Dublin’s eight-time All-Ireland football winner Michael Darragh Macauley has taken up the role of chief executive with Sanctuary Runners, the not-for-profit sporting movement which focuses on community integration.
Macauley takes over the position from Graham Clifford, who founded Sanctuary Runners back in 2018 as a solidarity-through-sport initiative which uses running, jogging and walking to bring together asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and all Irish residents.
Clifford stepped aside as CEO at the end of last year to take up a new position developing the organisation internationally.
Retired from Dublin since the start of 2021, Macauley has worked with North East Inner City (NEIC) Dublin over many years. Among numerous projects, he helped create the NEIC Trojans basketball team, which welcomes young people of all different cultural backgrounds.
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“As someone who has always believed in the power of sport for social good, I have been a huge supporter of the work Sanctuary Runners has done over the last few years,” said Macauley.
“Now, more than ever, Sanctuary Runners has a role to play all over the island of Ireland in bringing communities closer together. I’m excited to help grow our message of solidarity, friendship, respect over the coming years.”
Sanctuary Runners now has 40 groups across Ireland with plans to build more. It brings together locals, migrants, refugees and those seeking international protection to run, jog and walk in that message of solidarity, typically engaging with the Saturday morning 5km parkrun at venues around the country.
In 2022, with support from Swim Ireland, it also established a Sanctuary Swimmers initiative.
Anna Pringle, chair of the board of Sanctuary Runners said Macauley’s appointment comes at a time of great growth for the movement: “Sanctuary Runners has gone from strength to strength. We now have groups all over Ireland, led by very dedicated local volunteers who are helping integrate communities through running, walking and even swimming together.”
On October 19th, Sanctuary Runners will hold its first Global Solidarity Run in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland Funds and Strava. The initiative was started up by Clifford, who has moved to the recently created head of international development role, as Sanctuary Runners seek to bring its model across the world.
“Michael Darragh is a legend on and off the field,” said Clifford. “He’s displayed through his work in recent years how much he values community in all its rich and wonderful diversity.”
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