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4th March 2014 • Volume 21, Issue 8 • Leader House, North Street, Swords. • Tel: 8•400•200 • www.northcountyleader.ie
Enterprising Swords firm, Curran Property Management, are the latest company to take advantage of promoting their business through modern mediums. They have taken the opportunity of advertising the many services offered by his company on North County Leader's weekly email newsletter, to complement their already successful in-paper advertising campaign. Managing Director of Curran Property Management, Gavin Curran is pictured here, with North County Leader's Director of IT, Sean Fitzmaurice.
Catherine, Our Olympic Heroine Calls It A Day Local Swords woman and Paralympic champion, Catherine Walsh, has decided to call it a day and retire from competitive Paralympic sports, after excelling in her field for almost two decades. She intends to retire in order to focus more on her family life, but she says she’ll be continuing her involvement with Paralympics Ireland in the future. This local sports heroine and multi Olympic medal
By Jennifer McShane winner, is one of the North County’s most successful athletics, having competed in six consecutive Paralympic Games during her vast sporting career. Catherine, who is visually impaired, is a true veteran of the Paralympics, and has represented Ireland at the games since 1992. She has achieved so many outstanding accomplishments throughout her sporting career (though she remains hugely modest about her success), and her skill and dedication right from the very start meant that she was destined for great things. She first competed as a track and field athlete in four Paralympic Games between 1992 and 2004, then went on to win a bronze in the Pentathlon in Sydney 2000. It was in 2007 she transferred to tandem cycling and competed in the Beijing Paralympic Games.
Pictured here is Paralympic Champion Catherine Walsh, from Swords, with her pilot Francine Meehan, celebrating their bronze medal win after finishing third in the women's individual B time trial in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
New Hope For Local Pyrite Sufferers Minister for the Environment, numerous times about the Community and Local need for the pyrite issue to be Government, Phil Hogan, has dealt with, so this latest welcomed the publication of announcement is a welcome the Pyrite step forward. Remediation Scheme “I am delighted to and the announceannounce that the ment that its online Pyrite Resolution application system is Board has published now accepting applithe Pyrite cations from homeRemediation Scheme owners around the which will provide North County the framework for affected by pyrite Alan Farrell TD the assessment of applications and the damage. This will come as welcome carrying out of works to news to local homeowners dwellings affected by pyrite who have been affected by damage,” Minister Hogan told pyrite. Local TD, Alan Farrell the County Leader, adding (FG) who is personally affected “affected homeowners can by this issue and other local submit applications under the councillors have spoken out scheme which I hope will
mark the beginning of the end of the hardship and stress that so many have had to endure for too long.” “Having seen the dreadful situations that the local people have had to live with, I was determined to put in place the necessary structures that would deliver reasonable and sustainable solutions for those homeowners who have no other practicable options for redress.” “The Pyrite Resolution Board is ready to begin the assessment of applications and is anxious to facilitate the commencement of remediation works at the earliest possible opportunity,” he concluded.
Following from this, in 2009 she returned to the podium winning silver at the 2009 UCI Track World Championships. Then, in 2011, with her new sighted pilot, Fran Meehan, they won a bronze medal at both UCI World Championships that year. They followed this up with gold in the Individual Pursuit at the UCI Track World Championships in 2012, in the lead up to the London Olympics. This Paralympic cyclist, who works as a physiotherapist at Lusk Community Centre, said that one of her many standout moments was her double win in the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Speaking exclusively to the County Leader she said “It was such a brilliant moment for us, to win the first ever Paralympic cycling medal for Ireland”. “We were very proud.” Indeed in 2012, she had much reason to be proud, as her fantastic success at the London Paralympic Games with her pilot Fran, overjoyed the North County, and ensured that we were right up there with the best in the world. The winning pair went for glory, and won two Paralympic medals, and made history by securing Ireland’s first ever Paralympic cycling medal. They won silver in the Individual Pursuit on the Track, and then won a bronze medal in the time trial.
Catherine said that she was very happy with her decision to retire. “It came from a combination of factors, one being that for some health issues I felt that I wasn’t going to be able to achieve a Gold Medal in the 2016 Olympics, which was what I wanted to achieve. I soon realised that this wasn’t going to be achievable, and that combined with the fact that my kids are getting older, and I want to be around for them, made me come to my decision to retire from the competitive side of things. But, I’ve had a good run and I’m more than happy with everything that I have achieved.” She went on to say that she won’t be giving up cycling completely, as she intends to coach locally and wants to stay involved with the Irish Paralympics. “I hope to always be associated with Paralympics Ireland,” she continued. “People will still see me out on the bike, as I hope to do some local coaching to help the sportsmen and women, who are hoping to move up the ranks in the sport, and will be involved in the Hibernian Track Cycle with Fingallians in May.” To mark the occasion, Paralympics Ireland CEO, Liam Harbison (who was also Chef de Mission for the 2012 London Games), had some lovely words to say about Catherine. “Catherine has had a wonderful Paralympic career that many can only dream of, like competing at six consecutive Games is a massive achievement in itself,” he told the County Leader. “To then medal at two Games in different disciplines sets her apart, and is testament to her enormous talent and unrivalled work ethic. She is a tremendous role model for any aspiring athlete; driven, hardworking, committed, and one of the fiercest competitors around.” Many will agree that this Swords lady will be sorely missed in the field of Paralympic sports, but she can retire, full in the knowledge that she has been a truly outstanding athletic, and one that the North County has been privileged to call their own.
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