The Mayor has visited St Patrick’s Primary School Olympic handball teams who participated in the All-Ireland Olympic handball finals last month.
Their recent success marks a massive achievement for the 2 teams of young players aged between 10 and 11 years old and excited to compete at this outstanding level.
Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Steven Callaghan congratulated the team saying: “What an honour it was to meet these young children and hear how passionate they are about the growing sport of Olympic handball.
“For these Portrush teams to already be competing at this national level is fantastic and it is a testament to their personal dedication, and to the support they receive from their school, coaching staff and family and friends. I wish them the best of luck and every success in the future.”
Mr Quinn from St. Patrick’s thanked the Mayor saying: “Both myself and the children are very grateful to have been recognised by the Mayor in this manner.
“With the popularity of the Olympic handball growing across Northern Ireland, the children couldn’t wait to get involved in the sport. We had several taster sessions with Eugene McKenna (Olympic handball Ireland Development Officer) and the boys and girls loved it!
“We are incredibly proud of them and it’s great to see them representing the county, the province and Portrush.”
St. Patrick’s represented County Antrim in the Ulster finals in February this year. The National Finals, hosted by the University of Limerick, saw St. Patrick’s face opposition from across the island, including schools from Cork, Kerry, Roscommon, Galway & Sligo.
The 2 teams, comprising of both boys and girls made the long journey to Limerick last month and were proud to take to the court to compete on this national stage.
