Dessie Kennedy who has lived in Canada for the past thirty or so years was the first treasurer of our club. He also acted as secretary for some years.To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much of how he managed the money, for Dessie was much more than that. He did often enough have a wee whinge (rightly so ) at the members who were slow to pay up in their club dues. I think it was a shilling (5 p in current day money ) a week.

It was he who cajoled, organised, and encouraged everybody, and it was Dessie who kept it going through the bad days… and there were some. True to the club always, Dessie still keeps in touch, and looks at this website to see who is doing what.

Dessie ran the club races, the open races, and was stuck in the middle of anything else that was going on for a good few years….and he drove the “team”car (Usually Haydn Mulhoullands old Hillman Californian ) if it was available. Cars were scarce in those days. Once, we had a team in the Tour of Ulster ( I think maybe 1961 ) , starting in Belfast. On arrival the organisers were let down in their own transport arrangements, and “our” team car was commandeered..including Dessie…to transport them to Derry, and on to Monaghan the next day. It was no bother to Des. I still can see him in Derry after that first stage, driving around in the rain looking for Mickey Downey who had been dropped on the Glenshane Pass and nobody knew where he was.

When most of the member left the club in 1968 to start up the Lurgan Road Club, it was Dessie who worked hard to pull things together again. Jim McConville was our only open race cyclist for a wee while, and he rewarded Dessie with wins in many local races, as well as a Ras Tailteann stage and the Irish Road Race Championship during the early seventies.

Club races were held on a one mile circuit at Killaughey in the seventies, and Des was there every week with his pen and paper and a watch. He was starter, handicapper, judge and sometimes jury when there was some little disagreement. Ha had a great passion for our sport, and I believe he still has.

Dessie now lives near Toronto in Canada with his wife and family.

Maurice Bann-Lavery