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Eoin Kennedy - A Role model for Irish Handball

Helen Marks Head of Communications with Vodafone  was delighted to welcome Tony Hayes, special guest Eoin Kennedy and his family to the awards. Marks commented on winning one, All-Star was a great achievement but to win two in three years is truly remarkable especially with so many top players emerging. Marks also said, just reading your list of achievements is exhausting, and Eoin  looks set to dominate handball for many more years to come 

She ended her speech by congratulating  Eoin on being a great champion.  Tony Hayes who had an early morning start from Cappagh in Limerick then spoke and thanked Vodafone and the GAA for honouring the country's top handball players each year. Hayes was full of praise for Kennedy whom he described as an excellent player.  During his three-year term, which ends in April, Hayes has travelled around the country and Spain with Eoin. His attitude, behaviour and preparation for games is meticulous he said. 

Kennedy is in the top four players of the country. Hayes added that Kennedy's commitment in all codes of handball is unique as he transgresses from one code to another without any difficulty at all.  Kennedy was a member of the Irish team that represented the country in the Basque Invitational Handball Tournament and Hayes seen at first hand the preparations that Eoin did before games. Eoin is a member of the Central Council and gives the same commitment to that as handball and Hayes said that Kennedy was very deserving of the award. Hayes wished that the warm working relationship with the G.A.A would continue into the future and congratulated Eoin on his latest achievement. 

Eoin the double All-Star then spoke and immediately thanked Vodafone for the Award.  Eoin was very gracious in not forgetting all those who helped and supported him in his handball career thus far and thanked St. Brigid's Handball Club, DCU handball Club John O'Donnell, Eugene O'Reilly and Derek Henry. Officers from the Irish Handball Council and Dublin Co. Handball Board for promoting handball and helping to give the sport a higher profile that it deserves.  He had special words of praise for his parents Eugene and Carmel Kennedy for all their support. 

Eoin Loves his Handball

After a sumptuous meal, Eoin kindly gave me a few minutes of his time and I began by asking him about his early memories in handball. He does remember going all over the country with his dad Eugene he was about 6 or 7 at the time but did not start playing until 10 years old. Eoin's heroes growing up were Duxie Walsh. 

Amazingly, when Duxie was winning his first of sixteen senior 60 x30 titles in 1985 Eoin was only six years old.  In 2001, he was to meet his hero face to face for the second time in a National final.  The previous year Duxie got the better of the young Dubliner but in the 2002 final, he defeated the legendary Duxie Walsh thus ending a golden era in Irish Handball.  Other heroes that Kennedy admired were Peter McAuley Louth, Eddie Corbett Tipperary and Pakie Ryan who won an All-Ireland for Dublin in 1980 and who trained the young Kennedy when he was fourteen. 

Eoins mentioned his Dad Eugene, Michael McCluskey and the late Shay Reilly R.I.P. who were influences on his career. Eoin who won his first title in 1990 the U-14 Singles 60 x 30 final.  In 1997 he beat Paul Brady in the Minor 60 x 30 Singles final and repeated this again the following year when beating Brady again this time in the U-21 Singles in the big court.   Eoin won two Junior championships when a student at Coolmine Community College and in San Diego in December of 1994 he clinched the USHA 15 and Under title.  With younger brother Brian he won the 40 x 20 Minor Doubles in1997 and in the same year he took the Waterford Crystal Boys 19 and Under Nationals title and for good measure dad Eugene also won the Golden Masters A title.  Kennedy has five All-Ireland titles 1 40 x 20, 2 60 x 30 and 2 hardball and has won the Irish Nationals three years running.  Eoin's most memorable game was the 2002 60 x 30 final against Michael Duxie Walsh as it was his first Senior title in 60 x 30 code.  

Eoin complements the top eight Irish players as he describes on any given day any of them are hard to beat.  His trains 6 days a week which includes handball skills, practise matches, gym 2-3 days a week together with running and weights.  Eoin would like to see more handball being played in schools and it is an initiative the Irish Handball Council will be hoping to address shortly.  Eoin has many other ambitions to win more Senior handball titles and to take part in the Pro-Stop?s in America.  Eoin is making steady progress each year and is rising the bar even further. He has already beaten Brady and Healy in the first Provincial Open of the season  last November  With all the focus on the top two don?t be surprised when Kennedy knocks over some more big names here and in the US. Kennedy is working hard at his game.   

His ambitions are to win more Senior titles but I  am sure the one he would really cherish is a World Title and who knows the quite spoken twenty six year old from the St. Brigid's Club in Blanchardstown could very well add another prestigious title to his numerous titles and double All-Star Awards.  Eoin is finishing off his studies for a Masters Degree in Electronic Engineering. At just twenty-six years of age, he has time and an abundance of handball talent on his side.  Like his idol Michael Duxie Walsh, Kennedy has all the ingredients to become of the outstanding handball players this country has ever produced.

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