From Irish Examiner, 17th December. The highlight of Liam Horan’s sporting year was reporting on the 16th World Transplant Games in Bangkok. The Irish team produced a record-breaking performance. But the real glory lay not just in the medals, but in the endless courage of every single competitor, all of whom had come through life-threatening illnesses. |
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 A member of the Irish team, winners of a record haul of medals at the World Transplant Games this year, has spoken to schoolchildren about his life after a kidney transplant. |
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 A 33 year-old Co. Mayo woman, who almost died before receiving an emergency liver transplant just 18 months ago, has set up her own website so she can deliver a powerful message to others in a similar predicament: “You can live a full and active life after transplantation.” |
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 Your country wants you, but only if you’ve got a new heart, or a new kidney, or a new liver, or a new lung, or a new pancreas – or if you’re on dialysis treatment. |
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 President Mary McAleese has paid a special tribute to Ireland’s world-beating transplant athletics team: “You have brought the issue of organ donation to a level of national prominence it never before had.” |
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 President Mary McAleese has invited a team of 23 Irish athletes, all of whom have had transplants, to Aras an Uachtarain tomorrow– to personally congratulate them on their record breaking success at the World Transplant Games. |
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 An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has offered his congratulations to the record-breaking team of 23 Irish athletes, all of whom have had transplants, who return from the World Transplant Games in Bangkok today. |
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 Angela Sherlock, from Lucan, speaks about her sensational gold medal win in the shot putt. This was Angela's second time competing at a World Transplant Games, but her first medal win. The Dublin athlete will add the treasured gold medal to the seven medals she has won at European level.
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 After an outstanding performance at the 16th World Transplant Games which took place last week in Bangkok, the jubilant Irish team will return home to Dublin airport today (Tuesday) with a record breaking 39 medals. The official World Transplant Games Song
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 There's a smile back on the face of Irish manager Colin White following the weekend return of the kidnapped Irish mascot, Tadhg White. |
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A rousing homecoming is guaranteed on Tuesdsay night (September 4th) for the Irish team which collected a record 39 medals at the World Transplant Games in Bangkok over the last week. |
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 Messages of goodwill have been pouring in for the Irish team which yesterday completed a record medal haul at the World Transplant Games. |
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 As he stood on the starting-line for Friday’s 100m final for men aged 60 and over, Limerick man John Loftus reminded himself of one key point: “I can’t lose,” I said to myself, “sure I’ve won already by just being here.” |
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 A Co. Meath Garda, who received a new kidney nine years ago, has just returned from Bangkok where he represented Ireland in the World Transplant Games. |
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 A 24 year-old Longford man, who has undergone two kidney transplants, has just returned from a major World Games where he gave fine performances representing his country. |
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 Five Dublin athletes, all of whom have had transplants, have returned home from a major world games in Thailand, where they were part of an Irish team that won a record breaking 39 medals. |
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 Two Clare women, both who have had kidney transplant, have helped Ireland win a record breaking 39 medals at a major World Games in Thailand. |
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 The World Transplant Games finished the way they started - with the irrepressible Tony Gartland biting in deep to clinch a medal. |
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 Hot off the press - Bronze medal for John Cormican in the Long Jump. |
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Great scenes of joy in the last few minutes as Angela Sherlock wins the Gold medal in the Shot Putt - by one centimetre! |
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 It's an extremely busy - and wet, by the way - here at the Thai Japan Stadium, Bangkok. It's the first of two Track and Field days. |
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 A Co. Limerick hurling fanatic this morning (FRIDAY) won a Silver medal at the World Transplant Games in Bangkok – and now he’s hoping it’s the start of a famous weekend on Shannonside. |
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 Just as Ireland caused a major stir in the Cricket World Cup, the Irish team at the World Transplant Games are causing heads to turn with their unexpected prowess in the sport of Petanque. |
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 A Co. Donegal man, who battled cancer in his teens and received a kidney transplant 19 years ago, today (THURSDAY) won a Gold medal at the World Transplant Games. |
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 A Sligo woman transplanted with a new liver and pancreas seven years ago created history in Bangkok this morning (THURSDAY) by winning Ireland’s first-ever Gold medal in the sport of Petanque at the World Transplant Games. |
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 Vera Frisby started Thursday off well for Ireland when she won a Bronze medal in the Petanque event at the World Transplant Games in Thailand. |
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 Deirdre Faul, Marie O'Connor and Garry Campbell boosted Ireland's medal haul with five medals on the golf course. |
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 Just to let you know the lie of the land here today in Bangkok. I’ve just come back from the Badminton Hall where John Cormican and Angela Sherlock put up a terrific show against a very impressive Swedish pair in the Mixed Doubles semi-finals. |
