Eolann’s special handball journey continues

LOUGHMACRORY’S young handballers created more history last weekend with a sensational triumph in the All Ireland Division One Feile team event.

It was a record breaking fifth grade one success for the club in the boys 40×20 section and it was even sweeter because the club got to host the top two divisions in 2025.

This year’s team of Michéal McCrystal, Owen Kelly, Damhán Meenagh and Eolann Kelly were all winning the title for the second year in a row, after clinching a famous success against the odds twelve months ago in Roscommon when captained by current county minor star, Ciaran McCrystal.

With Ciaran moving on this year, his four teammates had to step up to the plate and they did so in brilliant style, beating strong opposition from Roscommon, Clare and Kilkenny to retain the Division One Féile cup.

The Loughmacrory lads produced a very high standard of handball throughout the day and clinched the title with an impressive win over powerful Kilkenny outfit, Kells.

For the youngest member of the Lough team, it has been an incredible journey in the last twelve months since he lifted his first Féile winner’s medal last year.

Eolann Kelly has since been crowned World 13&U singles champion, All Ireland U14 singles champion and US Nationals 15&U champion, a stunning collection of honours for one of the sport’s new rising stars.

Eolann was absolutely thrilled to pick up another All Ireland medal last weekend in the National Féile and he’s hoping to keep the amazing run going in the months ahead.

“The All Ireland Féile is one of my favourite sporting events,” stressed Eolann. “It’s a team event and we are all fighting for points for our team,” he explained.

“Winning the Féile title last weekend was very special as it was our second year in a row and it was played in our home court.

We are a group of good friends and have known each other through primary school and we’re clubmates.

“Michéal, Owen and Damhán are all great handballers and we most definitely push each other on all the time”, he smiled. “It can be great craic, but we’re always trying to beat one another so that has helped to improve us a lot.

“Winning Féile with those three lads was an amazing experience,” he emphasised.

Eolann still can’t believe at times that he is a world 40×20 singles champion and he has a broad smile on his face every time he thinks back to that famous Halloween victory in Kilkenny when he defeated the world championship favourite, Wexford’s Charlie Roche, in an epic decider.

“It was a dream come true,” he answered, when asked what it meant to win that world gold medal.

“When the Worlds were first announced that they would take place in Ireland, I was so excited that it would be on home soil,” he continued. “I was so eager to start training right away and put lots of work in.

“I knew the world title would be so hard to win and every game would be so tough but I was prepared to do whatever was needed to try and win the title.

“The mental side of handball is just as important as the physical side and it’s something I’m still working on now,” insisted Eolann.

“I lost my first game 15-3 in the world final against the number 1 seed, but came back and won 11-8 in the tiebreaker. I was so pleased with the resilience I showed as the mental side is one of the hardest challenges in handball.

“It felt as if the whole world stopped for a few seconds when I got the winning point in the final,” Eolann added. “I was in disbelief but I felt overwhelming joy at what I had accomplished.

“It’s a memory that will definitely last a lifetime,” he stated.

“After the World success in October, I took a break for a while as I thought it was necessary. The 40×20 season was a long one and after the break, I was hungry for more.

“The All Ireland U14 singles was my next big target and it was so sweet to win it, especially after another tough final against Charlie (Roche)”, he reflected.

Eolann may be an unbelievably talented handballer with a delightful range of skills but he’s quick to point out that commitment and hard work more than anything else have got him to where he is today.

“Compared to most others I arrived a bit later to handball and didn’t even win the county title at under 12,” he explained. “But I knew straight away that I loved handball and wanted to get better.

“After telling my dad, we went training early in the mornings before school and I remained disciplined and consistent with the training.

“Even now, I still reflect on the early mornings drills in those early days as the reason I developed to be able to achieve the success that I’ve had.”

Eolann’s insatiable appetite and willingness to work hard should guarantee that he will make more trips in the future to play handball on the international stage, but he’ll never forget his first US experience at Christmas time.

“I absolutely oved it”, he grinned. “The St. Louis Hinder Club where the US Nationals were held was a brilliant venue. It had a great atmosphere and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to others about handball. I even got a skills session with Luis Cordova from Mexico,” he pointed out.

“I also met the Head Coaches of Missouri State University and Lake Forest College and was honoured when my family was invited for a tour around Lake Forest Campus. It’s a beautiful place with extraordinary facilities, with walls lined with a history of sporting success.

“It was a really memorable trip and I would love to go again. The pinnacle of the trip was of course coming home with the US Nationals medal!”

Eolann has been compiling a thoroughly impressive list of handball honours but he will always have new targets to keep him motivated and continually working on his skills.

“It’s coming up to 60×30 season now followed by one wall season, so I will start preparing for that from this weekend,” he stated. “I love 60×30, it may even be my favourite code.

“To win the U14 title in the big alley would finish off a fantastic handball season for me, but I will never take anything for granted, especially in handball!

“Looking further ahead I want to keep playing for as long as I can and keep improving my game,” concluded Eolann.

Anyone who has got to know him in handball circles over the last couple of seasons will acknowledge that there are very few talents in handball with the same drive, determination and attacking qualities on the court as Eolann.

The last twelve months have certainly propelled him into the national and international handball spotlight and judging by the attitude that Eolann has shown at such a young age, there’s clearly a lot more to come!