Final class of 2012

Zanshin Karate-Do Kinnegad held our last class of the year on Monday 10th December in our dojo in Kinnegad GAA centre. The junior class kicked off with a demonstration for the watching parents, showing basics, padwork, kata, self-defence and sparring. Everyone put on a great show, and yet again, the instructors lost the Selection Box Challenge to the students!
Later that evening, Zanshin senior students John Whelehan, Aaron Darcy, Matthew Darcy and Peter Govan graded before a panel comprising Zanshin instructors Gerard Walsh, Liam Darcy, Keith Waslh, Proinsias Ó Fearghail and Paul Thackaberry. The lads had to demonstrate pad and bag work, basics, kata, kata applications (bunkai),prearranged sparring, semi free sparring and free-sparring (semi-and full contact). At the end of the grading, Peter advanced to green belt, John to blue belt and Matthew and Aaron to purple belt. Congratulations to them all on a great display of spirit and technique!


Merry Christmas to all our students and friends! Kinnegad resume training on the 7th of January, 2013!

Kinnegad End of Year Demo and Grading!

On Monday, 10 December 2012, junior students from Zanshin Karate-Do Kinnegad will give a demonstration to their families and friends. Parents are asked to have their children at Kinnegad GAA Centre  at 6.50 PM so we can start at 7.00 PM sharp. The demonstration should be over by 8.00 PM.We hope to hold a junior grading at the end of January 2013, as we have mainly concentrated on tournament this term. Zanshin senior students will attempt a grading from 8.00-9.30 PM before the whole Zanshin instructor panel. Good luck to all! Classes will resume at the usual times in Kinnegad on Monday, 10 January 2013. Merry Christmas to all our students and friends!

Zanshin Portarlington Tournament

On Saturday, 17th November Zanshin Karate-Do Midlands organised our first ever tournament in our Portarlington dojo. As well as being our first tournament, the event commemorated 4 years of Zanshin Karate-Do Midlands, which began in November 2008. The lion's share of the organising was done by Zanshin Portarlington instructors Sensei Keith Walsh and Sensei Paul Thackaberry. The tournament was really well attended, with students present from the Zanshin clubs in Portarlington and Kinnegad, the Irish Shotokan Academy, the Edenderry Shotokan Academy, the Wicklow Karate Organisation, Ballybay Karate Club and many more. The tournament was run under WKF rules and we would like to publically acknowledge the role of Sensei Stephen Hughes and his colleagues from the Irish Karate Federation Commission who provided referees and judges for the day. Here are some pictures of the stars of the day....the competitors.

Zanshin Portarlington Tournament on PhotoPeach



It never matters to us whether people come away with a medal or not - what is important to us is that the young karateka taking part demonstrate good karate and have a good time. We felt that the standard was excellent, and that all students taking part were a real credit to themselves and to their instructors.
During the interval, Guro Donal Connaughton, one of the highest-ranked Filipino Martial Arts instructors in the country demonstrated the lethal art of Llanera Eskrima to the spectators. Guro Donal was ably assisted by our own Sensei Liam Darcy, who demonstrated his own skill in the Filipino art by performing the form "Solo Mano Uno". Here is a video of the demonstration...

portarlington tournament 045 from Proinsias Ó Fearghail on Vimeo.
A great day was had by all, and we hope that all our students learned that we have to improve our standard - especially in kata - to be able to match some of the brilliant competitors who took part. The Zanshin clubs (thankfully!) did well, bringing home our fair share of medals. Again, thanks so much to everyone for making the day a great way to commemorate our four years of training!
As a final note, we were especially pleased to see the return of our own Sensei Gerry Walsh, who has been recovering from a serious illness. Sensei Gerry spent seven hours yesterday judging the events - it was great to see him back!

Extra Training!

All students participating in the Zanshin Portarlington tournament will be offered extra training on Monday night 12/11/2012. White-Orange belts will train from 7.00-8.20 PM and Yellow-Green belts will train from 7.00-9.00 PM. Senior students are asked to come along and help with training.

Portarlington Tournament

Zanshin Karate-Do are holding a tournament for juniors in Portarlington on Saturday 17th November from 10 AM-PM. Cost €10, covering individual and team kata and individual kumite. We hope for a great turn-out from our own Zanshin members, and from other local clubs. WKF rules will apply. All Zanshin Kinnegad members hoping to take part should inform Proinsias on Liam on Monday next (12th November). Any other interested Karateka should contact Keith Walsh or Paul Thackaberry (details on the About Us page of this site). LET'S GO!!!!

