The initial impression your blog post makes is crucial, and that’s where your introduction comes into play. Hook your readers with a captivating opening that sparks curiosity or emotion. Address their pain points or questions to establish a connection. Outline the purpose of your post and give a sneak peek into what they can expect. A well-crafted introduction sets the tone for an immersive reading experience.

Crafting Informative and Cohesive Body Content

Within the body of your blog post lies the heart of your message. Break down your content into coherent sections, each with a clear heading that guides readers through the narrative. Dive deep into each subtopic, providing valuable insights, data, and relatable examples. Maintain a logical flow between paragraphs using transitions, ensuring that each point naturally progresses to the next. By structuring your body content effectively, you keep readers engaged and eager to learn more.

Powerful Closures: Leaving a Lasting Impression

Concluding your blog post isn’t just about wrapping things up – it’s your final opportunity to leave a strong impact. Summarize the key takeaways from your post, reinforcing your main points. If relevant, provide actionable solutions or thought-provoking questions to keep readers thinking beyond the post. Encourage engagement by inviting comments, questions, or sharing. A well-crafted conclusion should linger in your readers’ minds, inspiring them to explore further or apply what they’ve learned.

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Get back to where you once belonged. Our century of change.

Jimmy, Paddy, and Johnny kick off a game of football on their local village green. School’s
out as the brothers enjoy a few weeks away from lockup in St Joseph’s School for Blind Boys
(JoJo’s), which they called ‘The Drum’ because of its Drumcondra, Dublin location.

It’s 1930s Ireland, and the midlands townspeople of Kilbeggan go shopping or to church.
Some may clock in for work at the nearby whiskey distillery, while others may prefer to have
it ‘distilled’ to them at the local pub.

The footballing siblings – all have hereditary eye conditions with resulting partial sight – are
having fun.

Two local gardaí pedal up and shout at the boys, ‘Go home, you’re not allowed out! If yis
don’t go home, we’ll send you back to your asylum in Dublin!’
Game over.

Fifty years later, the middle sibling, Paddy, was in Long Island, New York, where he saw his
son – that’s me – walk with the Irish team at the Opening Ceremony of the VII Paralympic
Games. On 19 June 1984, 9,000 members of the NYPD and US security services were on
hand as President Ronald Reagan welcomed the 3,000-plus participants.

No chance Paddy could be sent back to the asylum now. He was treated like a king by the
NYPD, who ensured he was well fed and watered.

Paddy, his siblings and his contemporaries came a long way in half a century: from not being
allowed to play sports in the open to their offspring competing on the world stage.

Extract 2: River deep mountain high

Paula Dorrington (Dublin) and Gus Dorrington (Dublin). Including athletics, mountain
climbing and skiing.

‘I’m still alive because of sport,’ Paula Dorrington tells me three times during my lunchtime
visit to her home. ‘I’ve been a diabetic since I was 9, which resulted in me losing my
eyesight. At 23, I became epileptic.’

Paula recalls finding sport – and love – at her new job at Blindcraft in the early 80s. Irish
Blindcraft, closed now for two decades, was the state agency that provided employment for
b/vi people in skills such as basketry.

Paula says, ‘One of the girls told me about Gus, who was working facing me all the time. He
was a runner, she said, who trained with a gang of b/vi athletes each Saturday. A few weeks
later, Gus asked me to join him at a session. I agreed but didn’t think I was going to run, as I
was diabetic and overweight. After a few exercises, I was wrecked, but coach Tony Guest
kept with me. When it was over, Tony asked me back the following week, and I thought, no
chance!

‘Then I checked my glucose meter, and I couldn’t believe it – my blood sugar had gone down
quite a bit.

‘Back at work on Monday, Gus asked if I enjoyed the Saturday session. I told him I loved it!
Gus offered to take me running midweek. He ran the eight-mile round trip across Dublin to
my home and back. We used a string to link us.’

Paula and Gus were soon tethered together in every sense and tied the knot in matrimony in
1997.

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The Characters of Out of Sight!

For the first time ever, we have a book which tells the stories of sport and leisure for blind and vision impaired people in Ireland.

Join author Joe Geraghty, the leading expert in the field, as he takes us on a whistle stop tour of 75 sports, the rules, and adaptations. He covers two centuries from fun to elite sport. Joe recorded 60 interviews with many incredible stories of unique achievements.

Dance along with Derry gold star Jason Smyth, undefeated Paralympic sprint champion for 18 years. Jason has won 21 Paralympic, World and European gold medals. In December 2023 Jason was inducted into the RTE Sports Hall of Fame.

Swim along with teenage sensation Róisín Ní Ríain (Limerick), two times Paralympian who has won 10 gold, silver and bronze medals and World and European Championships.

Go summer camping with Grainne Geraghty (Kildare), Jacqui McKeating (Dublin/UK), Margaret Hughes (Kildare) Breda Currid (Dublin) and Róisín Dermody (Carlow).

