A new year in 2023 got off well for me as I received an Award From Ballinagare Manor Utd FC on the 2nd of January during a fundraiser and presentation night.
As a part of the backend staff, being the 1st team Sports Therapist for Ballinagare Manor Utd, it is always special to receive the recognition that all of us in the background have our important roles to play in sports in Ireland, so I am writing this short blog post to say a big thank you to all at Ballina Manor FC for this recognition – it is much appreciated and makes it all so worthwhile playing my little role.
A PICTURE OF MY TROPHY BELOW FOR CLUBMAN OF THE YEAR 2021-2022
BELOW IS A PICTURE OF ME WITH DAVID HUSSEY (club committee member) ON THE NIGHT
FINALLY, A SCREENSHARE BELOW WITH DETAILS OF THE OTHER AWARD RECIPIENTS ON THE NIGHT
You Can Run a marathon too if you put your mind to it.
We have all heard words to the effect of “you can do anything if you put your mind to it”, and in this podcast, I speak to a local Roscommon man Tom who has now completed 3 marathons, the most recent being the 2022 Dublin City marathon and our paths crossed when I treated Tom for some not uncommon injuries picked up by him along the way.
The podcast should be of interest to lots of you out there to reinforce self-belief.
Tom’s motivation was to get fit and lose weight, he tells us about his aha moment and indeed as he explains how losing 4 stone pretty quickly aided motivation.
He discusses how training cleared his mind and removed stress.
In this podcast, a regular guy just like you and me discusses his journey and may help you to follow his path.
Listen to This Podcast -You Can Run a marathon too
part 1
Aidan and Tom discuss his journey from taking up running to taking part in 3 Dublin City Marathons. Tom Ward tells Aidan how are the most difficult stage of the 2022 Dublin City Marathon, the last 5km which is where he saw the Join Our Boys team and he looked up to heaven and thought of Archie. He said that inspired him and gave him the strength the complete the marathon. This podcast is dedicated to the memory of Archie Naughton from Join Our Boy
SHOULDER SPRAIN INJURY This weeks injury that I am covering is a shoulder sprain injury and a case study involving Gerry a good friend of mine. A shoulder sprain usually occurs as a result of a bad or awkward fall or a hard shoulder to shoulder. A shoulder sprain...
Sports Injuries Sometimes Need Scans? Sports Injuries Sometimes Need Scans because some injuries that actually need expert intervention are not always obvious. Obviously, as a sports therapist when I am present at match days and practice sessions occasionally an...
I recently did a podcast from which you can learn about what the GPA does in real life.
The Gaelic players association or the GPA as it is commonly known as, has been around for a while since 1999 and whilst we have all heard of it lots of people actually do not realise what the GPA is actually doing and the great work that it does out there in real life for players.
Our GAA sports players are non-professional but give so much to our local communities and indeed the country and its identity on a national level so the GPA should be promoted because its purpose is the wellbeing and welfare of our GAA players.
I recently had the privilege of conducting an interview with former Laois county footballer Colm Begley which you can listen to below.
The interview gives plenty of information about:
what the ethos of the GPA is
what it does,
its history
and a lot more besides
What the GPA is all about – more to learn from the interview?
I believe that many of you may find this interview of interest because Colm Begley was an inter-county player as well as being involved with the GPA itself and this allowed the interview to delve into other interesting topics such as:
Whether players and managers should have a greater say in-game rule changes
We discuss GPA scholarships which many may not have heard about including the fact that the GPA has 23 partnerships with colleges around Ireland
We discuss the mental health of players and the help that is available
Reconstruction of the championship discussion as well as the question of players’ retirement and lots more
In closing the GPA has a website that you can visit through the link in the button:
I recently spoke to Wesley O Brien who is an Irish Tennis Coach Helping Refugees on ROS FM.
Wesley uses his HIT and HOPE Tennis Programs – to bring Tennis to Kids affected by War and Conflict in Refugee Camps.
He created a Facebook page to raise funds from donated signed sports memorabilia to support the HIT and HOPE Tennis Program.
There is a link to my podcast on the image below
The concept talked about here resonated with me because if any country should feel genuine sympathy for the plight of refugees- it should be us here in Ireland.
We talk with pride about “the Irish diaspora” which came about because millions of our forebears had to escape starvation, oppression and poverty.
Instead of the blame and hate politics that have emerged in the world, we now inhabit maybe we need to reflect upon being better people by being”just human” and remembering our own history and just doing our little bit to help out.
Maybe you could help out this worthy initiative by sharing this post and do your little bit to support Waynes endeavours- by raising awareness of the initiative.
Congratulations are in order for the Buccaneers RFC u14s who won the Connacht U14 League A Final on the 11th December 2021 where they beat Sligo RFC.
A tremendous achievement for this group of players and staff and indeed the club itself.
I am delighted and proud to say that I was the sports therapist for the team so I take some personal pride in what the team has achieved.