Some stories only land when the mic is live, and the notes are gone. We sat down for a raw, unscripted session at the Active Disability Ireland Annual Conference to hear what sport really means when life bends, breaks, and rebuilds.
I open up first about the challenge of living with MS, then we pass the floor to two remarkable guests whose journeys reframe resilience and inclusion in Irish sport.
First up, Melanie Griffiths shares how a spinal injury closed one chapter and opened another with wheelchair rugby league. She walks us through the sport’s pace and physicality—five-a-side, tags for tackles, a real rugby ball—and the practical hurdles, from expensive sports chairs to maintenance that never ends. Training with Wigan sharpened her game, while Ireland’s programme surged under new coaching: back-to-back Celtic Cups, a home win in Galway, a learning tour to France, and a world ranking that now points to Australia next November. It’s a story of momentum built on coaching, kit, and community.
Then Kerrie Leonard takes us into the quiet storm of elite archery. She missed Rio by a breath, broke her leg before Tokyo, and still kept going as the pandemic stretched the cycle to seven years. The call to fly came just six weeks out. She talks about the loneliness of empty stadiums and how she built her own support by cheering for solo athletes—who returned the favour the next day. Her insights on focus are razor-sharp: reset every arrow, refuse autopilot, breathe, visualise, begin again. And she explains why retiring now is the bravest move—balancing personal wellbeing with the need for broader systems that don’t rely on one person to keep a sport visible.
Across both stories, a clear message emerges: real inclusion is infrastructure plus empathy. Lower barriers to equipment. Fund coaching and competition. Create pathways that last longer than any single athlete’s career. If you care about Irish sport, high performance, or the human engine that powers both, you’ll find plenty to take with you.
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We’ll have more from the event over the coming days.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
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