Nolan to represent Leinster in Wheelchair Hurling
Cormac Nolan and his dad, Tom
Palatine and Carlow teenager, Cormac Nolan, will play for Leinster in the Wheelchair Interprovincial Hurling Championships which takes place in SETU Carlow on Saturday.
Aged fourteen and a second year student in Presentation College, Cormac loves being involved and has never allowed his disability to interfere with his enjoyment of the sports he plays which also includes basketball, athletics and golf.
Son of Tom and Deirdre Nolan who are also heavily involved with the Setanta Hurling and Camogie Club, Cormac is looking forward to the weekend.
The competition throws in at around 11am. The All-Ireland Wheelchair Finals involves all the four provinces and while it is Cormac’s first year to be taking part, the event has been going on for a number of years now.
The Nolan family only became aware of it this year when their Setanta Club was asked to do the guard of honour last year. When it was all over in 2024, the Nolan family asked that their son, Cormac, take part and the teenager has never looked back since.
“They train every Friday night in Mountmellick or Rosenallis depending on which hall is available,” explained Tom.
Cormac played in a number of league matches during the year where he travelled to the four provinces and only recently played in Coleraine.
Next Saturday is a stand-alone competition where each team plays each other.
The games are 12 minutes a side with six on a team and includes a goal-keeper, two backs, a midfield and two forwards. The backs have to stay in defence, the forwards have to stay up front and the midfielders can go wherever they like on the indoor arena.
The goalie can only touch the ball in the square and the defenders and the forwards can only touch the ball outside the square. Only goals are allowed but a player can shoot for a point from the side-line.
Away from hurling, Cormac is a juvenile member of Carlow Golf Club where he has been involved with the Golf for All Programme. He has also taken part in coaching initiatives and has competed in six-hole events which are becoming more popular all over the world.
He is not sure which sport he prefers the most.
“Probably the hurling or the basketball,” he says.
