OUR PEOPLE, THE GENERATIONS - MEET THE SCANLONS, COUNTY LIMERICK

GRI

Meet the Scanlons from County Limerick – Donie, Kathy, Siobhan, Catriona and Kacie with greyhounds Bingo & Rolly.

The family race under the Ballyelan prefix, a nod to their townland. Greyhounds have a long history in Ballyelan, tracing back to 1934 when Donie’s father Jim began training.

For many years there was no greyhounds in the house, but after Donie & Kathy’s son Donal passed away suddenly in 2006, their children got them two greyhound pups - a routine and focus to help them through a very difficult time. On 6th August 2008, one of those two pups gave them their first winner, the beginning of a new chapter in the Ballyelan story.

Every year the family sponsor the Donal Scanlon Memorial in Limerick, a way to honour his memory and also give back to the sport they love.

The family run a small kennel with just 6 greyhounds there currently, three racing, one retired mammy and her two 12 month old Pestana pups. Kathy takes charge of the feeding and nutrition, Donie looks after the walking and exercising and when her homework is done granddaughter Kacie arrives to help in any way she can. Kacie is their biggest fan and even has her own Ballyelan clothing range!

Siobhan took the family involvement to another level when she joined the team at Limerick Greyhound Stadium in 2010. In 2014 for her work as Business Development Executive for Limerick and Galway, Siobhan won the Network Ireland Limerick Employee of the Year Award before representing the region in the Network Ireland National Awards.

While Siobhan has moved on to a new job with Limerick GAA, she still plays an important role every spring when the Con and Annie Kirby Memorial rolls around, helping to coordinate the GAA Club involvement. 

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