'Kenny's Army' sing the praises of Clondalkin's man of marble

Ken Egan's supporters, including his mother Maura, second right, celebrate the Clondalkin man's Olympics victory yesterday which has assured him at least a bronze medal at Boomers Bar yesterday. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Photograph: The Irish Times

THE WAIT is over for Olympic boxer Kenny Egan's army of faithful supporters.

They did not doubt the Dubliner's ability and yesterday their confidence was shown to be well placed when Egan secured at least a bronze medal in Beijing.

Men, women and children from the west Dublin suburb of Clondalkin gathered in Boomers Bar to cheer on their local hero and celebrate his success.

"I'm delighted for him. I'm really thrilled for the lad and I can't wait for his next fight on Friday now," beamed Kenny's mother Maura Egan as she reflected on her 26-year-old son's achievement.

Draped in a white T-shirt featuring a Tricolour and the words "Ken Egan: Carved out of marble" and a boxing glove necklace, Maura was the picture of pride as she told the story of her light heavyweight son's long journey to an Olympic medal.

"He was always into boxing. He's always loved it. I remember he started when he was seven, after my eldest son brought him over to Neilstown Boxing Club. He was gone on it from there.

"Now, this whole thing is just unreal. It was his dream to win an Olympic medal, and he was delighted when he qualified, but now he has his dream and I'm so happy for him," she said.

Kenny's brothers William, John and Tony, and their father Paul, are all in Beijing cheering on Clondalkin's finest, along with a further 20 or so friends and supporters from his local, Boomers Bar.

Maura feels her son's achievement is not just a source of pride and joy for the family, but also for the wider local community.

"It's a great thing for Clondalkin," she said.

"People always say bad things about about the place and it's great now that people can see there is a lot of good going on here. It shows somebody from Clondalkin can set themselves a target, then go and do whatever it is they want. It's a great boost for everybody in the area."

While there wasn't a fiddle to be seen in Boomers yesterday afternoon, the place was full of song.

While the Irish contingent in Beijing may have shook the Workers' Gymnasium with their chants of "Olé, Olé, Olé" the Egan fan club in Boomers Bar had penned a new song of to properly mark a famous occasion for the area.

"It's sung to the tune of Jackie's Army from Italia 90," advises Clondalkin's newest songsmith, Anto Flanagan, who felt it was time the locals, and their hero, had a song they could truly call their own.

Carefully unfolding a piece of paper carrying words that will undoubtedly ring out through the streets of Clondalkin over the coming days, Anto said it goes a little something like this:

"We're on the march with Kenny's army. He's over there to win the gold. He has a lot of clout and he'll knock those boxers out because he's big and brave and has a heart of gold."

A heart of gold he may have and one woman very close to it is Kenny's girlfriend, Karen Sullivan, who couldn't have been happier for her man on his big day.

"I'm delighted for him. What he has gone over there and done is just brilliant," she smiled.

"It's weird seeing him out there fighting. When we're together we might watch a DVD and do normal stuff like any other couple would and a tough fighter is not the Kenneth I know."

So what does it feel like to go out with an Olympic medal winning boxer?

"It's strange really," said Ms Sullivan. "When he's in the ring he's different to the man I go out with. It's hard to explain, but I don't think of him like a medal winner. He'll still be the same Kenneth in my eyes as he was before all this all happened."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times