Name: Susan Murray
Sport: Ten Pin Bowling, Swimming, Gymnastics and Golf
County: Dublin
“I often think where would I be without Special Olympics Ireland?”
- Susan Murray.
Susan Murray practicing her radio skills on ‘SO Unlimited’
Before Susan joined Special Olympics Ireland she didnt have many friends or opportunities to meet new people. Susan would come home from work and sit and stare at the four walls. She felt that there was not much to look forward to in life and couldn’t see how that could change.
Then in 2003 the World Games came to Ireland and Susan’s whole world was turned upside down. She is now in three Special Olympics Clubs; D6 Special Olympics Club, South Dublin Strikers Special Olympics Club and South Dublin Special Olympics Sports club. She does ten pin bowling, swimming, gymnastics and golf. Susan loves going to all her clubs every week where she meets all her friends and is very thankful to have been given the chance to compete in all four of her sports. Susan’s sporting goal is to compete in a World Games and represent her country.
Susan is also on the Eastern Region ALPs committee and a member of ALPs Ireland which gives people with an intellectual disability the opportunity to learn new skills such as public relations, coaching and public speaking. In April 2007 Susan was asked to speak at the launch of TEAM Ireland at the RDS in front of 3000 people and in May she was asked to MC at the Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown County Council event to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Special Olympics Ireland. Both these events were very exciting and Susan says she feels very honoured and proud to be asked to speak at them.
Through Special Olympics Ireland Susan was given the chance to do a work experience with Eircom during the ‘Get up Get out and Go’ fundraising campaign where she got the chance to produce and direct her own video. Susan has a keen interest in media and communications which led to her work with Dublin City Radio Station and the ‘SO Unlimited’ programme which promotes the work of Special Olympics and the skills of people with an intellectual disability. Susan gets to interview people every week on the show and even got to interview the former Chairman of Special Olympics Ireland Fergus Finlay.
Susan often thinks ” where would I be without Special Olympics?” she have made so many friends and gets to travel all over the country with her sports. So many doors have opened up for her and made her life so much better. Special Olympics has changed her life and Susan hopes that everybody with an intellectual disability can have the same chances she has had.
See www.specialolympics.ie for information on this years Special Olympics to be held in Limerick in June.