Jiyu Kumite

Jiyu Kumite (free sparring) is an enjoyable aspect of training at Zanshin Karate-Do. Here we see Sensei Paul and Zanshin senior student Brian Bolton giving a fine demonstration at the recent grading in Portarlington!


video-2012-10-21-13-07-36.mp4 from Proinsias Ó Fearghail on Vimeo.

Grading in Portarlington!

On Sunday, 21st October 2012, Zanshin Karate-Do held a grading in our Portarlington dojo. Students attempted to attain grades reaching from orange to purple belt, and we are delighted to be able to say that all our students passed with flying colours. Senseis Keith and Paul are VERY proud of their students - and rightly so! Great spirit, focus and technique was demonstrated throughout the grading. The grading panel comprised of Zanshin instructors Senseis Keith Walsh, Paul Thackaberry, Liam Darcy and Proinsias Ó Fearghail. Thanks also to the students from Zanshin Kinnegad who came along to lend a hand! Well done to all! The slideshow below will give you a flavour of the day....

Get well, Sensei!

All Zanshin instructors and members would like to wish Sensei Gerry Walsh a speedy recovery after his recent serious illness. We're all keeping our fingers crossed for you, Sensei Gerry!

Tournament and Referee Course in Dundalk

On Saturday, September 1, a group from Zanshin Karate-Do Portarlington dojo attended a tournament and WKF (World Karate Federation) referee and judge's course in Blackrock Community Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Our kids did great, with Chloe Thackaberry coming 3rd in Kumite, Rachel Slevin comng 1st in Kumite and Brian Slevin coming 1st in Kata and 3rd in Kumite. Here's a clip of some of the Kumite action!


wkf course 027 from Proinsias Ó Fearghail on Vimeo.
During the day Zanshin instructors Paul Thackaberry, Gerard Walsh and Proinsias Ó Fearghail, and assistant instructor Ollie Henchy attended a WKF referee and judge's course, organised by the Irish Karate Federation Referee Commission. The morning was spent judging the competitors and being instructed in WKF rules, and the afternoon was spent taking part in a workshop run by Sensei Andy Simpson, European  Karat Federation senior referee. Following the workshop, the instructors had to sit a theory exam, which, to our relief, we all passed, being licenced as "B" judges. Here is a short slideshow of the event...


Dundalk Tournament on PhotoPeach
Zanshin would like to thank Sensei Stephen Hughes who invited us to the event, and Mary and Claire for driving and feeding us! It was a great day!

Ollie and Fergus Grade in Portarlington!

On Tuesday, 28 August, Zanshin Portarlington assistant instructors Fergus Fenlon and Ollie Henchy tested for their 1st Kyu grade in their Portarlington dojo. This was an important grading for the two Karateka, as it is the last they will face before their Shodan test. All five Zanshin instructors made up the grading panel.
We began with a light warm-up, courtesy of Sensei Liam Darcy, and then went straight into the grading. Kihon (Basics), kata, kata bunkai (self-defence applications), bag and pad-work and kumite (sparring) were all examined. The grading panel was delighted at the standard displayed by both candidates, and were unanimous in announcing their pleasure at warading the promotion. Onwards towards the black belt....and the beginning of training! Congratulations to Ollie and Fergus, and "well done" to Senseis Keith Walsh, Paul Thackaberry and Gerard Walsh for preparing them so well for their grading. Thanks to Brian Bolton for assisting with Kumite and to Albert Henchy for taking photos. Click below to get an idea of what the lads had to do...

