Duleek man aiming for success in Taiwan

Duleek man Shane Dunne will be heading to Taiwan this week as part of Team Ireland for the World University Games, writes Michael Dowling.

He will be part of the men's football squad for the tournament and is one of 64 athletes who have been selected to represent Ireland at the games from Saturday 19th to Wednesday 30th August.

It will be the experience of a lifetime for the 24-year-old as the World University Games are second only to the Olympics in terms of prestige for student athletes. “I was ecstatic when I found out I was picked.
“I just finished my final year at IT Carlow, where I studied Sports Management and Coaching, and it was the perfect way to finish collegeâ€, told the Meath Chronicle.
Dunne had played in four international games for the Irish Colleges' in recent months and was chosen to represent Team Ireland having impressed in those games.
Ireland will play France, hosts Taipei and Mexico in the group stage and Dunne is confident that they can progress in the tournament.
“I've been playing soccer for as long as I can remember, since I was about four or five, and I played with Duleek at under-age level.â€
He then progressed to play for Drogheda Boys before making the leap to the League of Ireland, with spells at Athlone Town and Monaghan Utd, before moving to Wexford Youths.
He helped Wexford gain promotion to the Premier Division in 2015 and spent a season competing with the best players in Irish domestic soccer.
“Getting promoted with Wexford to the Premier Division was the highlight of my career so far,†he commented.
“It was great to be up against the likes of Cork, Sligo and the other top teams and measuring myself against them.â€
Team Ireland will travel to Taiwan this week, a week before the opening game for acclimatisation purposes due to the 35° temperatures and the humidity.
“Hopefully we can get out of the group and once you're in the knock-out stages anything can happen,†he added.
“It's going to be fantastic to travel to the other side of the world and play in a huge international competition.
“I just want to play at as high a level as I can. I'd love to play abroad and experience a different way of life, and play football in a different culture,†he concluded.