Ellen Keane: Being More Than An Athlete

When Ellen Keane claimed gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games last summer she understood and accepted the responsibility to be more than just an elite athlete. Ever since she burst onto the scene, qualifying for her first Paralympics as a thirteen year old, she has travelled a personal journey towards understanding and accepting who she is as a person and her responsibility to other disabled young people. In this relaxed and fun conversation on the eve of Christmas Eve, Jarlath and Ellen reflect on the past year and the journey towards finding peace with herself. RTE’s Dancing With The Stars is just around the corner. Ellen is Jarlath’s tip to win the entire show. She explains how the training is going so far and why it might not be as cut and dry as Jarlath believes despite her competitive hip hop dancing past. Supporters of Irishman Abroad can hear a further 40 minutes of this interview which includes Ellen revealing her shock at how other athletes treated her upon her return from Tokyo, her secrets to finding more in yourself and lots more. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 500 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad Supplementary research provided by John Meagher. Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation. For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected]. Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.