Other Sports

Profile of Eugene Moriarty

May 1st, 2013
by Weeshie Fogarty

 Eugene Moriarty was born in 1974) into a family steeped in cycling tradition starting with his Grand-Father Gene Moriarty, one of Kerry's Grass Track Stars in the late 1940's and early 50's. Eugene started racing in the Kelly-Roche era of the early 80's at nine years of age. He quickly moved through the under age ranks with many successes country wide and winning under age Irish titles for the Listowel club under his first coach, Jimmy Healy. He moved on to the International stage at sixteen when selected on the Irish Under eighteen team to race in France. He had many successes at this level with Kerry Ras hero John Mangan now his coach. He won the European 2 Day International in Manchester; one of the biggest ever wins for an Irish cyclist at under eighteen level. Eugene had finished his early education at Scoil Realta Na Maidne & St. Michaels College in Listowel and he moved to Trinity College Dublin, where he got an Honours Science Degree.

He competed in his first Ras Tailteann while just twenty years old on the Ciarrai Og team under another Kerry Cycling legend, Gene Mangan. Since then he has lined out in the "Ras" fifteen times.  Moriarty has many top class results in Ireland's most famous bike race. His record as a team rider is well known and he was on seven winning Teams in the Ras, two on the Irish International team in 2000 & 2004 and five  inter county titles with his adopted county of Meath, 02, 03, 05,07,& 09. His best individual placing was 9th overall in1999.  He holds a record thirteen Cu Chulainn awards as top county rider on Stages also. He never won a stage, but was 2nd twice and 3rd three times and many other top ten placings. He wore the King of the Mountains Jersey in two different Ras and won the title of best climber in the Tour of Ulster also.

On the International scene the Listowel man wore the Green jersey of Ireland well over a 100 times, and he was placed in races in France, Holland, Greece, Egypt, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Japan, USA, and other far flung countries. But his finest hour in the Irish Jersey came when he took 5th place in the Amateur Championship of the World in 1999 in Uruguay.  His Performance qualified Ireland for a place in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was assured of his place at the Games by the powers that be at the time but was sensationally denied his place afterwards.

He again lined out in the World Championships in Switzerland in 2003.

On the home front Eugene won Ras Mumhan in 2001 ,and was 2nd overall in the Tour of Ulster the same year, he also  won stages in Ras Connachta, the Meath Grand Prix, Tour of Monaghan and  he won the Gene Moriarty Cup in Listowel in memory of his Grandfather in 1996 and was County Senior Champion as well. He was awarded the Kerry Sports Star of the Month on three occasions.

Eugene won All-Ireland medals on the Road, Hill Climb and was Irish Senior Criterium Champion in 2005, as well as team medals with his Cycleways team.

These days Eugene lives and works in Amsterdam where he still races and comes home to ride in all the big events at home. A remarkable, magnificent by this younger generation of Kerry's cyclists. He record on track and road can stand equal to all the great men who have gone before and as the old adage says, "the apple never falls far from the tree" as Eugene Moriarty follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Gene and his dad Tadgh who is one of the county's great cycling administrators.


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