Class Schedule for 2011

Following are the start dates and availability for Faolchú classes in 2011



Wednesday Jan 5th: Adults class Availability

Tuesday Jan 11th: 4 to 7 yrs Fully booked

Wednesday Jan 12th: 8+ Fully booked

Friday Jan 14th: 4 to 7 yrs Availability

Friday Jan 14th 8+ Fully booked

Monday Jan 17th Beginners 8+ Availability

Tuesday Jan 18th 6+ combat Availability



We are looking forward to seeing all our students back in training and meeting some new ones.

We have many great achievements awaiting us in 2011.

If you would like to join Faolchú and come along to train please give us a call to confirm your place.
Marie 0872909194

A Few Notes for 2011

We've had a fantastic first year for Faolchú in 2010. Thanks so much to students and parents of children for all your hard work and dedication.
There are many plans currently in development for next year to keep everyone challenged and fulfilled.
First off we are hoping to see more parents in to training, now is the perfect time to take up a lifelong challenge that you can share with your child. Adults classes are back on the 5th of January.
There are two new classes beginning in January, there will be a sparring class to facilitate those students who really want to focus on this aspect of their development.
Second we are running a six week course for 8+ beginners. After completion of the six weeks, students can progress into the regular 8+ class.
Both new classes must be prebooked as space is strictly limited to allow maximum attention for each individual.

JKS Seminar & Grading

On Saturday 4th December we travelled to Dublin for the JKS Christmas Course & Grading. Over 250 students graded between Saturday and Sunday.
The highlight of the course was the Shodan (black belt) grading.
Our own Sensei Marie took her Shodan on the day in a very tough test. Congratulations to her.

Myself on the receiving end!! of a demonstration.
Sensei Kyle Kamal Helou JKS Technical Director for the Middle East
Half of the hall!

Sensei Alan Campbell Chairman JKS GB & Ireland, Marie Murphy, Marty Boyle, Malcolm Murphy and Yutaka Koike Technical Director JKS Italy

Wednesday Student of the Month

Well done to Micheal Duffy on achieving Student of the Month, Micheal trains hard and has great spirit.

Snow Day!!!!

Unfortunetly due to the dangerous driving conditions there will be no class on Tuesday the 30th of November.

Koike Sensei Visit

Yukata Koike Sensei is confirmed to hold a day of training next April the 3rd in Tuam.
Yutaka Koike 5th Dan JKS before his move to Ireland this year was the technical director for the JKS Italy, since graduating from the JKS instructors in 2000. Having competed successfully in Japan, winning titles at the All Japan University Championships, Koike is a perfect example of a well rounded karate-ka. He is now in demand throughout the world and is one of the leading sensei for the JKS in Europe.

Student of the Month

Well done to our students of the month in November, Dean Rigney has shown exceptional etiquette and determination and is our senior class November top student although the competition was tough this month.

Adyiniyi Ogumbola and Jamie O Toole where joint winners in the junior Friday class and both well deserving. Well done everyone. Keep up the good work,

Karate classes will be finishing for Christmas from the 18th of December, with our final class on Friday the 17th and classes resuming on Tuesday the 11th of January.

Club Grading

Saturday was a very busy day for the club with 48 students travelling to Kilconly Community Center for our second grading of the year.

Congratulations to everyone, Sensei Edd Charmant 4th Dan JKS commented on the great spirit and skill of all the students. Everyone achieved the standard with grace and etiquette.

The Senior Class

The Junior Class

On Sunday 21st members of the club travelled to Kiltimagh to train with Sensei Scott Langley 5th Dan JKS on an open course hosted by Sensei Alan Biesty.

A number of Sensei Alans' students graded on the day and were successful. Congratulations to them all.

Upcoming Events

There are a few events coming up that are not only worth a mention but I would highly recommend attending.

First and foremost Saturday the 20th of November is grading day. Edd Charmant Sensei will be our grading examiner. Those who are grading have been notified. If you are not due to grade on this occasion please come along and train. Training with a new instructor is always an education and will help you develop your own karate.

Anyone wishing to train who is not a club member is also welcome, just give me a call for details.

On Sunday the 21st of November, there are 2 seminars taking place in Co. Mayo.

Scott Langley Sensei 5th dan JKS will be instructing a class in Kiltimagh details are available from Alan Biesty Sensei (087) 8141342. This class is highly recommended for all club members.

Castlebar Shotokan Karate Club are hosting Seamus O' Dowd Sensei teaching Kanazawa No Bo Kata, 5th dan SKIF, in Breaffy, Castlebar, Co. Mayo on Sunday the 21st of November.
Both Scott Langley Sensei and Seamus O Dowd Sensei are currently in huge demand worldwide and it is very fortunate to have them so close to us. Details are available from Jarlath Cunningham on 087 2673062 .

Charity Fundraiser

A huge thank you everyone participated in in the Kickathon, the final amount raised for Multiple Sclerosis Tuam was €1023. We are very proud of all our students and grateful to their parents and supporters.

