Sporting Gallaghers – Athletics

Kelly Gallagher MBE

Kelly Gallagher MBE, Great Britain’s first Winter Paralympic gold medallist, at the Sochi Paralympic Games 2014. Credit: albinism.ohchr.org

Sport: Alpine Skiing (Paralympic)
Country: Northern Ireland / Great Britain

Kelly Gallagher was the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games.

At the Sochi Winter Paralympics in 2014, she won Great Britain’s first ever Winter Paralympic gold medal, taking gold in the Super-G event while skiing with Charlotte Evans as her guide.

Super-G is one of the disciplines of competitive downhill alpine skiing. With more turns than downhill and fewer gates than giant slalom, it combines high speed with advanced technical skill, placing Kelly Gallagher’s achievement at an even higher level.

Kelly is also a strong advocate for equality for people living with disabilities.

Kim Gallagher

Sport: Athletics (Middle-Distance Running)
Country: United States of America

Kim Gallagher is a distinguished American middle-distance runner and Olympic medalist.

Olympic Achievements

Silver Medal: 800 m – 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games
Bronze Medal: 800 m – 1988 Seoul Olympic Games

National Achievements

U.S. Champion: 800 m
U.S. Champion: 1,500 m

Jackie Gallagher

(later Jackie Fairweather, née Gallagher)

Sport: Triathlon / Long-Distance Running
Country: Australia

Jackie Gallagher with the bronze medal she won in the women’s marathon at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Credit: AAP – Dean Lewins / abc.net.au

Jackie Gallagher is an accomplished Australian triathlete and endurance athlete.

Major Achievements

ITU Triathlon World Champion: 1996
ITU Duathlon World Champion: 1996 and 1999
Commonwealth Games: Bronze Medal – Marathon, Manchester 2002

Hugh Gallagher

Sport: Masters (Veteran) Athletics
Country: Ireland (Donegal)

Hugh Gallagher, one of Ireland’s most successful Masters athletes, multiple World and All-Ireland champion. Credit: donegalnews.com

Hugh Gallagher was one of Ireland’s most remarkable Masters athletes, achieving unprecedented success over an extraordinarily long career.

Career Highlights

All-Ireland Titles: Over 150 gold medals
World Masters Championships:
- 29 Gold
- 5 Silver
- 2 Bronze
European Masters Championships:
- 23 Gold
- 5 Silver
World Records:
Multiple records across weight-throw events and disciplines

A Lifetime of Achievement

A talented Masters athlete, Hugh continued to break national records into his ninety-second year. Competing for Milford AC, he won the shot putt and long jump in the Over-90 category at the Irish Masters Indoor Championships in Athlone, also setting a new Irish long-jump record.

Only months earlier, he had won three gold medals and one silver at the World Masters Championships in Lyon.

The father of twelve, Hugh’s interest in athletics was re-ignited when his children began competing. Sport gave him the opportunity to represent Ireland worldwide, including competitions in Australia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain, and across Scandinavia.

By the end of his career, Hugh had won:

172 All-Ireland gold medals
29 World gold medals
5 World silver medals
2 World bronze medals

He also held:

World records in 35 lb and 56 lb shot putt, Greek discus, Goulding hammer, javelin triathlon
Irish records in running, walking, jumping, and all weight throws from 400 g javelin to 112 lb weight

In November 2015, Hugh was inducted into the Ulster Athletics Hall of Fame. Athletics Ireland also honoured him as the first Irish person to win track and field medals beyond 90 years of age.

Hugh Gallagher died in 2017, aged 92.

Adapted from an obituary by Harry Walsh, donegalnews.com

Donegal’s Most Successful Sporting Family

The Gallagher Family of Creevagh, Carrigart, Co. Donegal

The Gallagher family of Creevagh, Carrigart are widely regarded as the most successful sporting family in Donegal, and among the most successful in Ireland.

There were twelve siblings — seven sons and five daughters — all of whom, along with their father Hugh, participated in sport.

Tragically, the eldest son Michael died of a brain tumour at the age of seventeen. Before his illness, he had already won Donegal and Ulster athletics titles.

An Unmatched Record

The remaining eleven siblings —
Patrick, Daniel, Rosemarie, Jimmy, Kathleen, Martin, Kevin, Bernadette, Angela, Caroline and Paul — went on to win:

100+ All-Ireland medals
200 Ulster medals
Numerous Donegal Championship medals

They competed in athletics, weight throwing, judo, and boxing, accumulating over 4,000 trophies and medals.

The family also holds the Community Games national record as the most successful family ever to participate.

In one year alone, five siblings — Kevin, Bernadette, Angela, Caroline and Paul — all competed at the Community Games National Finals, each returning to Donegal with medals or certificates.

Kathleen was the first Donegal athlete to win an Ireland Judo medal at the Community Games finals. Kathleen and Bernadette later won three Donegal Sports Star Awards in judo.

The family was honoured as Best Athletic Family in Donegal at the Millennium Donegal Sports Star Awards.

Profile: Hugh Gallagher (1924–2017)

Hugh Gallagher was born in Creevagh, Carrigart, in 1924. He married Rosemary (née McGee) from Creeslough, and together they raised twelve children.

Hugh competed in athletics and cycling from a young age but was forced to stop after an accident. In 1987, he returned to competition through Veterans (Masters) Athletics, winning the Donegal 16 lb shot putt — and reigniting a lifelong passion.

Selected Achievements

Represented Ireland at six World Masters Championships
Competed at European Masters Championships across Europe
Won:
- 117 All-Ireland medals (101 Gold)
- 23 British Gold medals
- 9 European Gold medals
Held world records across multiple age groups and disciplines
Selected Donegal Person of the Year (1996)

Rosemarie Gallagher

Rosemarie Gallagher, daughter of Hugh and Rosemary, is also a member of this remarkable sporting family.

Introduced to sport by her father, she competed across all running disciplines before an injury forced her to step back from athletics. Later, she returned through field events, excelling in shot putt, discus and javelin.

She became the first athlete from Milford Vocational School to win an All-Ireland schools medal, placing third in discus at the Irish Schools Championships in Dublin.

Rosemarie went on to win:

Numerous Donegal, Ulster, National, European and World Masters medals
Multiple Irish records
Major success at Irish and European Masters Championships between 2002 and 2006

Note:We would make like to make a full list of athletic Gallaghers and we ask your help. Please forward any information you have. Copies of any relevant material to add to our archive would be greatly appreciated.