Instructor Biography - Darren Mahony
I was born in Cork city, Ireland on the 22nd of June 1977 as my father was stationed there in the Army. When I was about 3 years old my Father transferred to the midlands and we went to live in my Parents’ native county of Offaly and this is where I grew up. I remember being a young kid and watching the T.V. series “Kung Fu” and also seeing Bruce Lee movies and thinking I wanted to be just like those heroes on the screen. After much nagging of my parents and seeing an ad in a local paper, at the age of about 11, my parents agreed to let me take Karate lessons in a nearby town.
The Martial Arts club I then joined taught a traditional style of Karate and didn’t actually teach kids. However, I was quite big for my age and the Instructor saw I was serious about wanting to learn so he agreed to take me on. After about 6 years hard training in an old, shabby and freezing cold parish hall and a few months before my 17th birthday, I was successful in earning my 1st Dan Black Belt.
I left school and home that summer to pursue a career as an aircraft engineer in the Irish Air Corps, where I am still employed today. I was very keen to keep up my Martial Arts training and now that I was living in Dublin, I had a host of styles and systems to choose from so I set out to find a new club and Instructor.
It was then that I walked into Ed Downey’s Kenpo Karate Academy in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, just outside Dublin. Thus began a great friendship that has carried on to this day. On entering Prof. Downey’s school that day, I introduced myself to Edward telling him of my background, asked some questions about Kenpo Karate and watched a class. The dynamic, powerful self-defence I saw being practised lit up my eyes and sparked my imagination. I was instantly hooked and returned the very next day to begin my Kenpo “Journey”. Mr. Downey didn’t afford me any graces and put me to work almost straight away helping to teach classes. Although I hadn’t much knowledge of the Kenpo system at first, I could give a mean warm-up and exercise class.
 Darren Mahony Click to Enlarge |
I loved the Kenpo I was learning and couldn’t get enough. I devoted all my spare time to training, learning, teaching and helping out in the school. In 2001, after many years of dedicated training I had a very proud day and I earned my 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate in front of an illustrious testing panel of John Sepulveda, Huk Planas, Ed Downey, Jeff Speakman, John Burgess and Anthony Taylor. I went on to gain my 2nd Degree in 2003 and my 3rd Degree in 2006.
Since beginning my study of Kenpo Karate I have been part of Ed Downey’s Irish Kenpo Karate Team and I have competed and placed in sparring and forms competition all over Europe and the United States. My most recent success being in the World Kenpo Meeting in Spain in May, 2009 where I won a 3rd place in Black Belt Forms; 2nd Degree and over and a 2nd place in Black Belt Fighting; heavyweight division. I have also furthered my study of Kenpo by travelling abroad to train with Master John Sepulveda, Sigung Steven LaBounty and Master Bob White and am lucky to be able to count these Kenpo greats among my friends. Over the years I have also trained with such noted Kenpoists as Frank Trejo, Huk Planas, Lee Wedlake, Ron Chapel, Graham Lelliott, Tommy Burks, Pat Salantri, Jeff Speakman, Paul Dye, Dian Tanaka, Angelo Collado, Ed Parker Jnr. and of course most regularly with Ed Downey.
In 2005/06 I and my Partner, Antonia Rodriguez, a Kenpo Black Belt from Jersey in the Channel Islands embarked on a 1 year, round the World trip. During our travels, we visited many Kenpo Schools and taught classes and gave seminars in lots of different countries. Some of the biggest and most fun seminars were in La Paz- Bolivia (where we featured in a national newspaper), Santiago- Chile, Hamilton- New Zealand and Melbourne- Australia. We were met with open minds, open arms and open homes almost everywhere we went and we made some lifelong friendships and now have a very big extended Kenpo Family.
Antonia and I got married in August 2008 and now live in Castletown, Co. Laois where we both continue the practise and study of Kenpo and run the Portlaoise Kenpo Karate Studio which we opened in August 2009 which is going from strength to strength ever since.
In December 2010 I sucessfully tested for my 4th Degree Black Belt in front of a board of Senior Black Belts from the EKKA. It was a tough 3 hour test which consited of being examined on Kenpo basics (striking, kicking, blocking, foot manouvers, stances etc.), forms and sets, self defence techniques (including extensions) and single and multiple opponent sparring as well as being questioned on Ed Parkers rules, principles, concepts and theories of Kenpo Karate. A great test that left me drained both physically and mentally but vey happy at the end to be kicked by Senior Professor Downey for my 4th Degree Black Belt.
Darren Mahony
August 2009