Heian Shodan Class

We all had a very enjoyable Sunday morning training session today where those who wanted to revise and improve their Heian Shodan came out and gave it their best.

Faolchu Martial Arts Club 2010

By popular demand (mainly the kids) here is the Faolchú Montage created by Marty Boyle.

October Student of the Month Awards

Our class student of the month awards are as usual very difficult to decide but Jayden Murphy, Joe Mullan, Cillian Ferry, Noah Tanisken and Luke Kenny where all well deserving and top of their own classes.

Míchéal Brogan was top of his class for Wednesday and one of the rare few to have won the award twice in the same year.

World Championships in Poland

On Thursday the 14th of October the Irish team flew out to compete at the Kong Sao World Championships 2010 in Mikolow, Poland.

The team had 14 competitors, coach Harry Thompson, assistant coach Seamus Jordan and many support friends and family, all of whom were invaluable.

Friday morning seen the team up early and get a little training in, the remainder of the day was a settling in day for the team, where we had a rest from the travelling and the event meetings were held. The event organisers were very professional and had drawn up rules and regulations that seemed fair and based on safety and fair play.

There was a large cross section of competitors from a great variety of countries. The first day was the eliminations to the final four, almost the entire team made it through to the finals on Sunday after a challenging day of competition.

Sunday finals brought huge challenges for us all but we rose to meet it head on and did our country proud.

We finished our day exhausted and brought home 14 medals, 4 of which were gold.

Well done to the whole irish team, it was a honor and a privilage to compete and travel with every member of the team.

Club Grading

Faolchú Will have a club grading on the 20th November in Kilconly Community Center.

Can all students who have previously graded 'Please return your Grading Books Now'

We need all liscences back in advance so the day can run smoothly. At the moment it promises to be a much larger event than our last one.

World Championships

As you know Marie Murphy (Faolchú Instructor) was selected to travel to Poland this weekend on the Irish Team to take part in the Kong Sao World Championships. Marie won two medals a Silver in points Kickboxing and a Gold in Team Kata.

I will write a full report later when the team return but for now here are some photos from the event.

World Championships

As you may know Marie has travelled to Poland this weekend for the Kong Sao World Championships. She will be competing in Karate Kata, Ippon Kumite, Sanbon Kumite, Team Kata and Semi Contact Points Kickboxing. It is a great honour for her and for Faolchú to be invited to take part as part of an Irish Team. We wish her all the best.

Classes will continue as normal for Friday.

Charity Kickathon

On Saturday the 2nd of October the students of Faolchú Martial Arts Club descended upon Tuam town all dressed in their white dogi and ready to go.
Tuam karate students have been raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Charity in Tuam.


Children of all ages came to support their community and show what they've got to parents and supporters alike. There was a huge spirit and effort displayed on the day by everyone as they performed their kicks and punches.
Older children from the class displayed their kata with some students joining in even though they weren't yet 100% sure of the katas but their enthusism couldn't be stopped.




We have not yet gotten a final count for the money raised but at the moment it will be in excess of 900 euros which is an amazing amount raised by a group of karate kids from Tuam. We are so proud and impressed with the achievements of our Karate Club and all supporting parents.
We can't thank you enough for the great support recieved.

Tuesday Class Student of the Month Awards

Dmitrijs Cigulovs and Alex Duffy displayed great spirit in the 4 to 7 year old age group class and deserved to be our Student of the Month medal winners

Student of the Month September 2010

Well done to our Wednesday class students who recieved their "Student of the Month" medals after an impressive effort on their part during September.
Photographed are Dylan Buckley and Jadzia Murphy.

JKS Autumn Championships

On Sunday 26th September Faolchú members travelled to Dublin for the National JKS Autumn Championships.

The club was represented by senior members Malcolm & Marie Murphy and Marty Boyle. Junior members taking part were Nathan Collins and Jadzia Murphy. Other club members travelled to offer support and see what competition at this level was like.

Nathan in action in his Kumite

Jadzia Waiting her turn in her Kumite section

Marty in action in Kumite

Nathan and Jadzia warming up

Over 300 competitors took part on the day with teams from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and all over Ireland.

Marty and Marie won medals. Marty placed third in both Kata and Kumite while Marie was a member of the Hokubo Dojo Team, home of the JKS Ireland squad which came second in the team kumite.

Nathan and Jadzia each made it through the second rounds of competition in kata and kumite which was an incredible achievement at this level in groups with 40+ competitors.

Unfortunately i placed just outside the medals in both Kata and Kumite.

Student Of the Month

Well done to our Student of the month winners.
Friday's faolchú Cub of the month was Leon Clarke.
Ciaran Fleming (pictured) got his well deserved medal for the senior childrens' class.

Charity Fundraiser

On Saturday the 2nd of October the club will be holding their 1st Charity event.
All club members will be doing hundreds of kicks and punches for the MS Society in Tuam.
Many of us are affected by MS and have contact with the illness through friends and family members who are suffering.
We are hoping the event will highlight the need to assist our local charities and also give younger club members a sense of responsibility.

