Instructors
Bill Hayden
3rd Dan JKA
Bill started training in UCD Karate Club in 1979 with the Karate Union of Ireland under Sensei Brendan McGrath 3rd Dan and S ensei Tommy McGrane 8th Dan. During his student years he competed in both kata and kumite and was part of the UCD squad to compete in a memorable tour of Zimbabwe in 1992. Since returning to Ireland Bill has trained under Sensei John Hosey 4th Dan and Sensei Joe Sweetman 4th Dan and remains a regular instructor in the UCD Karate Club. He was awarded his Shodan in 1993 by the JKA in Crystal Palace under Keinosuke Enoeda Sensei, Yoshiharu Osaka Sensei and Tabata Sensei. Bill was awarded his Nidan in 1998 and his Sandan in 2010 both under Masao Kawasoe Sensei. Bill is currently the senior instructor at UCD Karate Club.
Darragh O'Kelly
3rd Dan JKA
Darragh's first years of training were with Brendan McGrath while still in primary school. He began training with UCD Karate Club in 1991 and has maintained a close involvement with the club since. He now shares responsibility for instruction in the club with Bill Hayden. All of Darragh's Dan-gradings have been with Kawasoe Sensei, from Shodan in 1996 through to Sandan in 2010. Darragh is currently Affiliation and Licensing Officer of JKA Shotokan Ireland and is an Instructor in UCD Karate Club.
Donal Phelan
3rd Dan JKA
Donal first started training in UCD Karate Club in 1982 with the Karate Union of Ireland under Sensei Brendan McGrath and Sensei Tommy McGrane, grading up to brown belt under Andy Sherry Sensei and Keinosuke Enoeda Sensei of the KUGB. Donal's work life meant taking a break from karate for a number of years but in 2002 he restarted his training in UCD Karate Club and then moved to Tanden Shotokan Club with Jerome Dupuch. He was awarded his Shodan in 2009 by Hiroshi Shirai Sensei. Donal graded to Nidan in 2011 and to Sandan in 2015 under Masao Kawasoe Sensei and Mori Toshihiro Sensei at the JKA course in Windsor. Donal now instructs in UCD Karate Club and also in SVJ Karate Club in Fairview.
Jerome Dupuch
4th Dan JKA
Jerome Dupuch is a fourth Dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate-Do as well as a fully qualified ITEC Level II Fitness Instructor and a certified Personal Trainer. He started Karate in 1987 at 14 years of age in France, his home country & became a black belt in 1993. Jerome moved to Dublin in 1999 & started training as well as teaching in UCD Karate Club in 2000. As well as training in UCD, he was also attending specific Black Belts sessions three times a week in another club located in the former Pulse Gym in Dublin City Centre. He was graded to 2nd Dan in the WSI (World Shotokan Institute) in 2001 by Sensei Kawasoe, 8th Dan. This was after quite an intense four-day training seminar involving Sensei(s) Nishiyama, Shirai, Naito & Kawasoe in Windsor, England. In 2003, he obtained his third Dan from Sensei Kase, 9th Dan, during a training course in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2013 Jerome obtained his 4th Dan at the JKA Windsor Spring Course with Sensei Kawasoe.
Assistant Instructors
Darren Doherty - 1st Dan JKAAshling McNabb - 1st Dan JKA