St. Brigid's Karate Club
Castleknock, JKA Dublin
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About Us
St Brigid's JKA Karate Club
St Brigid's Karate Club was founded in September 2015 by Neville Reilly Sensei 6th Dan JKA. The club is run on a voluntary basis and trains in Our Lady's Parish Centre, Beechpark Lawn, Castleknock and teaches JKA Shotokan Karate. The club caters for adults and children aged 10 years and upwards.
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Chief Instructor: Neville Reilly Sensei 6th Dan JKA
Neville has been practising karate for over 35 years and instructing for over 25 years. He began karate in Dublin City University in 1990 under Joe Sweetman Sensei.
He was captain of DCU karate club as a student.
Neville received his shodan (1st Dan/Degree black belt) in 1995 from Sensei Masao Kawasoe 8th Dan.
Neville spent two years working in southern Japan and trained with the Ogi Branch of the Japan Karate Association under Ken Fukushima Sensei 6th Dan in Kyushu for this period.
On his return from Japan Neville obtained his Nidan (2nd Dan) in 1999 and his Sandan (3rd Dan) in 2008 from Kawasoe Sensei. Neville graded to 4th Dan JKA in August 2012 with Kawasoe Sensei and a JKA panel including Mori Sensei and Naito Sensei. Neville graded to 5th Dan at the JKA Spring course in Windsor UK in May 2017 with Kawasoe Sensei 8th Dan JKA and Mori Sensei 8th Dan JKA. In 2025 Neville graded to 6th Dan JKA with Kawasoe Sensei 8th Dan, Taniyama Sensei 7th Dan and Shimisu Sensei 6th Dan.
Neville is also a JKA Level C Judge and a JKA Level C instructor and a JKA Level D examiner
Neville is a JKA Shotokan Ireland kyu grading examiner and senior instructor.
St Brigid's Karate Club is a member of JKA Shotokan Ireland which is our national association for the promotion of karate in Ireland.
JKA Shotokan Ireland is directly affiliated an as official branch of the Japan Karate Association Headquarters in Tokyo Japan.
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Our Technical Director is Kawasoe Sensei, 8th Dan JKA who together with our senior Irish JKA instructors have overseen the technical development of our association for over 30 years.
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With a vast membership in over 100 countries, the JKA is the world’s largest and most prestigious karate organization.
Recognized heir to the Shotokan karate tradition, it is the only legal karate entity officially approved by the Japanese government as an association of members Shadan Hojin) for the promotion of karate, and granted a tax-free status.
More importantly, the JKA is the preserver of the soul and spirit of the art of kokufu-bunka karate-do-karate based on the ancient Japanese tradition of Bushido (the way of the samurai).
Our mission is to promote this way of karate throughout the world, ensuring that it remains true to the philosophical precepts upon which it was founded.