MARIST COLLEGE ATHLONE have called upon its most decorated past pupil to provide inspiration for their senior footballers.
Paralympian cyclist Mark Rohan, who attended the Westmeath school, won two gold medals at London 2012 last August.
However, he was a talented footballer with Castledaly as well as for the inter-county U21s before a motorcycling accident left him with serious spinal injuries in 2001.
He has recently been helping out with the Westmeath senior team but has offered his wealth of experience to Marist ahead of their Leinster Senior Football A semi-final meeting with St Mary’s Edenderry tomorrow.
“Mark came to the school back in October to show his medals and we asked him back in to chat to the senior footballers,” explains coach Con O’Meara.
He played senior football with the school himself and he has been helping out ever since. He is really good in terms of one on one with the lads.
“They can talk to him differently as there is not the teacher/pupil dynamic and he is such an inspirational person to have around.”
great to see the Marist putting a huge effort in to sport they won the Connacht senior cup in rugby last year and young henshaw looks a future international. They obviously have a good football team too with some big gaa clubs like st brigids and garrycastle in the catchment area. They had a wonderful team about 20 years ago but were beaten in Leinster final replay by a packed st pats naval team