DCU Voices

DCU VOICES 60 Storming ahead Two-time DCU graduate, Patrick Flanagan talks to Aaron Gallagher about how his experiences with the all-conquering DCU Storm Powerchair football club helped shape his life after college. “Without that experience of going to DCU and being involved in sport, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” says two-time graduate Patrick Flanagan as he reflects on his college days. Completing his BA in Communications before achieving a Master’s in Multimedia, Patrick looks back fondly on his university days, particularly the achievements of the DCU Storm Powerchair Football Club. An accomplished athlete who has represented the Irish Powerchair team in multiple World Cups and European Championships, including captaining Ireland at the 2011 World Cup in Paris, the Tralee man has had a proud career in the green jersey. “I was obsessed with sport from when I was a kid,” he says. “So to wear the captain’s armband and pull on that green jersey is such a huge honour. It’s been an emotional journey. We became the first ever Irish team to medal (at the 2019 Euros in Finland) and we’ve now qualified for the World Cup in Australia next year, so hopefully there’s more memories to come.” Patrick was the founder of the DCU Storm Powerchair Football Club, DCU’s most successful soccer team at any level and also one of the university’s most decorated sports teams in any code. “In terms of national titles, we’re one of the most successful DCU sports teams, period,” he says. “We have five or six national leagues, a number of cup titles and have gone on to participate in two European Club Championships as well. “The powerchair soccer journey was fantastic for me to be a part of. Everyone across the university recognised us as a sports team, not as a disabled sports team, not as people with disabilities that needed to be helped or just given this chance to play. “Everyone in DCU saw that these are sportspeople who have a legitimate contribution to make to the sports tapestry of the university,” he says. A strong advocate for creating employment opportunities in the disability sector, Patrick spent six years working at Muscular Dystrophy Ireland and has recently taken on a new position as CREATE Project Coordinator at Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI). He says his experience in sport, both founding the DCU Storm side and going on to represent Ireland at the highest international level, shows the importance of positive exposure and recognition. “Sport is a great platform for disabled individuals with regards to other aspects of their life,” he explains. “Playing in a disabled sports team, you see players around you who are going to college and working in jobs and living independently. “That all normalises not only playing sport, but also those other areas of life that are so normal for a non-disabled person. It fosters a more positive attitude. It all comes back to that great phrase, ‘You need to see it, to be it’. Sport allows that to happen. I think through DCU Powerchair Football we were able to do that.” “Everyone in DCU saw that these are sportspeople who have a legitimate contribution to make to the sports tapestry of the university.” Aaron Gallagher (BA Journalism, 2017 andMA Social Media Communications, 2019), SportsWriter and Current PhDResearcher at DCUSchool of Communications @AaronGallagher8 Patrick Flanagan (BACommunication Studies, 2013 andMScMultimedia, 2014), Irish International Powerchair Footballer