JANUARY 2022. MARK Mulcahy is in third year of college at UCD. He’s 22 and he has just belatedly passed his driving test.

It took the Skerries man a few goes, so he’s feeling good as he gets home and decides to go to the gym. But first, a coffee.

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, his vision goes blurry. The mug of coffee is on the table just to the left of him, but he can’t see it.

“Where’s that gone? What’s going on here?” thinks Mulcahy as he is hit by a throbbing headache.

He’s a relaxed sort of fella, though, and despite the abrupt onset of the vision loss and splitting headache, he stays calm. He skips the gym but doesn’t think he’s in any sort of danger, so just heads off to bed that night.

He wakes the next morning, the headache still really bad and his vision still affected, and he tells his mother. She senses something is wrong, and Mulcahy is soon rushed to the Mater Hospital.

“I thought it would just be something that would come and go, a few paracetamol, I’ll be fine,” says Mulcahy.

The doctors in the Mater are concerned, saying that fit people like him don’t just suddenly go blind for no reason. Mulcahy thinks he might be out in a few hours, but he ends up being there for a few weeks as they try to figure it out. Test after test after test.

And finally, there’s a day when a big group of doctors all walk in at the same time. 

“Alright, they’ve found something,” thinks Mulcahy.

They tell him he has a hole in his heart. Or a PFO [Patent Foramen Ovale], as the experts call it.

Mulcahy at the Mater Hospital. Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy

“They said that the reason I went blind is that it was basically a stroke,” says Mulcahy.

“There’s supposed to be blood clots that can drop into your lungs and then they get passed out through your system. But this blood clot went through to my brain and it cut off the parts responsible for sight.”

They tell him that it could have been a lot worse. That it could have been fatal.

Mulcahy’s sight still hasn’t recovered. He has lost around 40% of his vision and it’s unknown whether he will ever recover his full sight. He will need to go on blood-thinning medication and is facing heart surgery.

But there’s only one question on his mind.

“Will I be able to play rugby again?”

__________

The Mulcahys are rugby people.

Dr Bill Mulcahy, Mark’s grandfather, passed away last year at the age of 90. Originally from Rathkeale in County Limerick, he was a Skerries man through and through by the end of his life.

The legendary Dr Bill played for Ireland 35 times in the 1950s and ’60s, captaining his country on many of those occasions, as well as being part of two British and Irish Lions tours, playing in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

“He was very modest about it,” says Mark. “He’d only tell you about his experiences if you asked him.

“There are so many stories of him being in the club in Skerries and people would say, ‘You know that man over there you just spoke to, he’s a Lion.’”

Billy Mulcahy, Mark’s father, was an excellent hooker in this time. He played for Skerries, Connacht, and Ireland A.

As Mark grew up, he got accustomed to people telling him how good his dad was. There was rugby on mum Susan’s side too. Her nephew, Hugo Lennox, was a key player for the Ireland men’s 7s up until the programme was disbanded last year. 

Dr Bill Mulcahy was honoured at the Aviva Stadium last year. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

So the Mulcahy household was rugby mad. Mark and his two brothers, Billy and Ronan, spent most of their time down the club in Skerries, where Ciarán Frawley was a couple of years ahead of Mark.

And Mark, an out-half, dreamed about keeping up the family tradition of playing at a high level.

“They never put us under any pressure when we were kids to perform or to do anything,” he says. “But, internally, I probably felt a bit of pressure.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, in a good way because it inspired me to perform.”

Mark never got picked on any Leinster teams as he came through the age-grades in Skerries, but he was obsessed with the sport. He felt he wasn’t “Ciarán talented” but worked hard on his game. 

As he considered life after school, he came across an interview with Oli Jager, who was beginning to make impressive progress with the Crusaders after initially going to New Zealand to be part of the International High Performance Unit [IHPU] in Christchurch.

That programme involves training with the Canterbury academy and led to great things in Jager’s case. Mulcahy instantly felt a pull to try it for himself.

“He just seemed like a normal lad like myself and was someone that worked hard and someone who was able to think outside the box,” says Mulcahy. “It paid off for him. 

“Now, by no means was I expecting Razor [Robertson, then Crusaders coach] to hand me a contract or anything, but it seemed like an opportunity that would lead me to the next step because I didn’t really know what I would do.”

Mulcahy jetted off to New Zealand in 2019. It was tough at first. They’re not bad at rugby in Christchurch and its surrounds.

But Mulcahy ended up having a great season, playing Colts rugby for Marist Albion and then for Linwood in a Canterbury Shield final, a particular thrill because it’s the home club of Richie Mo’unga, Mulcahy’s role model.

