Bernadette going for glory
Badminton player Bernadette Kennedy with John Mullen and Joe Dixon at a recent fundraising quiz in the Loch Garman Arms.
EXCITEMENT is building among the friends and family of Bernadette Kennedy of Cluanin, Gorey, as she prepares to head out to Warsaw in Poland to represent Ireland in the European Special Olympics Games in badminton.
Bernadette will travel to Poland on September 15 for a ten day trip, to represent her club, town and country in the games. She will be accompanied by her parents Eileen and Sean and other family members.
She was selected following her Leinster games win last year. She has been busy preparing for the event all year, and has been training with the Irish team all summer.
She trains with the Gorey Area Special Olympics Club throughout the year, in Gorey Community School, and in Naomh Eanna GAA Club during exam time and in the summer. Both venues were provided to the club free of charge, and the club sent a big thank you to them for their support.
Head coach in Badminton for the Irish team is Edel Dempsey, formerly Doyle, of Gorey. Bernadette will travel to Dublin this weekend for a final training session. A group of local people got together recently to organise a fundraising table quiz in the Loch Garman Arms to help fund her trip. They were delighted with how the event went, and a total of €666 was raised on the night. The winning teams generously gave back their prize money. Bernadette, who attends the Saoirse training programme in St. Aidan's, also works part time in Joanne's in Gorey. The staff at Joanne's have all wished her well.
