Every score matters in wheelchair hurling, but so too does the opportunity to take part.
At the Millennium Centre in Caherconlish, Co Limerick, the focus is not on disability but on the speed, skill and determination that define a fiercely competitive sport.
Players from the Munster Wheelchair Hurling Club will bring that competitive edge to Galway this weekend when they showcase the game as part of the European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD) Annual Congress.
The initiative is a collaboration between Enable Ireland and the ‘GAA For All’ committee and takes place on Saturday.
Wheelchair hurling will feature at the ECAD Annual Congress in Galway this weekend
Founder of the club, Dave Fitzgerald says there is no “mollycoddling” of the players.
“It’s full on, and our juniors buy into that big time,” he said.
“The juniors just love the competitiveness, and our seniors are five-time All-Ireland champions because they’ve bought into it.
“It’s no less than our players want. They want us to treat them like camogie and hurling players.”
Eoin O’Brien from Shannon, Co Clare, is currently a junior player with ambitions to play senior. He trains with the senior team every Thursday night in Caherconlish.
“When I was growing up, all my siblings would play a sport and I would say, ‘Oh I’d love to play a sport, and my mom stumbled upon the Facebook page and it’s all from there,” he said.
Maurice Noonan from Ballingarry ready for action at the Millennium Centre in Caherconlish
Ellie Sheehy from Templeglantine, Co Limerick, is one of the original members of the club. She described wheelchair hurling as “hurling with tanks”. “It’s full-on intensity,” she said.
She wants more people to play the sport.
“This year, we’re trying to create an initiative, we’re trying to get local GAA clubs and their underage teams to come in and play it, get involved and promote wheelchair hurling in every way possible,” Ms Sheehy said.
Adapted surfing, frame running and wheelchair céilí dancing will also be showcased in the Experience Village on University of Galway campus, alongside the academic congress.
The Experience Village will provide opportunities for people with childhood-onset disabilities to explore innovative sports and creative activities during the congress.
The congress is also promoting the ‘Every1Counts’ campaign, a call to action to every school, club, village and business in Ireland to make one change for people with disabilities.
Dr Hazel Kileen is President of the EACD Annual Congress 2026, and Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy at University of Galway.
“You might think if you make one change yourself that it’s not a big thing, but collectively if we all make changes across Ireland, it will be huge,” Dr Kileen said.
“If you think about coffee shops, they could look at an alternative menu like braille or audio or large text formats. People in businesses, they can look at their social media posts or their websites and think about: ‘Are we really using inclusive images? Does our website really show that we include everybody, and everybody is welcome?'”
She said she believes there is an appetite in Ireland for including people.
The Wheelchair Hurling exhibition matches will be played and training sessions provided for new participants between 1pm and 4pm at the Sports Hall in University of Galway on Saturday.