'Our boy has brought so much joy to ourselves and others' says Tipperary mother

For three days from this Thursday, August 6, more than 100 cyclists will travel some 600 kilometres along the highways and byways across the six counties of the province in the Tour de Munster. In doing so they will raise funds for Down Syndrome Ireland's Munster branches.

A Tipperary mother whose five-year-old son, Eoin, has benefitted from the supports and community provided by Down Syndrome Ireland's Tipperary Branch, made possible through funds raised by Tour de Munster, says that the value of this support from the charity cycle is unquantifiable.

Eoin attends Meitheal 21, a dedicated local facility and community hub run by the branch in Thurles to provide adult services, skills training and social activities for people with Down Syndrome and additional needs.

And according to his mother Mary Coughlan, "you couldn’t put a price on what they offer in Thurles. We would be absolutely lost without them”.

During her pregnancy, Mary learned there was a possibility that Eoin had Down Syndrome and received the diagnosis before he was born at Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel. While the news was initially overwhelming, Eoin arrived without any major complications and has since grown into a happy, energetic little boy who loves farming on the family farm at Kilpatrick in Annacarty, getting muddy and spending time outdoors. Despite experiencing hearing loss and requiring early cardiac monitoring, Eoin has continued to thrive with the right supports in place.

Mary admits that she and her husband Timothy were shocked when they received the diagnosis.

“It takes the wind out of your sails that you’re not going to have a ‘perfect, normal child’. You grieve for your potential child but then you open your heart to a baby who has brought such love and delight into our household,” she says.

“As soon as he was born we were absolutely in awe of him”.

After Eoin’s birth, staff at the Clonmel hospital gave Mary the contact details for Down Syndrome Ireland's Tipperary liaison officer.

“When I was ready I rang them to say hello to begin with,” she says. “It was lovely to talk to somebody. They put your fears at ease and you realise you’re not on your own, there are thousands of families in the same boat.

“Eoin avails of the services and has met fellow service users that he wouldn’t meet in his locality”.

The services provided at the Meitheal centre in Thurles include speech and language and occupational therapy. There are also social events such as Santa visits and Easter parties.

“It’s nice for the parents to connect and mingle too,” says Mary. “I have met people from over a wide area, from near Birr to Carrick-on-Suir”.

She says that the support raised by the people who participate in the Tour de Munster has raised much-needed funds that help keep the Meitheal centre and the Tipperary branch afloat.

Since its inception, the charity cycle has raised more than €5.5 million, with Down Syndrome Ireland's Munster branches the event's primary beneficiary since 2010. These funds help provide essential services including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, employment support programmes and a range of practical supports that enhance quality of life and promote greater independence for people with Down Syndrome and their families.

Mary Coughlan has had her own health struggles to deal with, having been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis ten years ago.

“It’s not going to kill me. It slows me down, annoys and frustrates me. All we can do is get up and get on with it. I’m lucky that I have a man who is never too far away”.

She considers that she and Timothy have been very blessed with Eoin.

“He likes nothing more than putting on a pair of wellies and driving the cows home. He goes out among the calves and has a couple of pets.

“He’s mad for adventure and loves being out and about. The messier it is the better”.

He is also a member of the local Eire Og Annacarty Donohill GAA club and trains with the juveniles on Saturday mornings.

“He’s like a local celebrity. When he goes to Mass he’s shaking hands with everybody. He’s very sociable and very chatty”.

Referring to Eoin’s initial diagnosis, she says “there’s nothing to be feared if you are told the news we received. It pulls the rug from under your feet at first but you have to get up and get on with it.

“Our boy has brought so much joy to ourselves and other people, who say there’s just something special about him”.