It is a rare honour to represent your country. Rarer still is the honour to carry your country’s flag into a major games.
For Sligo teen Mona McSharry, the dream of doing just that became a reality when she carried the Irish flag into the closing ceremony at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Speaking to the Sligo Weekender about the experience, Mona (14) from Grange, spoke of her delight to carry the flag.
“It was amazing. I would not have expected anything like that and it definitely lived up to what I thought it would be like. It was so exciting to walk out because the stadium was packed and there was a really brilliant atmosphere,” she said.
Mona got to rub shoulders with Olympic Gold Medalist Katie Taylor and Michael O’Reilly, both of whom won gold at the games.
“It was just amazing to get to meet Katie Taylor and Michael O’Reilly,” she said.
For the full interview with Mona and the thoughts of her mum Viola see this week’s Sligo Weekender.