Oisin McEvoy, son of Gary and Lydia McEvoy and grandson of Gerard and Denise McEvoy has been selected to represent Ireland in the 400m and mixed relay at EUROPEAN AND YOUTH OLYMPICS in Maribor (Slovenia) this month (23rd - 30th July). Oisin has a younger brother Finn and younger sister Erin. Gary and Lydia relocated to Sherwood three years ago via Canada, North Carolina and San Antonio but Oisin obviously has Tullylish and Aghaderg blood running through his veins. We wish Oisin all the best now and in his future. 

Article below from newsbreak.com

"Sherwood’s Oisin McEvoy is a lucky young man.

The Bowmen track and field athlete was recently chosen to represent Ireland in the European Youth Olympic Festival, scheduled for July 23 to July 29 in Maribor, Slovenia.

But while anxious and excited to be competing on such a big stage, the senior-to-be is fortunate to be competing at all in the wake of a serious accident nearly a year ago.

It was Aug. 20, 2022, and McEvoy was 9 miles into a training run in the run-up to the 2022 cross country season. He was waiting patiently at the crosswalk of Highway 99W and Southwest Elwert Road, then upon the green light, he began his trot across Highway 99W. As he was crossing the highway, a car hit him, sending him off the windshield, into the air and onto the pavement below.

Now, after almost a year of physical therapy for significant head, neck and back injuries, the standout runner is ready to make one of his lifetime dreams a reality.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a really long time,” McEvoy said. “It’s always been one of my goals to represent my country on the international stage, so I’m really excited. It’s like I’m achieving one of my biggest goals.”

McEvoy has lived in the United States since he was a child, but he was born in the United Kingdom to an Irish father, Gary, and an English mother, Lydia. The family moved to Canada when Oisin was 5 years old, then bounced to Charlotte, San Antonio, and as of three years ago, Sherwood.

Since then, Oisin McEvoy has put down roots at Sherwood High School and on its track and cross-country teams. He placed second in the 400-meter dash at the Pacific Conference championships and seventh at the OSAA 6A state championships in Eugene.

Running is in McEvoy’s blood. While Gary McEvoy did the bulk of his running on the rugby field, Oisin McEvoy’s great-grandfather, Dan Lennon, was a champion marathoner for Ireland and was chosen to carry the Olympic torch through the Irish village of Gilford in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Lennon twice won the Dublin Marathon, and in 1956, he was ranked as the 14th-best marathoner in the world, but due to the political landscape in Northern Ireland at the time, he was denied an opportunity to compete at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

As a result, Gary McEvoy sees Oisin’s upcoming adventure in a way as finishing what his granddad started more than 75 years ago.

“My grandfather didn’t get to go to the Olympics, but hopefully Oisin can represent him at the Youth Olympics, and maybe in the future the Olympics,” Gary McEvoy said. “That might kind of close that circle for my granddad.”

In order to be considered for Ireland’s Youth Olympic team, Oisin McEvoy had to meet a qualifying standard, which he did this past spring. From there, his candidacy was forwarded on to the Olympic selection committee, which then selected the young Irish American to participate in both the 400-meter dash and 400-meter medley relay, the latter of which consists of four separate runners running 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-meter legs, in that order.

The teen admitted he’s been hampered as a result of his injuries from last summer’s collision. But he says in good shape and ready to compete — even in the relay in which he’ll be running the 300 meters, something he’s never done.

“It’s something I’ve never done before, but I think the 300 is something I might be able to do pretty well,” Oisin McEvoy said. “I feel like it actually might be one of my strong suits.”

More than anything, he’ll be thrilled just to be at the event. But that doesn’t prevent him from having goals on the track as well.

“My goal individually is to run a new best time, and in the process, represent my country really well,” McEvoy said. “Then, for the relay — I can’t speak for my other three teammates, but I think we want to win.”

Win or lose, McEvoy knows he is fortunate to be competing. He said that while still suffering ill effects — including headaches — from his accident, he’s also been given a gift of perspective. While it’s hard to explain, he said, he sees the world differently in the wake of his harrowing experience.

“Even my grades are better this year than they were before the accident,” McEvoy said. “It changed my mindset and really gave me a different perspective on how things can be. In all sorts of parts of my life.”

That change in perspective hasn’t gone unnoticed by his parents, who continue to be impressed by their son’s perseverance in the face of adversity.

“That’s why I think we’re so proud of him, because it’s almost like the accident re-motivated him,” Lydia McEvoy said. “To miss all that training and still get to the point where qualifies for the national team in Ireland, it’s just made us proud of him as a person.”

Oisin McEvoy is excited for what’s to come — in the immediate future and beyond.

“This means the world to me,” he said. “I’ve been running track for a while, and getting to represent your country on one of the biggest stages, I’m really happy. I definitely feel like I’ve already achieved something.” "