Dan and David Horgan on their special bond and love of Cork sport
Ballincollig basketball star Ciaran O'Sullivan with David and Dan Horgan when they won the Division 1 title. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
DAN and David Horgan are among the biggest and most loyal Cork sports fans in the country.
If you visit Turner's Cross for a Cork City game, Páirc Uí Chaoimh to watch the Cork hurlers and footballers or Ballincollig Community School to see Emporium Cork Basketball play, you will definitely see the sports-mad father and son cheering on their favourite teams.
Dan lives in Ovens with his wife Mary and sons David, Shane and daughter Aoibhinn. He is a very busy man. Not only does he bring David to all the sports venues to watch games, he takes him walking every morning, and then to all the sports he participates in.
Dan received the Cork Sports Indoor award in April 2017 for all the work he does for the Cork Special Olympic swimming, soccer and badminton clubs, an award richly deserved.
David is a remarkable young man and the 32-year-old has a big cheeky smile with a great sense of humour and what he has accomplished is amazing. He is currently attending Field of Dreams DS in Curraheen, where is doing a Literacy and Technology course. He attended Cope in Montenotte, Our Lady of Good Counsel School and Scoil Eoin National School in Ballincollig when he was younger. He studied at UCC in 2012 and graduated with a Contemporary Living Certificate.
Along with his busy sports life David has worked in Nosh and Coffee Restaurant in Ballincollig for a four-year period, at Griffins Garden Centre in Dripsey for nine years, and is now working in Sports Direct three days a week in Mahon for the last five months.
Dan explains the special bond between his son and himself.
"David went to mainstream school when he was younger, before attending Cope in Montenotte and he is currently attending Field of Dreams in Curraheen two mornings a week. One of my proudest moments is when David graduated from UCC in 2014 with a Certificate in Contemporary Living.
"He always loved his sport and is a huge Cork City fan and we travel to Turner's Cross for all the home games where he struck up a great friendship with the players and managers. We are also regularly in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to watch the Cork hurlers and football in all grades. In the last few years after getting the basketball bug we go watch the Ballincollig basketball team at all their home games and we travel to some away games as well.”
They got a great thrill seeing the club win a first Super League title in Tallaght recently.
David himself plays a lot of different sports. He goes swimming on Monday, table tennis on Wednesday, soccer on Saturday and badminton on Sunday, along with all the other sports he goes to watch, so he is a very busy young man.
"I love watching all sports whether I’m in attendance at games or else I’m glued to the television at home,” David said.
"I am very involved in the Special Olympics and I’m a member of the Cork Special Olympics swimming, soccer and badminton clubs.
"When we go to the Cork City games the players are very friendly with me and they always take time out to come over to have a chat with me. My favourite players who would have played over the years are Alan Bennett, Mark McNulty, Sean Maguire and my favourite managers are Colin Healy and John Caufield. John surprised me a few years ago when he rang me up to wish me a happy birthday.
"We also go to many Cork GAA games, but I got a very valuable lesson two years ago when we went to a match in Semple Stadium in Thurles. It started out a beautiful day so I left my coat in the car, however, after a few minutes it lashed out of the heavens and we got soaked to the skin, lesson learned. I bring my coat everywhere from now on!
"Before I finish if I don’t mention my girlfriend Meagan O’Halloran my life won’t be worth living as we are going out together since we were youngsters," David added very a very cheeky smile.
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