Brendan on target for Austria

KILRUSH youngster Brendan Casey had a rather exciting trip to keep his mind off the pressure of sitting the Junior Cert at Kilrush Community School.

The 14-year-old’s dart playing exploits have earned him a place on the Irish team selected to compete at an international tournament in Austria on July 16. Ironically, that’s the day before his 16th birthday.
Although particularly serious about his darts since he was 11, Brendan has been throwing darts since he was a child.

“I got my first set of darts when I was about four. I got them for Christmas,” he explained, adding that he practices for about two hours each evening.

“Two hours a day is enough. It’s very hard to do three hours,” he said, noting that concentration and practice are the key components.
There are other quality dart playing youngsters in Kilrush, including Eric Copley. While looking forward to the trip to Austria and to Hull in October, Brendan has been representing his country for several years at this stage.

“I first got on the Irish team aged 12. I went out to Belgium,” he said.

Brendan’s mother, Anita Madigan, spends most of her weekends ferrying her son to darts tournaments.

“His father Paddy passed away at Christmas. The two of them went to every competition together.
“Now, any competition he has I drive him. He was in Kilkenny the weekend before last and he’s due to compete in Mayo and Meath as well. His brother Martin is 16 and plays a lot with Brendan as well,” Anita said.