A thrilled Lord Mayor Haughey said, “Armagh is exceptionally proud of Eilish and her amazing feat. And although Eilish hails from Dundalk County Louth, we are delighted that she resides in Armagh City and we are very proud that this City now boasts an Irish Paralympics Champion.
“Riding from the age of 12, Eilish has always had a great love of horses but it wasn’t until 2000, 24 years later, that Eilish got involved in Para-Equestrian sport, and aren’t we all delighted she did. Her contribution secured Ireland’s place at the 2012 London Paralympics, where she picked up a bronze medal with her equestrian team and finished an impressive fourth in the individual freestyle test grade II.
“We cannot praise Eilish’s achievement without acknowledging her beautiful horse Youri, who rode exceptionally well throughout the competition.
“Eilish is a great sportswoman who we can all look up to and admire. She is a role model for people involved in sport across Armagh district and she is a role model to those with disabilities. She has shown that with hard work, determination and focus - success is achieved and dreams come true.”
Eilish proudly wore her bronze medal for all at the reception to see.