay coach, invited Paddy to speak to the U20, U23 and Senior relay teams after they had raced at the Ton Le Gaoithe meet recently. Most of the athletes wouldn’t have known Paddy. There was some messing and there was some laughing there too amongst them. Most listened though and listened intently as Paddy laid it down to them and said it was up to them individually if they wanted to progress. Maybe it was a coincidence but many of those who were listening intently to Paddy in Waterford were in Oordegem last Saturday pushing their boundaries and running PBs across all the sprint events. The belief may have rubbed off.

Paddy speaks of his influences down through the years. Seagrave, Velichenok, Vettori, Locetelli, Dick, Hart, Lisowski, Paraschuk and Pfaff. He worked closely with Lisa Regan, Strength and Conditioning coach, in UCD and attended many conferences around the world. A spell with Dan Pfaff in California thought him so much about acceleration and starting and was a lightbulb moment. He says coaches should always be looking to learn, seeing what other coaches are doing and understand what they are doing. He says Irish coaches don't work together enough and we should coach and train together.

Paddy has many great memories. 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 national records. Three relay teams at the Sydney Olympics. A world indoor 4 x 400 medal behind Jamaica and Russia as well as being team coach to many medallists. He coached Joanne Cuddihy to an Irish record over 400m in Osaka with 50.73. There will be more on that in the next few weeks.

For now Paddy is retired and living in sunny Spain. He says his door is always open and is always willing to help athletes, coaches and the sport in general.