Last month, the Bon Secours Irish Medical Masters squad sent two teams of doctors to the European Championships held in Barcelona – Ireland One and Ireland Two. Guided by former League of Ireland star Paul Lally, the teams put in strong performances. The tournament’s growth was evident, with 14 teams from across Europe participating, including a squad from Colombia comprising Colombian doctors practising in Europe. Both Irish teams acquitted themselves really well with some excellent results.
Irish squad: Pictured L-to-R (Backrow): Alan Mortell; Viv Crowley; Cathal Collins; Fergus Cafferty; Liam Doherty (Bons Cork); Stephen Griffin; Mark Rogan; Tom Walsh; Ronan Murray; Brian Casserly; Alan Martin; and Frank O’Brien (Bons Cork).
Front Row: Raj Adewale; Gavin Keane; Tom Finnegan; Brian Egan (Bons Galway); Alan Mulgrew (Bons Tralee);
David Morrissey (Bons Cork); David Gallagher; Brian Carey; John Brown; Sean Kennelly; Eddie Dervan (Bons Dublin);
and Eamon O’Shea
Wins against Sweden, Great Britain, Catalonia, and draws with Colombia and Lithuania, were among the highlights. The Ireland One team made it all the way to the final where they came up against the reigning European Champions, Spain. Ireland took a first-half lead through an excellent free kick which was rifled into the top corner by Galway GP, Eamon O’Shea. Unfortunately, Spain managed to equalise, somewhat fortuitously, from a corner in the second-half, and then scored the winning goal with only three minutes remaining. Despite the defeat, the Irish doctors remained buoyant and proud, celebrating their highest finish to date in a Masters tournament.
Despite the defeat, the Irish doctors remained buoyant and proud, celebrating their highest finish to date in a Masters tournament
The Ireland One team saw stand-out performances from debutant David Morrisey at the back, midfielders David Gallagher and Cathal Collins, while Eamon O’Shea had a great tournament up front.
The Ireland Two team pictured with the Swedish team
The Ireland One team that faced Spain in the final
Notable performers for the Ireland Two team were goalkeeper Tom Walsh, defenders Liam Doherty and Alan Mortell, as well as veteran frontman Tom Finnegan. An honourable mention goes to midfielder Alan Mulgrew, a veteran of the first Irish Masters team in 2017, who netted his first international goal with a quality strike against Austria. Fergus Cafferty, who flew out for one game against Colombia and managed to get on the score sheet twice, also deserves special mention.
The squad is very grateful to the Bon Secours Hospitals Group for their continuous sponsorship and support. In fact, every Bon Secours Hospital in Ireland was represented in the squad. Up next for this group is the World Medical Football Championships in Australia in July. The following year, this esteemed tournament will take place in Dublin, where over 1,000 international doctors and their families will gather in the capital for a week of medical congress, football, and camaraderie.
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