Patrick O’ Driscoll (Aghiohill, West Cork) Glenn Clinton (Dublin) Mark Moore (Baltinglass, Wicklow) Brian Carney (Crumlin now living in North Dublin) James Reynolds (Tallaght, Dublin); Front Row L to R: Emma Nolan from Punchestown Kidney Research Fund, Mike Keohane (Rosscarbery, West Cork), JP O Neill (Kilkenny living in Athy, Kildare) Val Weblin (Leap and Drimoleague, West Cork), Shane Riordan (Newcastle, Dublin) and Tim Lion (Dublin)
Transplant recipients are set for Football World Cup in Frankfurt
TRANSPLANT recipients from Tallaght, Newcastle and Crumlin are set to head off to Frankfurt and represent Ireland at the Transplant Football World Cup from Sunday.
The Transplant Sport Ireland (TSI) team will join transplant recipients from around the world for the international seven-a-side tournament set to take place from this Sunday to Friday, September 18 at the grounds of FSV Frankfurt 1899, including their 12,500-capacity PSD Bank Arena.
The full team is made up of ten Irish transplant recipients, including seriously ill people who once faced just weeks or months to live, and Tallaght’s James Reynolds, Newcastle’s Shane Riordan and Crumlin’s Brian Carney are among the squad’s talents.
The Irish team is made up of fathers who feared they might never see their children grow up, players who spent years on dialysis and one athlete who spent two years in a wheelchair dependent on oxygen before receiving a double lung transplant.
Springfield native James Reynolds has gone through two transplants and had once feared he would never become a father.
He began dialysis at 18 before receiving his first kidney transplant in 2009. He returned to dialysis in 2022 and his brother, Graham became his living donor in 2024.
James mentors his son, Dylan’s GAA side nowadays – something he is thankful for after over 100 medical procedures.
The father said: “Getting to train alongside him and getting fit myself is an amazing feeling.
‘Every day I think of the second chance my donors gave me’.
Newcastle man Shane Riordan will also line out for the national side in the German city that serves as the sport’s capital in the country, seven years after his life-saving bone marrow transport.
Before this, he had struggled with everyday tasks, and his difficulties had taken a toll on him.
Nowadays, Shane is supported by his wife Michelle and three children, all of whom motivate and inspire him, and he also noted his thankfulness to his donor.
He said to TSI: “My wife, Michelle, and my children, Jayde, Harry, and Hannah, were with me through the toughest time of my life.
“They gave me the strength to keep fighting, and now they inspire me to make the most of every opportunity…
“…My donor gave me the greatest gift anyone can receive — the chance to live.”
The Irish side will start their tournament on Tuesday morning with a match against Spain at 8am local time, with subsequent games against Mexico and France to round out their group stage action.
All matches are shown live on the World Transplant Games Federation YouTube channel.