“I feel I was quite average before I went to New Zealand,” says Mulcahy, “but then I came back a good player, someone I could be confident in.”

When he got back, Mulcahy initially linked up with UCD but the Skerries connection was impossible to resist. COVID-19 slowed everything down, but Mulcahy kept working hard at his game, chasing the dream of playing in the AIL for Skerries with his brothers.

As the pandemic eased, Mulcahy and some of his friends decided to give life in Canada a go. The plan was to head there as soon as he finished his Philosophy and English degree in the summer of 2022.

Meraloma RFC in Vancouver, who had welcomed Irish players over before, had already been in touch with him. They were excited to get the out-half into their set up.

But then, in January 2022, Mulcahy found himself in the Mater Hospital.

Billy Mulcahy, the late Dr Bill Mulcahy, Ronan Mulcahy, and Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy

__________

There have been professional rugby players who have had PFO closures and managed to resume their careers.

Former Ireland international Chris Henry is among them. He had a mini-stroke hours before a Test match against South Africa in 2014 and subsequently underwent surgery before continuing to play. 

Henry was helpful along Mulcahy’s road to recovery, recommending him the book ‘Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL’ by Tedy Bruschi, an American football linebacker.

But many people who go through the ordeal aren’t left with lasting effects.

Although the initial predictions were that Mulcahy’s eyesight would return to normal, it never did.

He remains partially blind to this day.

“It’s the left side of both of my eyes,” he says. “It’s very difficult to describe. It’s a bit complex. But it’s only my left side.

“It’s the left side of both my eyes, so it’s funny how the brain compensates because it just feels like it’s just my left eye, basically. It feels like there’s damage in my left eye and because I have this [right] side of my eye working, it’s compensating for the blindness that’s there.”

Once the doctors realised what had happened, Mulcahy was put on medication to thin his blood. One of the side effects was weight loss, which he found difficult as someone who had fought to put on muscle for rugby.

His surgery wasn’t scheduled until May, essentially ruling his trip to Canada out. Once he got out of hospital, Mulcahy began to feel a bit stronger. He was able to kick a rugby ball around with his friends and do a bit of light exercise.

Then one evening, only a couple of months after the initial incident, he decided to go down to the club in Skerries and join in a game of touch rugby. He had a joyous moment when he skinned one of his team-mates.

“I went around our hooker, but I couldn’t actually see him,” says Mulcahy. “It’s like I sensed there was a gap there, but I actually couldn’t see the gap.

“But because I had played rugby for so long, I knew where the gaps were without being able to see them. So that was my first glimpse into like, ‘I’m actually able to play here. I’m able to kind of use muscle memory to navigate my way around the field.’”

That feeling of glee at being back on the pitch was short-lived.

Mulcahy went home that evening tired and happy, but he woke in the middle of the night with stroke symptoms. His face had dropped and his arm was numb.

He called an ambulance and was on his way back to the Mater.

“I hadn’t had the surgery, so I shouldn’t have been training,” he says. “I said I was going to go light, but light for me… I went way too far.”

He was in hospital for another few weeks, with the symptoms in his face and arm coming back every few days. The decision was made to bring his surgery forward to March.

“It was frightening at the time,” he says. “It’s a piece of metal they put in your heart and you have to wait for your heart to work around that.

“But since I had the surgery, everything’s been sweet.”

__________

The hole in Mulcahy’s heart had been closed, but he was partially blind.

Nearly every bit of medical advice told him that he wouldn’t be able to play full-contact rugby again.

“There was an overwhelming number of them who said no. For months, I was going to different doctors saying, ‘Do you think I could play rugby again?’ and they’re all saying, ‘No, that’s a crazy idea.”

There was one exchange that still stands out.

“I remember specifically one doctor, I think he was having a laugh, and I took it very personally.

“He was like, ‘I don’t think any team is going to want to have a blind player.’

“The other doctors were empathetic with me and they were like, ‘Sorry, it’s just risky. I know it’s heartbreaking.’ He was kind of very Roy Keane-blunt, like, ‘What team would want a…’

“That stuck with me.”

Mulcahy admits he was bitter about the medical advice at the time. He took it personally.

His surgery being brought forward to March, and his stoic attitude towards finishing his college degree as scheduled, did at least mean he could go to Canada in the summer of 2022.

But he couldn’t play his sport, not the way he wanted. He’s not a drinker and had no interest in the big sessions other young Irish people loved. It was agony watching Meraloma play, all the more so because they were struggling at out-half.

He fell into touch rugby and would sometimes get asked by others if he wanted to join their 15s rugby team. They’d be shocked when he explained that he was partially blind and couldn’t.