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Colin White, the distraught manager of the Irish team at the 16th World Transplant Games in Bangkok, has spoken for the first time of the distress caused by the shock kidnapping of team mascot, Tadhg White. |
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Clare bar-maid Marie O’Connor won two gold medals at the 16th World Transplant Games in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday (TUESDAY) – after a donation from a kind stranger sent her on her way. |
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 Much back-up support is provided to the teams, officials, supporters and press by local university students here in Bangkok. Hundreds of volunteers have given up their time to help out. It's a very impressive operation and the volunteers couldn't be more helpful. |
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 Ireland has today (WEDNESDAY) been announced as the winner of the race to host the 2010 European Transplant and Dialysis Games, and there are hopes that it could prove the fore-runner to a staging of the World Transplant Games. |
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 All Irish athletes in the 23-strong squad at the World Transplant Games have now taken part – but the next few days are set to be extremely busy as many of these athletes take part in their strongest sport. |
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Irish athlete Monica Finn expresses the devastation within the team, and how it actually affect the team’s performance this week. |
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 This article, written in the Thai language, is the work of Baimon, one of the many volunteers helping out with the running of the World Transplant Games. |
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 Bettystown student Rachel Eagleton, who had a kidney transplant at the age of nine and was treated for cancer last year, has won two medals at a major World Games in Thailand – for the second time in two years. |
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 There is speculation now that a crack team of Irish rangers will attempt to rescue Tadhg White from where they believe he is being held hostage. |
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 The Thai police have admitted they can’t crack the case of the missing Irish mascot Tadhg White. They have just brought in Supt Tadhg Landers from the Irish police force – An Garda Siochana – to lead the investigation. |
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 The chief suspect – who, for legal reasons, cannot be named – in the theft of team mascot Tadhg White says: “I will be proven innocent.” |
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 The Irish athletes competing at the 16th World Transplant Games in Bangkok, Thailand, are today (MONDAY) “thrilled” to have won a total of ten medals on the second day of competition. |
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 Thai police are assisting Irish team manager Colin White, who is struggling to come to terms with the traumatic theft of his veteran team teddy bear. |
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 No, it’s not a sighting of Molly Malone herself. Rather a stirring rendition of it in the hotel lobby yesterday (SUNDAY) as various teams assembled before hitting off for the Opening Ceremony. |
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 The GAA fans among the Irish athletes and supporters who braved monsoon rain to venture out on Sunday night were amply rewarded. |
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Paul Donohoe, Chairman of the Irish Kidney Association, is grateful to donors and their families for the gift of life – but more people need to carry donor cards, he says. |
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Tony Gavigan and his colleagues on the Irish golf team hope to do well in these Games – but their Scottish opponents might have something to say about that. |
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 The 16th World Transplant Games are a double cause for celebration for athlete Vera Frisby and her husband Eddie – their wedding anniversary coincided with the Games. |
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 Cork woman Catherine Murphy is really enjoying the opening days of the World Transplant Games – and she has a message for her sons at home! |
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 Team Doctor Emer Kilbride has paid tribute to the Irish athletes for the care they are taking as they get ready for the big kick-off in the Games. |
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 A 42 year-old Co. Wicklow carpenter with a transplanted liver is the toast of Bangkok today after he got the Irish team off to a stunning start at the 16th World Transplant Games. |
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 We will let her words speak for themselves. It’s the talk by team captain Deirdre Faul at the team meeting on Saturday night, as the Irish side got ready to compete in the Games. The emotion is clearly evident in her voice, and in the sniffles of those in the room. |
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Clare woman Marie O’Connor will be a busy Irish athlete this week as she takes part in a number of events – but for now, she’s thinking of the donors who have given the gift of life. |
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 Paul Prendergast sends greetings to original squad member Eamon Malone, who unfortunately could not make it to the games due to illness. |
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Many members of the Irish squad are taking time out from their busy schedules to visit local tailors. The quality – and value – in Bangkok is something to behold. Your loved ones will come home almost unrecognisable, such is the style they are mopping up here at bargain prices. |
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For new Irish Kidney Association chairman Paul Donohoe, these are his first World Transplant Games. The Cavan man is ready for the off. |
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Listen to Tony Gartland talking about the honour of being the first athlete into action tomorrow morning. |
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Listen to Colin White look forward to what the event holds in store for the Irish athletes. |
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Freelance Journalist Liam Horan will be covering this year's European Transplant & Dialysis Games for Irish newspapers, radios, and websites. To obtain reports from Liam, email him at
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Freelance Journalist Emer Gallagher also contributes articles on the Irish team at the games. 
