Sports and recreational studies is an innovative course which is two years full-time and open to both able-bodied and disabled students. Course director Lindsay Pennycook explains that student spend one day a week in Stewart's hospital, Palmerstown, Co Dublin, working with the patients. This is one-on-one so numbers are small - there are only 16 first-year places.
The course has been running for the past four years. The first lot of graduates mostly went directly into work, while the majority of last year's graduates have headed "across the water" to continue their studies.
Roland Kennedy, in first year of the course, is on track for a place in the Irish para-Olympic team. He still has to do a final qualifying race (100 metre and 200 metre) in April before he will know if he is off to Sydney in October.
Based in St Joseph's School for the Blind, Cabra, Dublin, Roland completed his second-level education in Pobalscoil Rosmini. "The classes had 25 to 30 students; here, there are 13."
He is enjoying the one-on-one teaching and hopes, eventually, to go into the sports psychology area.
