Conas atá tú? What’s the craic? How’s the form? The name is Francis and I’m an Irish lad through and through. I was born and raised in a town called Raheny in Dublin (think of Ireland as a teddy bear and Dublin is in the small of the bear’s back). It’s also the capital, probably because it’s the best county (don’t tell the others). Here’s a look at Raheny;
Although I’m classed as a “city boy” I loved spending my summers down in the southeast countryside of Wexford on my family’s farmland. Tending and caring for animals is something I truly love (bring on PANDA!). That, along with being thrust into the traditional Irish sports GAA football and hurling, made it clear early on that the outdoors are where I belong! My club’s motto is “Ní neart go cur le-chéile”, which means “There is no strength without working together”, which taught me the value of teamwork and comradery early on. Have a look at my old club (be sure to note the celebration as the team I captained won their first championship!)
But like the times that change, so did I. Instead of hurling, my mind drifted towards my current passion: Self Defence and Martial Arts! I started off in Shotokan Karate as a child but didn’t find my true passion until I started training at a place called Hard Target School of Self Defence, where I’ve been training for 8 years. Alongside this I’ve also trained in Kickboxing, MMA, BJJ, Judo, Aikido and dipped my toes in many more along the way.
My passion is working with kids and I hope to make training kids in martial arts my career someday. I can’t wait to see what mayhem we can get up to together this summer! I’m delighted I ended up out here at Augusta and can’t wait to roll around, laugh until I cry and make some sweet memories with some of that good old Wish, Wonder and Surprise! Bring on Summer 2018, hope to see you there!
