THE OLYMPIC TORCH is on a detour from its journey to London today as it takes a quick dash around Dublin’s city centre.
With just 51 days to go until the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 games, the torch will take a four-hour tour of the capital – its only stop outside of Greece or the UK.
The honour of carrying the torch has fallen to 41 runners, including former and current athletes, as well as members of the public who have been nominated for their inspirational life stories. Each torch bearer runs for about 300 metres.
Here’s where you can see them today:
6.30am: The torch will cross the Border at Newry and the significant handover will take place between boxing legends Wayne McCullough and Michael Carruth. A 13-vehicle convoy will then bring it to Dublin.
7.40am: The torch arrives at Harbour Road in Howth and will be greeted by President Michael D Higgins.
8.45am: The ceremony at Croke Park will begin with Kilkenny hurler Henry Shefflin taking the first leg of the city relay at 9.15am on the Skyline Walkway.
9.40am: Garda Brian Brunton will bring the torch from Fitzgibbon Street to Mountjoy Square North.
9.43am: Robbie Lyons, a world championship medal winner and member of the Irish Kidney Association’s Transplant Team Ireland, will run the flame from Mountjoy Square North to the junction of Hill and Denmark Streets.
9.46am: Aaron Fallon, an artist from Ballymun, takes his turn from there to the Garden Of Remembrance.
9.50am: 1992 gold medallist Michael Carruth will take the flame at the Garden of Remembrance and bring it to Cathal Brugha Street.
9.54am: Two-time Eurovision and X-Factor contestants Jedward take the flame from Carruth at Cathal Brugha Street and will run/jump/skip/cartwheel to the GPO on O’Connell Street.
9.58am: Aine Holden won a draw to represent the HSE Community Games in the relay. She will take the torch from Jedward and run to the short distance to Marlborough Street.
10.01am: From there, former rugby international Shane Horgan will take the flame to the CHQ Building at Custom House Quay.
10.04am: Next up is Anne Ebbs, a 71-year-old from Drogheda who has competed for Ireland in three Paralympic Games. She will take the torch to Common Street.
10.07am: Lee Kinsella, a 19-year-old volunteer from Wicklow, will take over at Commons Street and bring the flame to Mayor Street.
10.10am: International footballer Olivia O’Toole takes the next leg to Seville Place.
10.13am: Another teen volunteer, 16-year-old Lauren Lawless, will bring the flame to Guild Street.
10.16am: Another big sporting name is next as Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan takes the Guild Street-to-Samuel Beckett Bridge leg.
10.19am: From one great to another: Brogan passes the torch to Paul McGrath at the Samuel Beckett Bridge. The Irish footballing legend will then head towards the Grand Canal Theatre.
10.22am: Inspirational explorer Mark Pollock will take over from McGrath and bring the torch to Clarence Place/Macken Street.
10.25am: From there, a young man Garrett Myhal will run to Lower Grand Canal Street in honour of his father, Paul, who passed away recently.
10.28am: An all-round high achiever, Aine Ní Choisdealbha, takes the torch to Holles Street.
10.31am: The founder of Pieta House, Joan Freeman, is up next and will run 300m to Merrion Square East.
10.33am: Irial Finan, the executive vice-president of Coca-Cola, takes the torch to Baggot Street Lower/Lower Fitzwilliam Street.
10.37am: Tony Sutherland, father of the late Olympic boxer Darren, will run the flame to Upper Fitzwilliam Street.
10.40am: John Collins, 23, from Dublin, was nominated by the Pavee Point Travellers Centre to represent his community. He will run the flame to the Leeson Street Bridge.
10.43am: Another boxing man, Eddie Byrne will take the reins until Dartmount Walk/Canal Road.
10.47am: Multi-talented Niamh Reid-Burke, an international diver and footballer, will carry the flame along the Canal Road.
10.50am: Next up is Alva Nolan, a 20-year-old volunteer for the Special Olympics. She will also travel along the fairly-long Canal Road.
10.53am: Hockey player and coach Gillian Garrett will move proceedings along Grove Road.
10.56am: One of the youngest runners, 15-year-old Ger Killian, will run to the junction at Harold’s Cross Road/Clanbrassil Street.
10.59am: Mubarak Habib will take the torch to the South Circular Road Junction on Clanbrassil Street. The 49-year-old Somalian was nominated by the Sport Against Racism in Ireland (SARI) organisation.
11.02am: Another big rugby name up next as Denis Hickie moves the torch from South Circular Road to Lower Clanbrassil St/Donavan Lane.
11.05am: Karl Flood, a pupil of the Billie Barry Stage School, will take the torch to New Street South/Fumbally Lane (or TheJournal.ie HQ as we like to call it).
11.08am: Silver medallist at last summer’s Special Olympics World Games, 24-year-old Gary O’Brien, takes the next leg as far as Patrick St/Bull Alley St.
11.11am: He hands the flame over to Olympic marathon hopeful Mark Kenneally (31) from Kildare, who will run as far as Christchurch Place (Jury’s Hotel).
11.14am: Then it’s the turn of Pamela Lacken, a 34-year-old volunteer from Mayo. She’ll move the torch on to Parliament Street.
11.17am: Another Olympic boxer, 2008 silver medallist Kenny Egan, takes the leg from Parliament Street to the junction at Dame Street/Trinity Street.
11.20am: He hands over to another great athlete – John Treacy – who will continue to Nassau Street/Dawson Street.
11.23am: Natalya Coyle, who still hopes to qualify for this year’s games in the modern pentathlon, takes over from Treacy and should have no bother getting to Kildare Street to meet Ruby Walsh.
11.26am: The celebrated Kildare jockey, sans horse, will move the torch to Clare St/Merrion Square West.
11.29am: Should be a special moment as Ronnie Delany, Ireland’s famous 1500m Olympic gold medallist from Melbourne 1956, takes the torch to Government Buildings where the Taoiseach will be waiting.
11.37am: An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will greet the torch at Government Buildings on Upper Merrion Street before it is handed to Bridget Taylor, the mother of four-time world boxing champion Katie, for the penultimate stage of the relay.
11.40am: Finally, Sonia O’Sullivan is due to arrive with the torch at the Olympic Stage at St Stephens Green. She will light the Olympic cauldron there to commemorate the event.
12.20pm: The journey ends as the torch convoy drives the M50 to the M1 toll gates.
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