Skiing is believing as you slip, slide away with Dubliners Gus and Paula Dorrington, two-time Paralympians.

You’ll be off your trolley on schooldays sports with Des Kenny (Kildare), a onetime CEO of Vision Ireland.

Read of fundraising frolics with Gay Byrne, Eamonn Coghlan, Eamon Dunphy, Theresa Mannion, Eamon Duffy, and Micheal O’Hehir.

It’s a knockout with boxer and legendary marathon man Jim Gallagher (Mayo).
Delaney is no donkey at Marathons either. Michael Delaney (Dublin) has run, cycled, and played chess at the World’s top para-sports events.

Spin along in tandem with Katie-George Dunlevy (Donegal and UK), cycling’s most successful Paralympian ever.

It’s a family affair with Joe and Bernie Walsh (Dublin), Ann, Dean and Fiona Cusack (Waterford), Bernie Everard and Shane Clyne (Kildare).

Dip your toes into swimming with expert disability coach Frank Cullinan (Dublin). Hey Frankie, we do remember you.

Discuss discus with 12 times national champion Gerry Campbell (Longford).
Be run off your feet with Martin Kelly (Kildare), Ireland’s joint first blind/vision impaired Paralympian. Meet Martin’s late partner Anne the lady who wrote the letter to RTE that kicked it all off here.

On yer marks, get set with Ireland’s other joint first blind/vision impaired Paralympian Pat Kelly (Limerick and Louth).

Be educated by school principals Sr. Brid (Clare) and Marguerite Quinn (Limerick).

Ask Ana Maia (Brazil and Dublin) about sight classifications.

Enjoy tee-time with former RTE Head of Radio Sport Ian Corr (Dublin) who says the best thing about losing his sight was meeting Blind Golf Ireland founder Jimmy Murray (Kilkenny).

Was it a Carr? Was it a runner? It was both as Carol Carr (Dublin) became Ireland’s first Blind/Vision Impaired Paralympic Gold Medallist.

It’s a day, a night at the ball with futsal coach Tony Lyster and VI Rugby captain Sean McDowell.
Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side with Michael and Theresa Lavin.

Let’s hear it for the girls with Greta Streimikyte (Dublin/Lithuania), Orla Comerford (Dublin), Sinead Kane (Cork) and Hilary Devlin (Dublin).

Saddle up then for equine therapy with Audrey Darby.

A team of thousands hoped to mine by making Atlanta ’96 but just Bridie Lynch struck gold.
Chess nut Philip Doyle picks up the pieces for free, no cheque, mate. An Irish squad of hundreds tried to mine for gold at Atlanta ’96 but just one, Bridie Lynch (Donegal) emerged victorious.

Our leader of the pack, host, and Guest. Tony Guest recalls his friendship with the late John Newman.

Mick McKeon (Wexford), Ann Lyster (Dublin), Paul O’Rahilly (Kilkenny) bring it all home as they host the world’s biggest blind/vision impaired events here.

What goes on in the village stays in the village but what about what goes on outside the village?

Rahim Nazarali (Kenya and Dublin) will floor you with some amazing judo insights.

Jump into the world of multi-sport with seven-times Paralympian Catherine Walsh (Dublin).

When she was eight years old Annie Donnely (Tipperary) told a TV audience of 400,000 “Finding Vision Sports means I no longer have to sit on the side-lines.” Meet Annie and mum Kathleen seven years later.

Our eyes adored our late President Prof. Michael O’Keeffe. Read our tribute.

Boys just want to have fun including Fintan O’Donnell (Limerick), Conal McNamara (Mayo), Mick Clarke (Meath), James Brown (Down), Donnacha McCarthy (Cork), Shane Ryan (Limerick) and Tony Ward (Monaghan).

On our stairway to Kevin’s, we bump into Alex. Say hello to blind footballer Kevin Kelly and coach Alex Whelan.

Swing along with ex-NYPD captain Paul McCormack who lost his sight after 9/11 before turning to blind golf.

Wally Roode (South Africa and Dublin) failed conscription to the South Africa army as he could not read the eye chart, so he shot to London, found love, and is now a blind golf star in Ireland.

Liam O’Donohoe (Wexford), coach and manager, with players Babs Weiberg found a different love at tennis.

Tri, tri, and tri again and you too can be a top international para-triathlete. Coach Eamonn Tilley and player Chloe McCombe take us to the limits one more time.

It’s zero limits for ace rally navigator and vision impaired rugby player Sara McFadden.

And let’s not forget the crew at Vision Sports Ireland, Ireland’s national governing body for sport for blind and vision impaired people including Captain Aaron Mullaniff, First Mate Pádraig Healy, Second Mate Kristina Millar and their crew including Rosie Keogh, Sean Poland, Sean Moyles and Michael Keegan.

Some of the greatest stories never told. Probably.

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