Haedong Kumdo

On Sunday the 12th of September, Martin O Malley and the White Tigers in Castlerbar gave an open invitation to train with Master Chong Jae Nim Kim Jeong Seong from Korea at their Dojo.
The day was split into two training sessions, the morning session seen us introduced to the basic mechanics of holding and moving with a sword.
We practiced the strikes and turning body movements before progressing to learning Form 1. It is a beginners form but still required a lot of thought (on my part anyway) to try and incorporate what we had learned to a set Form.
Next we paired off and practised choreographed strikes and blocks attempting to build up speed and accuracy. Which was a fun challenge although my unfortunate partner finished the drill with a bruised hand (oops)!
After dinner for the second session the mood became very upbeat as we tryed our hand at cutting a clean line through a sheet of newspaper. This tested our sword movements and gave the opportunity to see how accurate we were.
For the final challenge of the day we worked on target strikes. This was achieved using a ball which we had to both throw and strike, progressing to group drills.
I really enjoyed the days seminar, it had it all, skills to master, knowledge to gain, a good laugh or two (mostly at my own efforts) and a sore body on Monday morning.

A big thanks to Master Chong Jae Nim Kim Jeong Seong, Martin O Malley & The White Tigers, Stephen Kelly for his corrections and photography and my unfortunate partner, I hope her hand is okay.

JKS Humbo Dojo Training

Members from Faolchú travelled to Dublin and the home of JKS Karate in Ireland for a training seminar with Robert Steggels 5th Dan JKS Scotland on Saturday 11th September.

It was a challenging day for both juniors and seniors, with the focus on compression and release of energy through stance and hips.

One of the highlights was the performance of Heian Kata on the spot. The challenge of never changing height and remaining in the one space while executing every movement from a kata was exhausting.

Sensei Robert Steggles to the fore instructing the Junior participants.
Myself in mid flow executing a punch.
Sensei Marie performing one of the many challenging drills on the day.

The Senior group having a laugh.

Thanks to Sensei Scott Langley 5th Dan JKS for providing such a great day and to Sensei Steggles for his enlightening instruction. Also a special thanks to the senior members of JKS Ireland who were so helpfull on the day Sensei John Shanaghan 5th Dan JKS and Sensei Koike 5th Dan JKS.

Railway Station Clean-up

We have been asked by Tuam Council and Chamber if we can assist with the clean-up of the railway station in preparation for its 150th anniversary.

The clean-up will take place on 11th/12th Sep from 9am to 4pm.

As many people as possible from the club should try to put in a little time (even an hour) to help.

Myself or Marie will be there on Sunday if you want to join us phone Marie on 087 2909194 or Malcolm on 083 0082110 and we will go as a group.

If attending on your own please make it known to the organisers who you represent. This is very important so as to show a large cross section of the community and will help to add to the fight to reinstate to rail service through Tuam.

Upcoming Events

I have added a number of upcoming events which may be of interest to the list on the side-bar. As each event nears I will provide more information in relation to it.

MVF Host Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Damien Walker will be instructing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu course at the invitation of Master Harry Thompson and Moy Valley Freestyle, on Saturday the 4th of September in Ballina.
This course will be suitable for both beginners and those wanting to further develop their skills in ground work and holds.
Your can contact Master Thompson on 087 – 2753750 or ask or call your instructor and we can arrange transport for club members.

Kanazawa No Bo Kata

Castlebar Shotokan Karate Club are hosting Seamus O' Dowd Sensei, 5th dan SKIF, in Breaffy, Castlebar, Co. Mayo on Sunday the 21st of November.
Sensei O' Dowd is co-presenter of the brand new dvd "Kanazawa No Bo" kata.
The Sunday seminar will consist of 2 sessions, a morning session of Karate and Kobudo and an evening session of Kobudo.
To get further details contact Jarlath Cunningham on 087 2673062 or email jarlathgodan@yahoo.com

Adult Class

Although all the children's Karate classes are still on holiday the adult classes will recommence tonight 18th Aug at 8pm.

We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and remember classes start back the first week in September.
If you know of anyone wishing to start in September contact us immediately to book and secure a place. As you know our classes are strictly limited in size to ensure the best instructor to student ratios and comply with Sports Council of Ireland recommendations.

Also we have launched a new web site, help improve our visibility by visiting us through the link in our link bar or by searching for us on Yahoo or Google. The address is http://www.tuamkarate.com/
so you can choose that search option when you find it.

Club Constitution

The Club Constitution is now complete and available to all members. The document is compliant with all current legislation. If you want a copy please let myself or Marie know. This has been a large undertaking and the finished document is 34 pages long. However with this completed we are Sports Council compliant and in a better position to apply for funding and grants etc.

Also remember there will be no Children's Karate classes for the month of August. Classes commence again the first week of September. If you know of anyone who wants to start let us know immediately as there are only a limited number of spaces available.

Adult classes will break for the first two weeks of August and recommence the third week.

Faolchú Championships

Here are some photos from our competition today. Congratulations to all those who took part.

Faolchú Championships

Here are some early photos from our Championships