News

Special Olympics Ireland CEO Karen Coventry and the Chairperson of the Board Dr Brendan O’Brien were privileged to attend the Inauguration of the President of Ireland Catherine Connolly in Dublin Castle on Tuesday.

We’re thrilled to announce that Gardaí from Portlaoise Garda Station and Abbeyleix Garda Station will be hosting their fantastic “Cops & Donuts” fundraiser this Sunday, 17 November (10 am – 4 pm) at Laois Shopping Centre. All proceeds will go directly to supporting our Special Olympics Ireland athletes.

The Federation of Irish Sport has launched the 2025 Volunteers in Sport Awards, and with 2 awards now open to nominations from the public, there's never been a better time to recognise the Special Olympics volunteer heroes in your life!

The Lions Europa Forum 2025 brought Special Olympics and Lions Club members together in a way that highlighted the tremendous impact of our programmes including Young Athletes.

An informative poster on the Strong Minds, Happier Lives Programme was presented at the UDL Symposium 2025.

The Munster Region played host to this year’s Healthfest in MTU Cork on 28 September, offering a super programme of health-focussed workshops delivered in collaboration with our partner organisations to support athlete wellbeing.

We’re thrilled to see the incredible young athletes highlighted in the recent Belfast Live article — bringing energy, commitment and joy to the sport.

Special Olympics Ireland and Table Tennis Ireland have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see both organisations work together to foster greater inclusion in the sport of table tennis.

Special Olympics Ireland is proud to announce a new four-year partnership with Stena Line, extending from 2025 through 2028.

Today we marked a modest but deeply meaningful occasion at Special Olympics Ireland HQ — the unveiling of our Legacy Bench.

Marking one of the highlight events of the 10th anniversary of European Week of Sport, the very first Special Olympics European Union (SO EU) Day brought Special Olympics athletes together with EU leaders and citizens for two days of sport, dialogue, and action. Irish representative and Sargent Shriver Global Ambassador Margaret Turley travelled to Brussels with Special Olympics Ireland CEO Karen Coventry and Chairperson of the Board Dr Brendan Courtney to speak at events and to EU parliamentary members about the impact and importance of inclusion.

On Thursday, 2nd October 2025, Special Olympics Ireland and the Rosemary Collaboratory research consortium will host a national forum at the University of Limerick to highlight health inequities faced by people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. This free, one-day event brings together athletes, families, supporters, healthcare professionals, social care staff, and policy leaders to discuss how we can move from access to action in shaping a more inclusive health system.

The forum will also mark the launch of the Irish research report, part of the global Focusing on the Invisible study released by Special Olympics in September 2025. This international report, based on surveys across 50+ countries, uncovered major systemic challenges—including communication barriers, limited decision-making for people with IDD, insufficient training for health workers, and significant data gaps. The Irish findings will be shared for the first time at this event, providing critical insights to drive change in national policy and practice.