“I hated explaining to people,” he says. “I didn’t want to be seen as disabled. 

“Because people treat you differently. If you have a normal conversation with someone, then you drop in, ‘I’m partially blind,’ they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ and start treating you differently.”

He noticed his own behaviour changing in Vancouver, where he worked in construction. He was more passive-aggressive. He’d get snappy. Once, he was out for his birthday and the whole Meraloma team came into the same pub. Mulcahy got up to leave.

Ian McKinley and Mark Mulcahy. Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy

Back at home, Ian McKinley had released his book, Second Sight. Dublin man McKinley was left blind in his left eye by a horrific injury in 2010, only to go on a remarkable journey that led to earning nine caps for Italy.

Mulcahy’s dad could sense Mark was pissed off at not being able to play, so he insisted on getting a copy of McKinley’s book over to him in Canada.

It was exactly what Mark needed. McKinley’s story of starting at the bottom rung of Italian rugby, wearing protective goggles to shield his good eye, and reaching the top of the game was hugely inspiring.

“That book couldn’t have come out at a better time,” says Mulcahy.

“I was thinking, ‘You really can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it. The only limit is in the mind.’”

_________

After devouring the book, Mulcahy reached out to McKinley and got great advice. 

“Reps, reps, reps,” McKinley told him. “The eyesight thing, it’s tough at the start, but you’ll get there. Just keep on doing the reps. Start at whatever level you have to.”

Mulcahy had dabbled in a bit of training with Meraloma in Vancouver, even winning their fitness test, but he wanted some medical clearance before getting back playing, so he headed home. Back in Skerries, he had an encouraging conversation with a family friend who is a surgeon.

“He said, ‘I reckon you could do it. Your body’s back to normal. I don’t think you need to be on these blood thinners forever, because that was the big threat. If you got a knock on blood thinners, that’s a brain bleed.

“So he said, as long as you come off them and you’re fine, you can do it. If you’re able to do that fitness test that you did on them, I think your body’s able for it.”

Mulcahy got the same Rolero goggles that McKinley had worn. The goggles protect players from the threat of any further damage to their eyes.

He needed to get used to wearing them, so he got busy over the Christmas of 2022. He’d go out with his brothers or close friends like Shane Murphy, getting them to hold a tackle bag. Mulcahy even wore his into the gym to go on the exercise bike, getting used to huffing and puffing while wearing them.

“Playing blind is one thing, but adapting to a pair of goggles is not a one-off thing,” he says.

“You need to embed that as part of your game because there are so many things you don’t account for. They fog up really easily, so Ian told me to get two pairs, give one to the physio.”

And on 23 January 2023, almost exactly one year to the day since he had partially lost his vision, Mulcahy started at out-half for the Skerries J1s against Malahide. He scored 19 points in a 43-14 win.

Remarkably, Mulcahy hadn’t fully explained to all of his team-mates that he was partially blind. Many of them presumed his vision had returned to normal and that the goggles were just an extra precaution.

“You don’t want your main man at number 10 to be blind,” says Mulcahy. “It doesn’t inspire confidence in people. But my teammates did find out because I had to tell them things like, ‘Look, I can’t see you there when we’re defending.’”

Mulcahy after making his comeback wearing protective goggles. Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy

He had a few dropped balls early on, but got back into a rhythm. He started to put games together and was soon thinking about pushing on to compete for an AIL spot with Skerries’ senior team.

Mulcahy barely paused to acknowledge his achievement in just getting onto the pitch.

“It didn’t take long for my goal to go from getting back to playing rugby to more,” he says.

“Once I got back on the field, I don’t think I even think I took time to say, ‘Wow, that was great.’”

Mulcahy was proud to wear the goggles and represent a minority of people who play rugby despite issues with their eyesight.

But he’s honest when he says that they drew negative comments out on the pitch.

“You know, bottom of a ruck or whatever,” he says.

“I remember taking a kick and – it’s funny – as I line up the kick, someone said, ‘Can this lad even see the posts?’

“We were down in Roscrea one time, and someone was marking me, saying, ‘I have the fella with the glasses. I have the fella with the glasses.’

“So it was a bit of a distraction.”

__________

Mulcahy was happy to be back, but he remained as ambitious as before. And he felt that selection wasn’t going his way because he wore goggles.

The 2022/23 season ended without Mulcahy having forced his way into the senior team. But then a call came from Canada, where he still had more than a year left on his visa. There was a new opportunity.

Skerries man Jack Hanratty, who would go on to coach the Canada women’s 7s team to Olympic bronze in 2024, put a club called Halifax Tars RFC in touch with Mulcahy. They needed a 10, and he wanted to play rugby.

