29th September at 7:30 at St Malachy’s College Belfast is the date, time and place to listen to and question a maestro explain how he has got to be so successful. On the 29th North Belfast Harriers will host a question and answer session with local marathon running expert Kevin Seaward, compered by North Belfast sports historian Colin Beattie.
However, Kevin is only a part-time runner while being a full-time senior leader & teacher of PE at Martin High School in Anstey, a village outside of Leicester. Kevin is coached by Andy Hobdell, as is fellow local marathon runner Paul Pollock.
Kevin started his running as a junior pupil in St Malachy’s, College, Belfast under the experienced eye of Paddy McKillop. As a schoolboy he won Ulster School cross country and track titles and as an under 20 represented Ireland in the U20 European Cross-Country Championships. Kevin has repeatedly noted how he still remembers and appreciates a nugget of advice from Paddy (father of Irish middle distance Paralympian superstar Michael McKillop) that consistency with training was vitally important and explains that ‘My experiences at St Malachy’s helped develop the resilience and determination I think is needed to run a marathon.’
Kevin after leaving school went on to become one of the top Irish senior runners on the track, road and cross country but it was his 2014 marathon debut that saw him gain his first senior selection for Ireland at a major championship, i.e. the European Championships that summer.
Since that 2014 marathon and subsequent championship debut Kevin has went from strength to strength.
In 2015 running a 2:14:15 Marathon in Berlin, knocking two minutes off his best time and now has only Greg Hannon and Tommy Hughes ahead in the local marathon rankings. In 2016 he represented Ireland at the Marathon in the Olympics & World ½ Marathon Champs.
In 2017 he ran 2:15:50 for the Marathon, again in Berlin.
And in this year 2018 he had an excellent 4th position in the Commonwealth Marathon & 15th in the marathon at the European Champs
Listening to Kevin talking about his training it is clear it requires total focused commitment.
‘Balancing work with running can be difficult. I often have early and late meetings, meaning I’m running before 6am and after 6pm. I can remember starting an 8 x 3km session at 8pm after a meeting. It is about time management and prioritising the right things at the right time.’
North Belfast Harriers is one of the top multi-faceted running clubs in the North. It started in 1896 and has grown significantly over the past few years to support runners from Couch to 5k Program, a fantastic Junior section, cross country teams to athletes who have competed in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Kevin has a well-established relationship with the club and it’s runners. In his early 20’s and still living in Belfast Kevin trained regularly with North Belfast Harrier runners on a Sunday morning, running the ‘Big trail’ from the club’s Oldpark Terrace clubhouse.
Kevin and North Belfast Harriers see this free unsponsored Question and Answer session as an opportunity for both to share their love for all things running, from high end competition to just the buzz of running through your local park (particularly if it is the Cavehill).
Interested parties are asked to check the club’s website and Facebook for further details and if they want to go along to complete the registration form on the website, which also allows them to put forward burning questions they have for Kevin, many of which he will try to answer on the night.
The quad works are almost complete. The extension to C Block is well underway, while resurfacing works have begun at the College entrance.
A large audience of ‘old boys’, visitors and history buffs attended an excellent talk and workshop at the new O’Laverty Library centre on last Thursday evening. The event was entitled ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and was aimed at helping anyone researching their family history. Guidance was given in a superbly illustrated talk by Dr William Roulston, Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation.
William is an author, archaeologist, historian and one of Ireland’s foremost genealogists. Originally from Bready in County Tyrone he is a member of the councils of both The Presbyterian Historical Society and Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities of Scotland.
College Archivist Mr Gerry McNamee chaired the proceedings which began with a tour of the new facility. Mr Padraig Crummey, President of SMCOBA made the presentation. The College History Society helped out with the event.
Congratulations to the athletes and coaches on placing 8th in the ISF World School Cross Country Championships in Paris.
The Elmwood Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Fr Gerard Magee (Chaplain, Queen’s University) will present a concert of music by Bach, Bartok and Beethoven, on Saturday 14th April at 3pm in the College Hall.
Tickets (at the door): Students £5, Non-students £10
Former pupils and staff graced the College Hall stage once more for St. Malachy’s First Alumni Recital. A large and appreciative audience were in attendance to listen to a wide variety of musical styles performed at the very highest level. We were honoured to welcome back former Head of Music of 32 years, Fr. Kevin McMullan, who received a standing ovation for his supreme interpretation of Chopin’s formidable Bb minor Scherzo.
During the interval, the Friends Of St. Malachy’s presented a cheque to the Music Department for the purchase of a new concert piano stool befitting the College Hall Steinway grand piano. There was a reception in the College Library after the concert and many former staff and Old Boys, parents and friends were reacquainted and enjoyed catching up over a glass of wine. We look forward to the next Alumni Recital! Please see the performer photos below.
If you would like to get in touch with our musicians or find out more about how you can support your old Music Department, then please contact the Head of Music, David Strange on dstrange376@c2kni.net or Alumni Relations Officer Bronagh Goudy on alumni@stmalachyscollege.org .
Matthew Kendell, Viola
Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1, Allegro appassionato – Brahms
Three Fantasiestücke Op. 43, Romanze – Reinecke
Dermot Trainor, Piano
Goyescas Op 11. No. 4, 'Qujas o la Maja y el Ruisenor' – Granados
'Vocalise' Op. 34 No. 14, arr. Zoltán Kocsis – Rachmaninov
John Gillen, Percussion
Nomad – Gauger
Flight of the Bumblebee – Rimsky-Korsakov
Niall Trainor, Cello
Sonata in G minor for Piano and Cello Op.19, Andante – Rachmaninov
Sonata in B minor for Solo Cello Op. 8, Allegro molto vivace – Kodály
Conor Caldwell, Fiddle
Let Erin Remember
Fr. Kevin McMullan, Piano
Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31 No. 2 – Chopin
Patrick McErlean, Bassoon
Scherzo – Miroshnikov
Ciaran McCabe, Violin
Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4 – Wieniawski
Ciaran McCabe, Violin & Niall Trainor, Cello
Passacaglia for Violin and Cello – Handel/Halvorsen
The Salus String Quartet
String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K.465, I. Adagio-Allegro – Mozart
String Quartet in F major, II. Assez vif - très rythmé – Ravel
The School Enhancement Programme is underway at the College. Work is underway to renew the drainage system in the quad.
The Art Department has been relocated to newly built temporary classrooms in the main building while the extension to C Block has begun to create state of the art Technology & Design, Moving Image Art and Art facilities.
3D image of the extension