Trinity set to cheer on Green Machine
Posted on: 03 August 2016
Olympics fever is building in Trinity this week as the Irish men’s hockey team prepares to take on India in their first group game this Saturday at 3pm Irish time.
The last time an Irish hockey team made it to the Olympics was 1908 so it’s worth celebrating the team’s qualification alone. An additional reason to cheer on the Green Machine though is the fact that three Trinity alumni are part of the set-up.
Defender and the team’s most capped player Ronan Gormley studied BESS from 2001-2005. Here at the same time was team leader and strength and conditioning coach Stephen Barry, who did a masters in exercise physiology. The trio is completed by sweeper/centre back Conor Harte, who undertook his professional diploma in education here in 2013-2014. Conor of course is joined on the team by twin brother David, who was named world hockey’s goalkeeper of the year back in January.
The Irish men’s hockey team paid a visit to campus earlier this year to attend a Trinity hockey alumni event in the Dining Hall. In addition the team has been frequent visitors to Trinity’s new international-standard hockey pitch in Santry, most recently as part of their ‘Road to Rio’ preparation for a friendly international against Canada.
Canada is one of the teams who Ireland will face in their group-stage games, which begin on Saturday. The Pav will be showing it live on the big screen, along with the two other early games. Ireland’s full list of fixtures are as follows:
- Saturday August 6 (3pm) – Ireland v India [shown live in the Pav]
- Sunday August 7 (10pm) – Ireland v Netherlands
- Tuesday August 9 (4.30pm) – Ireland v Germany [shown live in the Pav]
- Thursday August 11 (3pm) – Ireland v Canada [shown live in the Pav]
- Friday August 12 (11.30pm) – Ireland v Argentina
If Ireland progress from the group stages the next series of matches begin on Sunday August 14 with the quarter-finals.
The Rio Olympics officially begin this Friday, August 5, and run until August 21.
