Barry O'Mahony is the instructor of the Innishannon Tae Kwon Do Club in the Parish Hall.


Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art which has a reputation for being an
ideal method for people of all ages to learn self defence while also
improving their fitness and gaining greater self confidence.

Our club was established in 2005 and has already produced a number of
national champions and we are hoping to have our first Black Belts
coming up through the ranks next year.

We've recently had a big success in the club with one of our students
taking a bronze medal at the European Championships.
I've attached a photo and below is a copy of the article which has been
sent to the Bandon Opinion: (the photo shows Lorinda Crowley (middle)
with her instructors Claire Wilcox and Barry O'Mahony)

Over the weekend of April 26th and 27th, Cork's Neptune Stadium played
host to the European Tae Kwon Do Championships. The event, being hosted
by the Irish representatives of the martial art's world governing body,
Tae Kwon Do International, was one of the biggest on record and
attracted in excess of 700 competitors from all corners of the
continent, including a typically strong Irish squad.
The Irish competed bravely against some of the best practitioners in
Europe and, as is usually the case in Tae Kwon Do tournaments, came away
with a sizeable haul of awards from all divisions.
Among the Irish prize-winners was Lorinda Crowley of Innishannon Tae
Kwon Do Club, who took third place in her category for sparring. Lorinda
fought with great intelligence and skill in all of her bouts but,
unfortunately was bested in the semi-final by a Welsh competitor, who in
turn went on to claim gold in the final.
Speaking after the event, her coach and the head instructor at the
Innishannon and Ballinhassig clubs, Barry O'Mahony said: "Everyone at
the club is delighted for Lorinda and I am personally very proud of her.
She takes her training very seriously and never misses a class. This is
a very significant moment for the Innishannon club because in the three
years since I opened the club we have had a number of regional and
national champions, but this is the first time that one of our students
has competed internationally. That alone is a notable achievement but
what is most impressive is the fact that she managed to come home with a
medal from her first international event."
Although this competition is over and the summer break is fast
approaching, the students in Innishannon and Ballinhassig are not taking
it easy, they are all training hard for their upcoming exams and some
have already begun preparation for next year's Black Belt exams. For
further information on Junior or Adult classes in your area, contact
instructor Barry O’Mahony on 086 3488 599 or email barry@warriortkd.com.