Paralympics Ireland and Permanent TSB NextGen Final Day in Dublin

After three successful events in Galway, Cork and Lisburn, Paralympics Ireland are excited to bring their Permanent TSB NextGen athlete recruitment campaign to the National Indoor Arena, Dublin on June 24th for the fourth and final regional instalment this year.

Permanent TSB NextGen is a one-day regional opportunity for young athletes interested in para sport to discover their paralympic potential through a range of physical challenges and exploring different Paralympic sports.

Our regional ambassador for the Dublin Permanent TSB NextGen event is Melanie Griffith, former Irish Motocross racer and aspiring Paralympian.

Melanie (21) was involved in a crash in July 2022 which left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Following her accident, she spent 7 weeks in the National Rehabilitation Hospital where she learned new skills such as how to transfer safely from her wheelchair.

More importantly for her she was able to get involved in sport again.

Mary Fitzgerald, left, and Melanie Griffith

It was here that she first encountered para sports such as wheelchair basketball, table tennis and rugby.

Griffith said “It was hugely important for me to get straight back into sport with the help of the amazing NRH staff.

“When I left the NRH I was able to start playing wheelchair basketball with the South East Swifts straight away and I then moved to wheelchair rugby with Laois Lions.

“I was approached by Paralympics Ireland who have a great relationship with the NRH about trying out some different para sports that could possibly start me on the path to competing at the Paralympics Games.

“To know that there is a route to the highest level is exciting as I am very competitive and want to push myself to reach the highest level possible.”

Almost one year on from her accident Griffith has already represented Ireland at Rugby League making her debut at the Celtic Cup in Scotland last weekend, scoring a try at her first tournament with the team.

Speaking about the Permanent TSB NextGen programme Griffith said, “Sport means everything to me. It’s always been an outlet – my life has always revolved around sport.

“When I was in the Mater after my accident, I was lying in bed everyday and I could not wait to play sport again, it was all I could think about.

“I’d encourage those attending Permanent TSB NextGen to try everything.

“Any sport that someone has approached me with I’ve tried, I haven’t not liked one so far.

“I promise you will find a sport that you love, they are all brilliant and to be honest I prefer para sports to able bodied sports, they’re so much fun!”

Paralympics Ireland Sport Director and Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Neasa Russell said, “We have had great feedback from the three events we’ve hosted so far and are very excited to bring Permanent TSB NextGen to Dublin for the final instalment of the series.

“We’ve learned that there is a huge appetite for para sport in Ireland. It has been eye opening seeing how many enthusiastic young para-athletes there are, and we hope that these events will help them reach the next level of their sporting journeys or start them on a new path in a sport they wouldn’t have previously thought about trying.”

Speaking about the NextGen programme, Karen Hackett, Head of People Experience at Permanent TSB said, “As proud title sponsor of Team Ireland, we were delighted to collaborate with our Partners in Paralympics Ireland to deliver the Permanent TSB NextGen programme.

“We have met some inspiring para-athletes in Galway, Cork and Lisburn.

“Dublin is the final event this weekend and we look forward to meeting people from all our communities who want to try new sports and reach their sporting goals.

“Through our own commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we continually seek to create a more inclusive Permanent TSB for our colleagues and our customers.

We are honoured to be working alongside Paralympics Ireland to support in creating more inclusive communities throughout Ireland through access to and participation in para-sport, in the hopes of uncovering new Irish Paralympic heroes who will inspire the next generation.”