Kyokushin Seminar with Sensei Ken

On Monday, 13 August, Zanshin Karate-Do hosted a seminar in Kyokushin karate with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick, 4th Dan, and his instructors Senpai Alan McCoy and Senpai Ciarán Stapleton. The course took place in our Kinnegad dojo. Attending were Zanshin instructors Senseis Liam Darcy, Keith Walsh and Proinsias Ó Fearghail. Also in attendance were Zanshin senior members Ollie Henchy, Peter Govan and John Whelehan. Guro Donal Connaughton (Midlands FMA club) and Sensei Gerry McCarthy (Edenderry Shotokan Academy) were also in attendance. The junior class at 7.00 was well-attended, and the visiting instructors took our students through a warm-up and sparring drills. A light-contact continuous sparring competition was then held, at which all our young fighters performed very creditably. The senior class, which ran from 8.00-9.45 PM was a much more physical affair, comprising pad and bag-work, self defence and tournament techniques. Again, we were impressed by the power of the techniques shown by Ken, Alan and Ciaran. The senior class finished with a kata demonstration. To the delight of all present, Senpais Ciaran and Alan finished both classes with a demonstration of tameshi-giri (breaking techniques).
As always, the respectful and friendly demeanour of the visiting instructors was commented on by all the students and instructors. We had a great time, and hope to see these three gentlemen back again! Click on the picture below to see a slideshow of the night's training...

Seminar with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick

Once again, we are proud to announce that we are hosting a seminar, on Monday 13th August with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick, 4th Dan Kyokushin Karate and full-contact kick-boxer. Sensei Ken's expertise in the fields of fitness and sparring drills is unrivalled, and as anyone who attended his seminar last year can testify, you will get a good workout during his classes! The seminar will be in the Kinnegad GAA Centre, 7.00 - 8.00 PM for junior members, 8.00 - 9.30 PM for senior members. Cost will be the same as a regular class. Please make a special effort to attend this class - we can all learn from this gentleman. Hope to see you all there!

Please note there will be NO CLASS on Monday 5th August (Bank holiday weekend).

FMA Seminar with Grand Master Llanera

On Sunday 5th August, Midlands Filipino Martial Arts Club are hosting a seminar with Grand Master Ding Llanera, head of LFS. Guro Donal Connaughton, who runs the club, has kindly invited all senior Zanshin members. The seminar will take place in St. Etchen's NS, Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath, and will run from 11.00 AM - 3.00 PM.The cost is €20 per person. Anyone who has enjoyed Guro Donal's seminars on FMA in our club would be well advised to book their places on this course. GM Llanera rarely runs seminars outside of Dublin, so take the chance to train with a genuine Filipino Grandmaster. Any Zanshin members wishing to attend should contact Liam or Proinsias within the next week, as spaces are filling up fast!

Holly and Rebecca's Grading!

Congratulations to Holly and Rebecca  who graded to Orange Belt on Monday 9 July 2012. The girls have been working hard towards this grading for a number of weeks, and have show great dedication and commitment in their training. The grading panel comprised Zanshin senior instructors Senseis Gerard Walsh, Liam Darcy, Keith Walsh and Proinsias Ó Fearghail. They were examined in bag and pad work, basic techniques (kihon), Kata and Kumite (sparring) and passed with flying colours! We are VERY proud of these two young ladies! After the grading, Senseis Gerard and Keith took our junior and senior classes through a highly technical class, stressing the importance of correct stances in Shotokan. Here are some photos of the grading...

Zanshin Portarlington Grading

Congratulations to all students from Zanshin Karate-Do Portarlington who graded recently under Senseis Paul Thackaberry, Gerard Walsh and Keith Walsh! Here are our happy karateka!

FMA Seminar with Guro Donal

Zanshin Karate-do Kinnegad hosted the first of our Summer Seminars this year with a lively and action-packed two and a half hours of Filipino Martial Arts taught by Guro Donal Connaughton. The seminar was well attended, with members from Zanshin Kinnegad and Portarlington, Midlands FMA Club, Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club present. Guro Donal led off with a series of techniques from Saykan, the mano-mano (empty hand) art of Grand Master Llanera. We particularly enjoyed the trapping and locking drills, which translate easily to our own Karate. We then moved on to weaponry, where Guro Donal showed the many applications of the dulo (two-point palm stick) amd llave (three-point palm stick) to devastating effect. We then moved on to baston (standard Eskrima stick) drills, comprising some counter-striking, disarming and locking techniques. After warning all present of the dangers of knife attacks, Guro Donal then demonstrated a knife disarm, stating that it would take years of training to achieve proficiency in this most dangerous of techniques. Guro Donal finished with a technically polished display of Abre Le Fuerte, a double blade form devised by Grand Master Llanera. We all had a great time. Thanks to Guro Donal for once again demonstrating his excellent teaching skills, and to our visitors, especially Sensei Gerry from Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Sensei Ken, Sempai Alan and Sempai Ciarán from Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club. Thanks as always to our own students, Ollie and Peter and to Adrian, Cormac and Feilim from Midlands FMA club. Regular training for juniors and seniors resumes next Monday, 11th June at the usual time.

