Sensei Robert McGrath — 7th Dan
Robert McGrath was born in Dublin in 1961. His older brother Leslie began learning Ed Parker’s Kempo Karate in 1964. After seeing Mr. Tatsuo Suzuki on Irish television, he changed to Wado Karate-Do, training under Tatsuo Suzuki Sensei and Jim Prichard Sensei.
In 1973, Leslie took his younger brother to his first Karate lesson under Sensei Derek Desmond. Soon, Robert was training five to seven days a week with Sensei Desmond and Iwasaki Sensei.
Competitive Achievements
At 19, he won the All-Ireland Senior Wado Karate Championship (open weight division) and held the title for five consecutive years. He was also a member of the Aer Lingus Karate Team, which remained unbeaten for 10 years.
From 1981 to 1985, he held numerous Irish National titles (Wado & All-Styles, ONAKAI) in kumite and kata, and was a key member of the ONAKAI National Team for over 10 years, competing in WKF and EKF Championships.
In 1984, he represented Ireland at the Wado-Ryu World Karate Championships in Japan during the 50th anniversary of Wado. His team was narrowly defeated in the quarterfinals, and he received an award for Outstanding Fighting Spirit.
A facial injury led to his early retirement from competition at age 27, but he returned in 1994 to reach the semi-finals of the WIKF European Championships and later earned a World WIKF Bronze Medal in Dallas, Texas, in 2005.
Dan Grades and Leadership
In 1985 (age 23), Robert received his 1st Dan from Shiomitsu Sensei. His Dan progression under Tatsuo Suzuki Sensei:
- 2nd Dan – 1990
- 3rd Dan – 1993
- 4th Dan – 1997
- 5th Dan – 2002
- 6th Dan – 2008
- 7th Dan – 2016 (awarded in Japan by Sensei Philip Kear in the presence of Kobayashi Sensei)
In 1993, Suzuki Sensei appointed him Chief Instructor for the Republic of Ireland, a role he held until 2011.
That same year, Robert founded WIKF Ireland (Wado International Karate-Do Federation Ireland).
