The club, among the leaders in the local athletic scene, owes its existence to Fr Aidan Murray and Bro. Michael O'Meara of the Salesians School of St Patrick's, Sliema, way back in 1962. Being a boarding school, they used to give a lot of importance to sporting activities, among these athletics and in particular cross country racing. Here, the Saints made an immediate impact by winning the team ev
ents of the 1962 Combined Secondary Schools cross country race at the first time of asking. For several years after this, St Patrick's were among the front-runners of the cross country scene as gradually they started making inroads in track and field athletics. Then, in 1968, Fr Lawrence Essery joined the club and his enthusiasm for sport enabled the Saints to hold on to its athletes even after they left school. Soon, other strong athletes began to join in and together with Fr Essery himself, became a major force in Maltese athletics. Since its inception, the club maintained its presence in all athletic activities, in particular road running events. One will immediately realise this in all major events which are always dominated by the large number of green and yellow vests. Since the mid-90s, the club was no longer tied to its founding school in Sliema, although Fr Essery is still an Honorary President until this day. St Patrick's AC is nowadays more than ever an open club, with close to 300 members in its ranks. Apart from a good number of elite athletes, however, the club is also very proud of its other members who are rarely in the limelight, but still enjoy practising the sport. They benefit from the support provided by the club, including coaching, information, a number of discounts, social activities and a newsletter - 'The Shamrock'.
