ROISIN Upton, Ciara Neville and Louise Galvin will talk about the challenges they have faced in their sporting careers during a Network Ireland Limerick panel discussion about Women in Sport.
RTE’s Operation Transformation Leader Hazel Hartigan will also make a guest appearance at the event which is sponsored by The Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau.
The panellists will share their perspectives on a number of topics during this virtual event including; the visibility of women in sport, getting the right support, following their dreams, keeping perspective despite constant uncertainty and the mentors who helped them along the way.
Presenter and author Meghann Scully will be MC for the event and will facilitate the panel discussion featuring:
Irish International hockey player Roisin Upton is a world cup silver medallist having played in the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup final. Her squad was the first Irish Women’s Hockey team to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. A qualified primary school teacher, the Limerick native has put her career on hold for another year to focus on the rescheduled 2021 Games.
Ciara Neville of Emerald AC steps closer to qualifying for the Olympics following her participation at the European Indoor Athletics Championship in Poland earlier this month. This was her second time to represent Ireland at the European Indoor Championships despite just being 21. In 2018, she won silver as part of the 4 x 100m Irish team at the Youth World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Louise Galvin recently retired from the full-time Women’s Sevens circuit after the squad failed to make it to the Olympics. The Kerry native has an impressive multi-sport career having first excelled as a Gaelic footballer for Kerry and as a basketball player with UL Huskies before being scouted by Irish rugby Sevens. A qualified physiotherapist, she answered Ireland’s Call and lent her time and expertise to the national effort at Tullamore Hospital ICU and is now working full-time for the HSE in Kerry.
Hazel Hartigan, a full-time nurse at St John’s Hospital, will also make a special guest appearance to talk about her journey as a leader during RTE’s 2021 Operation Transformation programme which saw her shedding 2 stone. Hazel won over the hearts of viewers and was hailed a warrior as she spoke about losing two children on the show.
Caragh O’Shea, president of Network Ireland Limerick said, “While the focus of this event is on sport, there will inevitably be lessons from their stories both on and off the pitch that will inspire business owners and leaders. We are looking forward to an exciting and engaging discussion with our amazing panellists and guest speakers.”