Summer Seminar with Guro Donal Connaughton

There will be NO JUNIOR CLASS in Zanshin Kinnegad on Monday, 4th June 2012. THe senior class, which will run from 7.00-9.30 PM will be taught be Guro Donal Connaughton, a Filipino Martial Arts expert. Guro Donal is a personal student of Grand Master Ding Llanera and is one of the highest ranked FMA practicioners in Ireland, holding a rank equivalent to Godan. We extend an invitation to all senior practicioners of Karate from Zanshin Kinnegad  and Portarlington, Edenderry Shotokan Academy, Irish Shotokan Academy, Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club, and all our other martial arts friends to train with a genuine expert who walks the walk! Empty hand and weaponry techniques will be taught. Contact Liam or Proinsias for more information.

Deepest Sympathy

The instructors and students of Zanshin Karate-Do extend their deepest sympathy to Sensei Gerard and  Sensei Keith Walsh, senior Zanshin instructors, and to their family on the tragic loss of their sister Mary Walsh, RIP

Ar dheis láimh Dé go raibh a hanam dílis

At The Edenderry Tournament

On Sunday, May 6th 2012, having being invited by Sensei Gerry McCarthy, Chief Instructor of the Edenderry Shotokan Academy to participate in his club's first ever tournament, two squads of young people from Zanshin Kinnegad and Zanshin Portarlington, arrived at Edenderry Boxing Club ready for action! The Portarlington group comprised Victoria Chinova, Oisín Henchy, Dylan Cahill, Brian Slevin, Rachael Slevin, Scot Bolton, Alex Bolton, Shona Mulhern, Megan Redmond and Billy Hollywood. They were accompanied by their coach, Sensei Paul Thackaberry, and by Zanshin senior instructors Sensei Gerard Walsh, Sensei Keith Walsh and Zanshin seniors Ollie Henchy, Fergus Fenlon, Brian Bolton and Albert Henchy. Here's a snapshot of some of the Portarlington squad!

The Zanshin Kinnegad squad comprised Daniel, Conor and Emma Crowe, Matthew, Aaron, Louise and Conor Darcy, Muireann Ní Fhearghail, Cormac and Liam Ó Fearghail, Kenny, Michael and Sean Okeke, Chloe Coyne and Sean Govan. They were accompanied by Senseis Liam Darcy and Proinsias Ó Fearghail and Zanshin senior Peter Govan. Here's the Kinnegad squad with Sensei Liam:

the tournament began just after 12.00 PM and ended just before 6.00 PM. We fought and performed our katas against a tough opposition from Edenderry and Tullamore dojos. At the end, we were really happy with how all our members did - not just those who won medals. You all showed great spirit and etiquette and made all of us VERY proud. Here is a list of those who won an award in different categories:
Kata: Emma Crowe (2nd) Conor Darcy (3rd), white/orange belt kata, Conor Crowe (2nd) red/yellow belt kata, Muireann Ní Fhearghail (3rd), Aaron Darcy (2nd) Matthew Darcy (1st) green/blue belt kata, Aaron Darcy, Matthew Darcy, Conor Crowe, Daniel Crowe (winners, team kata)
Kumite: Victoria Chinova (2nd) under 7 years  kumite, Shona Mulhearn (3rd) 8-11 years kumite, Kenny Okeke (1st) 12-14 years kumite, Matthew Darcy (1st) Aaron Darcy (2nd), Conor Crowe (3rd) Daniel Crowe (3rd) over 14 years kumite. Here's a snapshot of a tired but happy group at the end of the tournament! Special awards were also presented to Chloe Coyne (Kinnegad) and Victoria Chinova (Portarlington) for exceptional spirit.

Once again, well done to all. You did us all proud yet again. A special thanks to the parents who gave up their Sunday to accompany our kids - it was greatly appreciated. Thanks to Sensei Gerry and his Edenderry club who gave us a great day out and lots of tough competition. Finally, thanks to Senseis Gerard Walsh, Keith Walsh, Paul Thackaberry, Liam Darcy and Liam Gorman for all their hard work refereeing on the day. Thanks also to Ollie and Albert Henchy for scorekeeping and time-keeping. You can see more photos by clicking on our "Photos" page.

