Matthew to be face of Cavan for Ireland Games in Limerick

Special Olympics is getting ready to launch the Ulster Team that will attend the Ireland games in Limerick in June 2014 and a 13-year-old Ballinagh swimmer is all set to be the face of Cavan at the games.
Matthew McGauran will be heading to Stormont Castle in Belfast on Monday next with his parents, Anne and Phil, for a special launch ceremony which will be featured on television and in the media generally. There will be 246 athletes and 95 coaches from all over Ulster attending the games.
“This will be the first time a lot of these athletes will have competed on a national level and reaching this level is a real achievement for our Ulster athletes,” said Shaun Cassidy, Regional Director of Special Olympics Ulster.
“Matthew has been chosen to be the face of Cavan for the Special Olympics and we are very happy that Matthew has agreed. He will be travelling to Limerick to participate in the games with eight other individuals, who will be the face of their respective counties.”
Matthew trains at the Cavan Swimming pool at the Sports and Leisure Complex and also at the pool in the Cavan Crystal Hotel.
His proud parents are delighted with Matthew’s progress in the pool.
“It is lovely to see Matthew representing Cavan – it is a great honour for all of us. I hope he does the county and Ulster proud, he has done us proud so far,” said dad Phil.
Matthew is in sixth class in St Felim’s primary school in Ballinagh. World handball champion Paul Brady is one of Matthew’s heroes and imparted great encouragement to Matthew to take up swimming.
Phil says that Deirdre Brady, honorary secretary of the Breffni Blues Special Olympics Club, has done trojan work with Matthew to get him into swimming, which he has been doing for five years.
“It is to her credit, that he is now where he is. Deirdre had him swimming in a very short time. We as parents knew from watching Matthew in a pool, that he had no fear of water and he loves doing what everybody else is doing,” said Matthew’s mother, Anne.
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