Click photo to enlarge Logo International Road Race Men's Race Girls Race Women's Race

Address: 40 Mullacreevie Park Armagh BT60 4BA Contact: Maria Vernon Phone: (028) 3752 8683 Email: jbvallely@tiscali.co.uk Web Site: Main Area of Interest: Sport Secondary Areas of Interest: Men, Women, Community Development, Culture, Environment, Youth, Other Other Information: Armagh Athletic Club organises and hosts the annual International Road Race. The first International Sport & Cultural Week took place in January 1975 at venues in Cashel County Tipperary, Navan County Meath and Dunleer County Louth. The concept of the inaugural event was to humanise International Athletics by combining a sporting event with a cultural interaction between the visitors and the host communities. This took the form of an organised programme of historic tours, civic receptions, visits to workplaces, formal and informal cultural events - e.g., concerts/theatrical performances/dances/exhibitions of visual art etc. The event was an immense success and has continued in that format until now and the 30th Anniversary celebrations with races and cultural events around the Armagh International Road Race and Ras na hEireann which between them account for more than 50% of the history of International Sport & Cultural Week. We are delighted on this year to welcome Monsieur Jean Boulanger who brought the first ever overseas team representing the FSGT of France to Ireland in 1974 and who has been involved most years ever since. Jean is now retired but has made a special effort to attend the 30th Anniversary celebrations. When we mention Jean we also remember another great stalwart of the FSGT the late Pierre Malaquin who was a life long friend to Ireland. Over the course of 30 years this long standing event has brought athletes from many diverse countries to every part of Ireland North & South. Among the participating countries have been France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Poland, (West) Germany, Czechoslovakia, USSR, Israel, Algeria, England, Scotland, Wales, with the addition this year of South Africa, USA, Romania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Australia. International Sport & Cultural Week represents the longest consecutive road & cross country series in Irish Athletic History. Many changes have occurred in the Irish Athletic Landscape since 1975 but International Sport & Cultural Week has been a constant reminder of sporting and cultural values rooted in community endeavour. The 14th Armagh International Road Race is now organised under the rules of the Northern Ireland Athletic Federation.