Mulcahy didn’t want to go to Canada as “a blind 10,” so he made Hanratty promise to say nothing. Halifax knew he had undergone a PFO closure but Mulcahy never told them about his partial blindness.

He left his goggles at home and took off for Haliax in the province of Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada.

“I’m a bit mad sometimes,” says Mulcahy with a smile.

“I think going back to rugby with the partial blindness, you kind of need to be a bit tapped in the head to do it.

“Ian McKinley, he’s equally tapped in the head. I can say that as a friend.”

Mulcahy with Canada international Shane O'Leary after a game with Halifax. Mark Mulcahy Mark Mulcahy

Mulcahy had played seven games with the goggles since making his comeback but now, he ditched them. And he went straight in the deep end as Halifax put him forward to play a provincial game for Nova Scotia against Newfoundland just days after he landed.

He admits he was nervous. What if something happened to his eyes? He worried about a bad knock to the head. Yet, Mulcahy threw himself into it for that Novia Scotia game and then with Halifax.

Despite the anxiety, there was a sense of freedom without the goggles.

“People would stop critiquing you when you had the goggles on. You know, if you miss a tackle or something, it’s like, ‘Oh, it was his eyes, don’t worry.’

“I remember missing a tackle early on over in Canada and our Welsh coach, he just let me know about it. ‘You missed a tackle over there and if you don’t get it right, we’re not going to have you in for the final of the provincials.’

“I was like, ‘This is class, it feels normal again.’”

By now, Mulcahy had developed a good relationship with himself when it came to the errors caused by his sight issues, things like firing a pass at someone because he didn’t realise how close they were. He made himself accept that he literally couldn’t see them.

“You have to develop a really good sense of self-respect for yourself and self-admiration in many ways,” he says.

“Just be sound to yourself.”

Whatever about the adjustments he had to make to his game, Mulcahy was still a baller. Backfield defence wasn’t as sophisticated in Canada and he loved rolling spiral 50:22s in behind the opposition.

His performances earned him an unexpected call-up for the Atlantic Selects, a representative team bringing together players from several provinces including Nova Scotia, for their game against the British Royal Navy in September 2023. Mulcahy hadn’t even known he was eligible but the Selects could pick three non-Canadian players and their Kiwi coach, David Jackson, spotted the Irish out-half while scouting some of his team-mates.

The Navy are a serious rugby team who play against the British Army every year at Twickenham, while the Atlantic Selects had a few Canada internationals on their side. The game took place in front of a big crowd at the Wanderers Grounds in Halifax.

Mulcahy [left] embraces a team-mate after playing for the Selects. jrfougere2023 jrfougere2023

“I had never played in a stadium before,” says Mulcahy.

“One part of me was super excited, but one part of me was like, ‘Have I stretched this too far?’ Nearly impostor syndrome. ‘I’m out here with one eye and I’m playing in the stadium and is this going to be the day I get exposed?’

It wasn’t. He was well able. He came off the bench, got a few nice touches, a few nice kicks, and helped the Selects home in a rousing win.

“That was the peak of my career,” says Mulcahy.

It was the perfect end to the season in Canada and it proved to be one of his final games of rugby.

His 24th birthday was approaching and Mulcahy was pushing forward with plans to launch his own business. He could have kept on playing, but it felt like the time was right to call it a day. He was happy to make the call on his own terms.

He knew he had achieved something special.

__________

And so, Mulcahy is a retired rugby player now.

He still loves the game and coaches an after-school academy in Skerries. But his online business, Move Forever, is full-on these days, having grown quickly in the last couple of years. 

Mulcahy struggled badly with injuries throughout his playing days, right from when he was still a teenager, while the side effects of his illness included hip and knee pain.

So he spent lots of time researching rehabilitation and taking courses to get a better understanding of the body. At the same time he was reading Ian McKinley’s book, Mulcahy learned the story of Ben Patrick, a rehab expert better known as ‘The Kneesovertoesguy’ on YouTube.

And so, Mulcahy developed his own expertise in helping people who have had to stop playing sport due to their injuries. Or people who aren’t able to do simple things like walking their dog.

“It’s an alternative treatment approach to joint injuries,” he says of Move Forever. The Skerries man has clients all over the world, helping them towards a better quality of life.

Up until now, he has shied away from opening up to people about his partial blindness.

He never wanted it to define him or limit him. But his good friend Shane Murphy has urged him a few times now to share his story.

“I don’t really tell people about the blindness, but I think it’s time I talk about it,” says Mulcahy.

He knows better than most that humans are capable of overcoming hurdles that can seem insurmountable at first.

“That would be my message,’ he says, “people have so much more power than they give themselves credit for.”