Edenderry Tournament

All Zanshin members going to the tournament in Edenderry need to be at Edenderry Boxing Club at 11.30 AM on Sunday, May 6th. Please bring suit, belt, plenty of water and a packed lunch. Remember fees are €10 (kata and kumite) or €5 (kata/kumite only). Tournament should be over by 6 pm. Hope to see you all there! Kinnegad squad members are meeting outside GAA centre at 10.45 AM to travel over.
There is NO TRAINING in Kinnegad on Monday, 7th March - to give you all a chance to recover!

No Class on Easter Monday!

Zanshin Karate-do  Kinnegad will not be training on Monday, 9th April (Easter Monday). When we resume training on 16th April we will be preparing to take part in a tournament in Edenderry on Sunday 6th May. If you are interested, please tell Proinsias or Liam on the 16th. The cost will be €10 (covers kata and sparring).

Grading at Zanshin Karate-Do, Kinnegad

On Saturday, 31st March 2012, a contingent of junior and senior members from Zanshin Karate Club graded in their dojo in the Kinnegad GAA Centre. After a brisk warm-up and stretch, led by Zanshin Sempai Ollie Henchy, the juniors began their grading. They were assessed on bag and pad work, basics, kata, kata bunkai, pre-arranged sparring and free sparring. Emma Crowe, Ronan Moran, Conor Darcy and Liam Ó Fearghail were promoted to orange belt, Emily Moran, Grace Moran, Alannah Casey, Chloe Coyne, Emmanuel Etcheri, Seán Govan and Cormac Ó Fearghail advanced to yellow belt and Louise Darcy and Muireann Ní Fhearghail achieved green belt. Here are some photos!

At 3.30, the senior grading started. This was a physically and mentally demanding affair, comprising fitness and conditioning, basics, kata, kata applications and lots of sparring! At the end Conor Crowe and Peter Govan advanced to yellow belt, John Whelehan was awarded green belt and Matthew and Aaron Darcy were promoted to blue belt. Here are some photos:

Congratulations to all our members - we were very proud of the spirit and good technique shown on the day. The grading panel comprised Zanshin instructors Senseis Gerard Walsh, Liam Darcy and Proinsias Ó Fearghail along with guest instructor Guro Donal Connaughton from Midlands FMA Club. Many thanks are due to Zanshin assistant instructor Ollie Henchy for his work with seniors and juniors alike. It was a great day for our club. Here is the grading panel:

See you all on Monday for training! Well done again!

No Training on 19th March

Zanshin Karate-Do Kinnegad will not be training on Monday 19 March. Training will resume on Monday 26 March at the usual time.

New Class in Portarlington

Sensei Paul Thackaberry is running classes for children (7 years and older) and adult beginners in Portarlington Community Centre on Sundays between 11.30 - 1.00 PM. Sensei Paul is a Nidan (2nd Dan) instructor with many year's experience in practicing and instructing Karate. You can contact him for further details at 087-2677132, or contact Sensei Keith Walsh at 086-8531516.

Dan grade training

All Zanshin black belts (and prospective black belts!) are reminded that Shihan Brett Halliday usually teaches a dan-grade class in the Midland Martial Arts Centre, Tullamore on every second Sunday. Contact Proinsias if you're interested in attending - well worth your while!

Next Zanshin Grading!

Zanshin Karate-Do hope to run a colour belt grading in Kinnegad GAA Centre  on Saturday, 31st March. Students who will grade will be told in advance. As usual, the fee will be €15 for junior members and €25 for senior members. Remember - you may not grade if you do not have a karate-gi (suit). Regular training is compulsory for those hoping to grade, so please contact an instructor if you can't attend class. Instructor contact details can be found on the "About Us" page of this site.

Welcome Back 2012

Zanshin Kinnegad resume training on Monday 9th January at 7.00 PM at Kinnegad GAA centre. Zanshin Portarlington resume training on Tuesday 10th January at 8.00 PM at Portarlington Communiy Centre. We have a busy year planned, so please try to make training! . Senseis Gerard, Liam, Keith and Proinsias wish all our members a very happy New Year in 2012.