Pictures: Welcome home for Ballincollig Special Olympics gold medal hero is just champion
Colm Monahan, a member of the staff at Chapel Gate Café, Ballincollig, run by the Brothers of Charity, during a celebration in his honour in the café on his return with a men's singles gold medal for bton at the Special Olympics World Games.Picture: Denis Minihane.
THERE were jubilant scenes in the Chapel Gate Café in Ballincollig yesterday afternoon in an event to honour local man Colm Monahan following his win at the Special Olympics World Games.
Mr Monahan (31) won a gold medal in the Bton singles at the Games in Berlin.
Staff at the Chapel Gate Café, where Mr Monahan works, pulled out all the stops for a special gathering held in the café to celebrate the athlete of the hour.
A beaming Mr Monahan told it was wonderful to see so many of his work colleagues and loved ones turn out to congratulate him.
“It’s great winning gold in singles,” he said of his experience at the Games.
“This is my second [Special Olympics] in eight years. The first one was LA in 2015. That was football and I came fifth,” he explained.
Cork minor football manager, Ray O'Mahony yesterday presented Mr Monahan with a Cork jersey to congratulate him on his success.
Meanwhile, Chapel Gate Café organised for flowers from the Field of Dreams to be presented to Mr Monahan’s mother, Bríd.
The popular café was also festooned with balloons and banners and provided refreshments for those in attendance.
Set up by the Brothers of Charity Services in 2008, Chapel Gate Café helps to provide training and paid employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
“It provides employment to persons ed so we have over 20 employees here working in the coffee shop,” Brid Scanlan, Brothers of Charity sector manager, explained.
“It’s providing and employment in the community.”
Ms Scanlan was full of praise for the café’s gold medalist.
“Colm is such a character and we’re all just proud of him.
“He’s been having parties now, he was in our main office in Lota [Glanmire] yesterday and he had two parties and he returned to his school that he was in this morning, had another party, and now he’s here,” she said.
“He’s done incredible work and we couldn’t be prouder.”
This was echoed by Anne Cahill, manager of Chapel Gate Café.
“We’re so proud of Colm," she said. “We wanted to do something for him to celebrate his big achievement."
Mr Monaghan was accompanied in Berlin by his mother Bríd and father Pat who said they were “absolutely delighted” for their son and “so proud of him”.
Mr Monaghan was one of the 73 Team Ireland champions who came home this week from the Special Olympics World Games.
In total, they won 24 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze medals.
Commenting following the return of Team Ireland, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin lauded the athletes as an inspiration.
"Of course, it’s not all about winning medals. Far from it.
"The number of our athletes who achieved personal bests is equally noteworthy and deserving of special acknowledgement.
"Their record performances and their success will certainly inspire future generations of athletes to qualify and compete at world level," she said.
Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne said the athletes had “truly done Ireland proud”.
“I’d like to thank the athletes and the teams of people behind the athletes, including their devoted family and brilliant volunteers, for all of their effort and dedication,” he continued.
“They are outstanding representatives of the sporting system that we want to achieve in this country, a system where sport is truly for all.”
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