Patrick O’Leary

When para-canoeist Patrick O’Leary announced his retirement in October, tributes poured in from far and wide in acknowledgement of not only his successes in the arena but also his passionate advocacy for his sport. Corkman Patrick, who completed both his undergraduate (Chemistry) and PhD in UCC, began competing on the world stage in 1994. He made headlines in 2016 when he became the first Irish canoeist to compete at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, finishing in an impressive sixth place. Patrick then went on to make history in 2021 when he brought home the gold at the European Championships in Poland and became Ireland’s first European champion in para-canoe – an incredible feat in the same year that he represented Ireland at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, finishing in fifth place. Announcing his retirement this past autumn, Patrick wrote: “Sport at its purest is not about results, it’s about being the absolute best you can be. That’s all you can control, and I am delighted that, over my competitions, I managed that.” Patrick is a lecturer in the School of Chemistry in NUI Galway and is the ninth registrar of the NUI.

Mary Fitzgerald

One of the most iconic UCC sporting images from recent years is that of Paralympian Mary Fitzgerald, decked out in green and holding up her three gold medals from the 2019 IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) Games – one for each of her sports: shot put, javelin and discus. The Kilkenny native, a former Quercus Sports Scholar and recent UCC Occupational Therapy graduate, was already a decorated athlete by the time she came to Cork, having competed internationally since 2014. With several medals to her name from the IWAS World Games, Mary was first selected to join Paralympic Ireland’s High-Performance squad in 2019. She made her European debut in Poland in 2021, in the European Para Athletics Championships, scoring bronze in the F40 discus. It was no surprise when it was announced that Mary would be travelling with Team Ireland to compete in her first Paralympic Games, in Tokyo in 2021, and she put on an excellent performance in the F40 shot put, finishing sixth overall As the current Irish record-holder in her classification in shot put, discus and javelin, Mary has cemented her position as one of Ireland’s greatest sporting talents.

Niamh McCarthy

Discus thrower Niamh McCarthy left behind a truly inspirational legacy when she announced her own retirement from the sporting arena in 2021, at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo; as well as winning silver while representing her country at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, she is also the reigning European champion after securing gold at the 2021 championships in Poland. Cork native Niamh, who studied Biological and Chemical Sciences in UCC, began competing internationally in 2013, scoring her first medal, a bronze, at the 2015 World Championships in Doha. This was the beginning of an impressive winning streak for Niamh, who proceeded to secure silver in both the 2016 European Championships in Grosseto and the 2017 World Championships in London, gold in the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, and bronze in the 2019 World Championships in Dubai Abu Dhabi. Having won silver at the 2016 Paralympic Games, Niamh was always going to be a strong contender for Team Ireland at Tokyo 2021, and she put on an impressive performance, finishing fifth in the F41 discus. Announcing her retirement last year, she said: “Now is the right time for me to step away from the sport, having competed on the biggest stage in Tokyo. I have loved every minute of it; I have made great friends, seen some wonderful places, and reached heights that I could only imagine when I turned up to a talent ID Day back in 2013.”

Sean O’Riordan

It speaks volumes of swimmer Sean O’Riordan’s determination and dedication that, on the same day his Leaving Certificate results were released back in 2018, he not only competed at the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships, but also set a new personal best! Corkman Sean, who recently graduated from UCC with a degree in Speech and Language Therapy, took up swimming at the age of five and began competing at age 12. Sean – whose main events are the 400m freestyle, the 100m breaststroke and the 100m backstroke – made his international debut in 2017 as one of six Irish swimmers competing in the 2017 World Series Event in Berlin. Sean has since gone on to compete all over the world as a member of the Irish para-swimming team, including the 2021 European Para-Swimming Championships. Sean’s talent was recognised by the university when he was awarded UCC Sports Scholarships in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons.

Patrick Vaughan

Representing our current students is para-table tennis player Patrick Vaughan. The Kilkennyman, who plays his club table tennis with Ballincollig TTC, is in his fourth and final year at UCC, studying Financial Mathematics and Actuarial Science. Having played competitively from a young age, Patrick scored his first senior international medal at the Czech Open in 2018, representing Team Ireland. He went on to complete an incredible winning streak that year at the IWAS Junior World Games, taking home two silver medals in his individual categories as well as the gold alongside his partner in the team event. In 2019, the same year in which he competed in both the Czech and Finland Opens, Patrick’s talent and dedication to his sport were recognised by the university with the presentation of a UCC Sports Scholarship. Patrick, who is heavily involved in UCC’s Table Tennis Club, has previously said his ultimate goal is to win a medal at the Paralympic Games.

For more information, visit the dedicated UCC Sport website.

Photo, Mary Fitzgerald: Clare Keogh

Photo, Patrick Vaughan: UCC Sport

All remaining photography: Sportsfile