Weekend read: Meet the Laois teenager making waves on the international volleyball scene

Patrick Cawley, originally from Mountmellick, started playing volleyball just over three years ago and has since represented Ireland across Europe.

He played matches in Liechtenstein, Andorra, Romania and Scotland representing Ireland U-20 before his performances earned him a call-up to the senior team.

In May, Patrick's talents attracted the attention of Ligue 2 side Fréjus Var Volley and he subsequently traveled to Fréjus in the south of France for trials.

After impressing, he was recalled for a second trial and will return to France in January.

Patrick, who attended Mountmellick Community School, began playing volleyball with his school team in September 2021.

He quickly fell in love with the sport and quickly improved.

His school's team won the All Ireland 'B' that same year and, although they struggled against the more experienced schools in the higher divisions, it became clear that Cawley had a talent for the sport.

This motivated him to continue playing with his school until the end of the school year before he and a few of his teammates decided to spend this summer using the school hall for practice.

He said: “We just asked our PE teacher if we could use the room over the summer and he gratefully agreed.

“He gave us so many opportunities to play and learn. We got the gym for the summer and we were there every day training.

This allowed Patrick to develop quickly thanks to the extra hours spent in the field. As Patrick improved, so did Mountmellick CS and his results improved.

Aorund this time his coach recommended that Patrick reluctantly try out for the Ireland U-20 team, Patrick accepted with modest expectations.

Nearly 100 players were called up for a series of grueling trials as Irish coaches kept their eyes peeled for any players who could improve their team.

Patrick turned out to be one of those players because his natural talent was evident to the coaches. But he still had to learn the tactical side of the game which was still unfamiliar to him.

He said: “In Ireland in particular, there really aren't a lot of tactics until you reach a certain level, so that was new to me.”

Thereafter, Patrick's journey with Ireland began, in the small countries competition in January 2023. After beating Gilbratar, a defeat against Andorra saw them knocked out of the tournament.

He said: “They were so good, for them volleyball is like football for Brazilians.”

Despite a close defeat, he gained valuable experience in his first international match.

Next was the St Patrick's Challenge, a series of matches where the U-18, U-20 and senior men's and women's teams play Northern Ireland each year on St Patrick's Day.

Although the matches are technically friendly, both countries are notoriously eager to get the upper hand on their neighbors.

After performing well and consolidating his presence in the team, Patrick emerged victorious.

He said: “It was so big for us, even though it was just a friendly, it was so big.”

These performances caught the attention of the U-22 manager who asked Patrick to try out for the team.

The U-22s are not a standalone team as such, rather they serve as a senior development team.

For this reason, the two groups train together, which allows senior management to closely monitor the U-22s and promote players to the next level.

So after Patrick got a place in the U-22s and started playing at that level.

He said: “In my head I was only going to play for the U-22 team. »

However, after proving himself at that level, he made the jump to the senior panel and made his first appearance in the Senior B Smart Cup against Scotland in December last year.

Other teams they played in this tournament included Liechtenstein and Gibraltar.

Patrick particularly praised Liechtenstein, which he said was a very solid structure.

He said: “When you hear Liechtenstein, you probably think of a small country, because volleyball is so serious for them.”

While he admitted it was a difficult stage at first, he eventually acclimatized and quickly proved to be a valuable asset to the team coming off the bench.

He said: “But it's difficult to play under this pressure, especially when you come in as a substitute.”

However, when he returned to the U-20 team in January, the coach dropped Patrick in the opening match.

Although disappointed, Patrick used this setback as motivation and quickly regained his place on the team.

Then, Patrick used his senior experience in the Small Countries to good effect and proved to be one of the standout players in the competition played in Andorra.

After performing well and cementing their presence in the team, Patrick's team emerged victorious, with the team now having the momentum to compete in the Small Countries Competition in Andorra.

Ireland then traveled to the Alps where they faced small but very experienced countries in the Small Countries Tournament in January this year.

Even though the entire team was convinced, expectations were relatively low. At that time, Ireland had yet to win any silverware at underage level.

However, after strong performances against San Marino and Gibraltar, Ireland got their chance against Northern Ireland and with the help of Patrick.

They beat their neighbors and became the first Irish team in their age group to win a medal.

The team that won the bronze medal received national recognition for this achievement with an article recognizing Patrick's performance in the Irish Independent.

The winning team then traveled to Romania for a series of friendly matches, a country known as the birthplace of volleyball in Europe.

He said: “It's a whole different level over there, even though those teams were young, they were so strong.”

Subsequently, he attracted the attention of Ligue 2 club Frejus Var Volley and was invited to the nearby town of Monaco to try out for the professional team.

He said: “In my head it was just experience, I didn't think I would make the team.”

Patrick praised the level of volleyball in the south of France, but also acknowledged that this high standard required him to improve his own game.

He said: “It was like a job, it was hard, but in the end I was like: yes, I want this lifestyle. »

He was pleased with his performance in the trial and was recalled for a second trial in January.

Next summer, Patrick will be part of the team aiming to qualify for the European Championships.

He said: “We are going to play against players who have played all their lives, players who play for a living, some of the best teams in the world. It will be a crazy experience.

The volleyball schedule is busy and travel-heavy, and at present Patrick funds the majority of his own travel.

For this reason, Patrick is seeking sponsorship so that he can continue to represent Laois internationally.

If any local businesses would like to sponsor Patrick, they can contact him at [email protected].

He is expected to receive extensive media coverage over the next year as he prepares for another season with Ireland.

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