Chartered physiotherapist and founder of the Sports Physiotherapy and Athletic Rehabilitation Clinic, Eamon O'Reilly, addresses the 2024 Gaelic Games Player Welfare Conference.
The GAA’s Medical, Scientific & Welfare Committee, in association with the LGFA, Camogie Association, Gaelic Athletic Medical Association, the GPA and the GAA/GPA’s official healthcare partner, UPMC, hosted a successful Player Welfare Conference on Saturday, August 31st.
Over 80 inter-county medical and sports science practitioners travelled to the TUS Athlone campus to hear 7 keynote speakers (and 4 additional speakers as part of a roundtable discussion) from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialty fields.
The thematic focus for the event was “Optimising ACL Rehabilitation & Return to Play in Gaelic Games”. The morning sessions centred around the physiology of ACL injury and featured keynotes from Liam Moffatt, who set the scene in terms of ACL Injuries in Gaelic Games in the context of his own ongoing research in the area, and Eamon O’Reilly, who presented some high-level inter-county injury data trends, as submitted anonymously via the Foireann Injury Management System. Professor Brian Devitt spoke about ACL Injury Mechanism and Diagnosis, while Thilina Vitharana drew from his own ongoing studies in the space to speak about ACL Injury Rehabilitation and Return to Play.
The afternoon talks revolved around the broader ACL environment, with Dr Ciarán Kearney discussing the Psychology of Injury, Laura Kealy delving into Nutrition & Injury and Dr Aoife Lane speaking on Gender & the ACL. Finally, a roundtable Q&A session featuring former inter-county players (Aoife Molloy, Galway LGFA, Vikki Falconer, Waterford Camogie, Andy Moran, Mayo GAA) who have undergone ACL injury in the past and clinical specialists (Dr Sean Moffatt, Prof Brian Devitt, Dr Ciarán Kearney) wrapped up the day’s events.
It is envisioned that the event will be the catalyst for greater collaboration amongst practitioners from different codes and areas of expertise and will lead to further community of practice and CPD opportunities for personnel in the future.
For further information around future events and getting involved in key projects, or general queries, please reach out to GAA Player Welfare Manager, Eoghan Tuohey – eoghan.tuohey@gaa.ie
Head of Department of Sport and Health Sciences in TUS Midlands, Dr. Aoife Lane, addresses the 2024 Gaelic games Player Welfare conference.
Speaker Biographies
Liam Moffatt
Liam Moffatt is a vastly experienced chartered physiotherapist and certified athletic trainer with the Mayo Sports Clinic, with a particular interest in Gaelic Games. He also has a wealth of experience at all levels of the GAA, as former Mayo GAA Chairperson, current Mayo Connacht Council Delegate and an active member of the GAA’s Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee, where he has played a key role in the creation of the bespoke GAA Foireann Injury Management System. Liam is currently undertaking his professional doctorate in the area of ACL injuries in Gaelic Games.
Eamon O’Reilly
Eamon is a chartered physiotherapist and founder of the Sports Physiotherapy and Athletic Rehabilitation Clinic. He has a keen interest in performance rehabilitation and has worked with various teams at elite level, including the Dublin Senior Hurlers since 2011, along with a range of other inter-county squads. Eamon has a deep interest in Gaelic Games, having previously served on the GAA’s Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee and has also contributed significantly to the creation in recent times of the bespoke GAA Foireann Injury Management System. He has also previously served as Chairperson of the Gaelic Games Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Work Group.
Professor Brian Devitt
Brian Devitt is an internationally trained orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty expertise in knee surgery. He has a particular interest in sporting injuries including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, meniscal repair, cartilage restoration procedures, multi-ligamentous knee reconstruction and hamstring repair. In addition, he cares for patients with degenerative conditions, such as knee arthritis, and performs partial and total knee replacements as well as osteotomies. Brian completed his medical school training at UCD and carried out his specialist training in Trauma & Orthopaedics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He has also achieved a Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine.
Thilina Vitharana
Thilina is a clinical specialist physiotherapist, and his experience encompasses treating a broad range of sports and orthopaedic injuries. However, he predominantly focuses on lower limb rehabilitation with an interest in knee rehabilitation. Thilina also holds the title of APA Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapists Association and is currently completing his PhD into sensorimotor dysfunction following ACL reconstruction. He also holds a Masters in Sports Physiotherapy (University of Queensland) and a Masters in High Performance Sport (Australian Catholic University), alongside his BSc of Physiotherapy (University of Sydney).
Thilina has more than 12 years of experience working with recreational, Olympic and elite athletes across various sports: GAA, rugby, cricket, Aussie rules, netball and athletics. He is a level 1 strength and conditioning coach with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association and is currently completing his level 2 accreditation. Outside of the clinic, Thilina works with the Senior Men’s Monaghan Football Team.
Dr Ciarán Kearney
Dr Ciarán J. Kearney is a fully qualified Chartered Psychologist, legally licensed to practice by the Health and Care Professions Council. Over the last 15 years, he has successfully consulted with players, coaches and teams at county, college and club level in Gaelic Games and in other high-performance environments, both nationally and internationally. Ciarán has been part of the sport psychology support provided to Team Ireland for Paris 2024. Alongside his applied practice, Ciarán is a published author and works full time as a Senior Lecturer at St Mary's University College Belfast, teaching in both Human Development and in Sport Science.
Laura Kealy
Laura Kealy is the founder of Bridge Nutrition. She is a registered health and performance nutritionist with a background in Biopharmaceuticals and Applied Biology. She has completed a Masters Degree from the University of Ulster, and a Post Grad in Sports and Exercise Nutrition from Leeds Beckett University. Laura has worked with numerous teams and athletes across sports all over the country, specialising in performance nutrition in a Gaelic Games context.
Dr Aoife Lane
Dr Aoife Lane is Head of Department of Sport and Health Sciences in TUS Midlands. Aoife has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from UL, a Masters in Health Promotion in NUI Galway and completed her PhD studies on the public health impact of the Women’s Mini Marathon in Waterford IT, in 2011. Aoife is a founder of the Women’s Gaelic Players Association and has a particular interest in addressing the gender data gap in sports science and health research.