BERLIN 2023
Cork Road in Fermoy town was never as busy as it was the day local man Stephen O’Leary returned home from the Special Olympics in Berlin with his gold medal, after winning big, having captained the Irish soccer team to ultimate glory.
For the town, it was a big day as the community turned out to congratulate Stephen and welcome him home after doing the himself and his country proud, but for Stephen, the day was momentous as his achievement was recognised.
A familiar face around Fermoy, many may have known Stephen as a boy playing soccer at ‘The Pool’, or simply recognise him from the local supermarket where he works, but not all know the man behind the green jersey.
Maura O’Leary, Stephen’s mother, explains that back in 1990, the year Stephen was born, she didn’t yet know whether she was having a boy or a girl until around midday that day when her first son was born.
“I couldn’t believe I had a boy, because I had two girls. It was a fantastic feeling having a boy after two girls.
“He was a great baby. He was ruined by his older sisters. They were delighted with the baby. Lisa was 7 and Rachel was 9 so they were a good age to appreciate him,” Maura recalls.
EARLY DAYS
By the age of two, Stephen hadn’t started speaking and it turned out he would reach age six before he could have a conversation.
After seeking help while he was an infant, his parents had a number of referrals to different hospital departments, before being sent for an assessment at Cope Foundation where he was diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
When it came to school, there were very few facilities around at the time dealing with special and additional needs, with Stephen attending Bunscoil na Toirbhirte in Mitchelstown before moving to Scoil Éanna in Cork.
“He had to go on a bus from Cork Road here every day. That was heartbreaking because of the system back in those days, there were no facilities for children with special needs unless we put him on a bus to Cork,” Maura explained.
In the meantime, Stephen had begun playing football and was known around Fermoy along with his friends, as they would meet almost every day to play football at ‘The Pool’ which is now the playground at Clancy Street.
“For the summer, he would be gone after breakfast, he’d come home for lunch and then he was gone, he would come home for dinner and he was gone again, constantly playing football with the boys over in the park,” she added.
While still at Scoil Éanna, Maura said she knew Stephen wasn’t happy, having experienced bullying on the bus to school and she contacted local TDs seeking to bring his education closer to home, managing to get him a place at a special needs unit at Scoil Bhríde in Rathcormac.
“I took him out of Cope Foundation then and got him into mainstream. He really progressed there. He loved it and he had a lovely teacher called Noreen Joyce who is retired since. She was amazing with him
“Stephen came on in leaps and bounds there. He was integrated into the community, moreso than being singled out due to his special needs on the bus to Cork. He made a lot of friends,” Maura said.
Stephen attended Scoil Bernadette in Montenotte for secondary school.
“Stephen always kind of sat on the fence. His disability was very mild, but yet he wouldn’t have survived in mainstream school. He would have struggled with homework and learning and studying. When he was in a special needs school then, he was always top of the class in everything he did, because it is a mild disability,” she added.
LOVE OF FOOTBALL - RED DEVILS FAN
From a young age, Stephen was passionate about soccer, fostering a love for Manchester United and getting involved in school soccer teams. While he did play other sports for a time, such as rugby, it was always soccer that had won his heart.
According to Stephen, at the age of 19, he first heard about Special Olympics, something that would change his life.
In late 2009, Stephen was approached by the sports department at Cope Foundation where he was essentially handpicked for the Special Olympics.
“The Cork City Special Olympics FOFC started, 11-a-side, and that’s when I started playing club football out of school. It was a great experience. We played matches, home and away, we became season ticket holders of Cork City FC,” he said.
Having played with Ballincollig Gunners in the past, the Fermoy native is currently involved with Leeds AFC who are based in the Montenotte area, and Cheers FC (formerly BrewBoys FC).
“I’ve done rugby, I’ve done gym, I’ve done all different sports, but it’s always been soccer. Football is love, football is life. It’s my life. It’s hard to do other sports besides that.
“I’m a big Manchester United fan since a young age. I’m a huge Manchester United fan. What is it about soccer? It’s just life. I watch their motivational videos, the Instagram reels, I’ve fierce respect for them. Ronaldo is still one of my favourites even though he left United. I could be all day in heaven naming my favourite players, but there’s just so many,” he told
The Avondhu. SELECTED FOR IRELAND
Having been selected for the Special Olympics Team Munster in 2018, winning gold in the tournament meant that they were up for selection for the 2019 Special
Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.
After being selected, it was a busy time for the Fermoy man, travelling to and from Dublin for training before heading east in March to represent Ireland at the games.
Two weeks of training and competitions in Abu Dhabi culminated in Team Ireland taking home a bronze medal.
“The first time going over, you just don’t know how it will go. Everyone wants you to go over and win and get gold, but you don’t expect to get that far. It was a pretty amazing feeling to get bronze.
“It was a pretty big celebration and a big moment coming back with the bronze. It was an amazing experience,” he recalls. “You’re representing your country and it’s a huge honour. When that was over, then I wanted to set a target and a task for the next few years to try and get picked for Berlin,” he said.
The opportunity to compete in the Special Olympics World Games for a second time arose in 2022, after he and the team won gold at the CIT final, and according to Stephen, he had been waiting patiently, four years for this moment.
“2022 was probably my best club year in football in a while, after having success with Leeds and Brew Boys FC. To top it all off, I just wanted to get on the Ireland team. I think it was November 29th, 2022 when I found out I got selected.
“I was delighted to be picked. I was happy but I was shocked as well because I thought I wasn’t going to be selected again. To be selected and to put on that jersey one more time, I just couldn’t wait for that opportunity. I couldn’t wait to get over to Berlin, but before that all came, I had a couple of months of training to get through,” Stephen explains.
It was back to travelling to and from Blanchardstown, as he began a busy training schedule ahead of the 2023 tournament in Berlin.
Training in the FAI grounds in Dublin from January until June also brought a number of exciting moments.
“We got to meet the Irish team and I got to meet John O’Shea who is a former Man United player, so I was thrilled for that to happen. We got to have a kick around as well with the Irish team and we received advice from them as well, which was an unbelievable moment. I was star-struck,” he added
CAPTAINCY
Finally arriving in Berlin in mid-June, Stephen explained that he had set a personal goal, that this time around, he was hoping to captain Team Ireland.
“I wanted to be captain for Team Ireland and I hoped to get that opportunity, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. When I found out that (I got it), it was just an amazing feeling. It was such a proud moment. I knew one goal was achieved, to become captain, the next goal was to come back with a medal and do well for Ireland”.
Competing against some of the best international soccer teams in the Special Olympics, Stephen acknowledges that the competition in Berlin was ‘different’ with a lot of tough teams stepping up to the challenge.
In the first few stages, for those watching at home, it quickly became apparent that Team Ireland were sailing through their matches, beating Switzerland 13-0, Uganda 3-0 and Hong Kong 5-0.