Sailing Paralympian Hosts Black Tie Ball in Aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland

27th September 2017

Afloat.ie Team

John Twomey, with crew, at the helm of his Sonar keelboat

John Twomey, Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete, to host exclusive black-tie ball in Cork in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland.

The Cork Jazz Ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland is set to take place at the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel in Cork on Saturday 28th October 2017.

The event will be a black-tie affair and will feature a prosecco reception, a four-course meal with wine, prizes, music and dancing until the early hours.

Well-known jazz group, The Swing Cats, will also appear on the night and play music from their fantastic repertoire of songs.

John Twomey, organiser of the event along with a committee of volunteers, is Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete and has competed in a total of 11 Paralympic Games since 1984.

He was also the official flag bearer for Ireland at last year’s Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

John is an avid sailor and is a member of the Kinsale Yacht Club where he completes all his training for the Paralympics Games.

John explained that he decided to organise this upcoming ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) as he saw first-hand the important work SII carry out in his local community.

Currently, Spinal Injuries Ireland provides support to 214 people and their families in Cork and over 1,800 people nationwide. SII provides a range of services to people living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) including its Community Connect service whereby a Community Outreach Officer visits clients in their homes to offer active support and goal setting along with providing up to date information on applying for grants.”

He also explained that SII provides a Peer Mentoring service which links volunteer peer support mentors with people living with spinal cord injuries in their local area.

“This is an amazing service as it links people with new spinal cord injuries with people who are further along in their injury to advise them and provide an additional support network that they can access at any time.”

Lastly, SII provides a Family Support service which provides support to family members directly. This is a separate service that SII provide in addition to offering support to the person with a spinal cord injury.

John said that he is excited about the upcoming ball in aid Spinal Injuries Ireland and added: “The proceeds from this ball will provide much-needed funding to Spinal Injuries Ireland so that they can continue to provide essential services for people living with spinal cord injuries in Cork.

“It is so important that people living with SCIs continue to have access to the services that Spinal Injuries Ireland provide within the community. It is vital for people living with disabilities in Cork that these services not only continue but expand on a much larger level.”

All money raised on the night will go towards helping SII deliver increased services to clients and families living with spinal cord injuries in Co. Cork.

The price for a table of 10 people at the Cork Jazz Ball in aid of SII is €900 per table or €90 per person.

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Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

How long has Ireland been sailing at the Olympics?

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

Who has sailed for Ireland at the Olympics, and when?

How many Olympic medals has Ireland won in sailing?

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

Who is on the current Irish Sailing Olympic team?

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

What is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland?

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Who is responsible for selecting Ireland’s Olympic sailors?

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

What is the Performance Pathway?

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Who is the Irish Sailing Performance head coach?

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

Who is Irish Sailing’s Performance Director?

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

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Who are the Irish Sailing Performance coaching staff?

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

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