Shona Nollaig from Blanchardstown WingTsun & Escrima

Michael O Leary

Just want to say thanks to everyone for their submissions over the past year which I have enjoyed reading and at times contributing to. While I didn't agree with some of what was said, I still found it thought provoking and it gave me an appreciation of peoples motivations behind their training.

Another thing that I have gotten from this forum is the sheer passion that each of us have for our respective martial art. This passion is contagious and as well as using it to debate topics with fellow martial art instructors/practitioners we can also use it to inspire people who normally would not see themselves doing a martial art. These are people who sit in the pub/in front of the tv all day or take drugs/talk shi%e to fill the emptyiness in their lives. There are about 5.5 million people on this island with only a small number of us doing martial arts. We are not competition for each other. Alcohol/drug abuse (and Eastenders :-) ) is. Targeting the other few million on this island will make our organisations/individual schools stronger, improve us as people/martial artists and have a beneficial impact on the lives of people in Ireland and maybe the world. Maybe this is another way of looking at Christmas.

So thanks everyone, lets do it again next year.

Slan,

Michael O'Leary
www.wingtsun-escrima.ie

dlofnep

Nollaig Shona duit.

Happy Christmas mate.

Michael O Leary

Hi all,:)

Just want to say Happy Christmas again. I can't believe it has been a year since the first post. Again the posts over the year have been animated at times but I suppose when you look at it in context of life in general it doesn't really matter.

Thanks to the Wing Tsun/Escrima instructors and students over the year. It has been a pleasure. We did a lot of consolidating which we hope to capitalise on in 2007. January 2006 saw the launch of weekly Newman-Escrima classes in Ireland. It has been a steep learning curve but highly enjoyable. The Escrima summercamp in Croatia was great and I am looking forward to next year.

I also started Muay Thai/Thai Boxing during the summer which I am really enjoying and which is sharpening up my Wing Tsun as I now have more of an appreciation of what a Muay Thai guy can do. So thanks everyone at Bridgestone Muay Thai/Thai Boxing. I hope to follow up on this with some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2007.

So anyway, Happy Christmas everyone and I will look forward to reading more posts in the new year.

Regards,:D

Michael O'Leary
www.iewto.org

Baggio...

Michael O Leary wrote:

So anyway, Happy Christmas everyone and I will look forward to reading more posts in the new year.

Have a good Chrimbo Micheal! Looking forward to more discussions next year too...:)

Cheers,

B.

yomchi

Happy holidays Michael. You'll love BJJ if your thinking of taking it up!

All the best for 07!

Jon

Dyr

At this festive time of year i think its in poor form to be disrespecting alcohol and/or drugs :mad:

happy Christmas beer and substances!!

Oh and happy christmas mick and everyone

john kavanagh

happy christmas micheal and i look forward to more spirited discussions in 07

ShaneT

Merry Christmas all.

dlofnep

Nollaig shona duit, arís