Sinead Kane

Sinead Kane

• First visually impaired athlete to conquer the World Marathon Challenge a Guinness World Record
• International Keynote Speaker Adversity/Resilience | Lecturer Disability Law/policy
• A visionary who does not see her disability an impairment for achieving your goals
• Ireland’s first visually impaired solicitor
• Brand Ambassador for Brazil’s Wings for Life World Run and Director of Ablevision Ireland

Dr. Sinead Kane, although declared legally blind, has not allowed her disability to overshadow her ability. Receiving two Ph.D. doctorates in 2017, one an honorary Ph.D. from the National University of Ireland and the other her academic Ph.D. from Dublin City University, Sinead’s initial education includes a BCL law degree and an LLM Masters in Law, both from University College Cork. Besides these achievements, she is also a certified mediator, writer for the Irish Criminal Law Journal, a brand ambassador, public speaker, Director of Ablevision Ireland,and record-breaking marathon runner, being the first visually impaired athlete to complete the World Marathon Challenge, conquering seven marathons, on seven continents, in only seven days. This feat was a Guiness World Record.  Sinead Kane is not unfamiliar with overcoming adversity.

“I can choose to be blind or I can choose to be visionary and I choose to be visionary. It takes courage to have limited sight and to go out and run with thousands of people because the risks of being injured are higher. What I have learned from life is that courage has a ripple effect. Every time we choose courage we make those around us feel better and the world a bit braver” – Sinead Kane

Although she is legally blind, with only 5% vision, Sinead Kane has not allowed her loss of sight to make her any less a visionary. It is her vision, courage, and resilience that have spurred her on to achieve what she has. Her achievements have seen her featured in local and national newspapers and television, with 2010 seeing her part of an inspiring documentary about life with a disability and horse-riding in Mexico.

As to her running career, Sinead was the first visually impaired female athlete to complete the Dublin City Marathon, followed by her astounding feat of being the first visually impaired athlete to ever complete an Ultra-Marathon in Ireland. Her accomplishments led to her being invited as both athlete and brand ambassador for Brazil’s Wings for Life World Run, finishing 23^rd out of 1413 females.

Sinead’s determination to compete was highlighted in 2015 when she forced a policy change in the VHI woman’s mini-marathon when event organisers at first refused to allow her to compete because her guide runner was a male. As a solicitor, her preferred areas of practice are Employment/Disability Law.

Amongst her numerous speaking engagements, Sinead Kane includes UCC DSS, Pfizer, Irish Institute of Legal Executives, NUI, AIB, and the International Bar Association, amongst many others.

Sinead Kane – Speaker

Sinead Kane, the speaker,  lives life to its fullest measure, inspiring courage and determination in her audiences. She believes in resilience, as it gives you the ability to turn setbacks into comebacks, and that adversity provides the means for all of us to learn life lessons. Her largest audience to date featured 7,500 people in one sitting.

Speaking Topics

• Resilience and bouncing back. Turning setbacks into comebacks.
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Teamwork – running with a guide runner
• Personal growth – The Kane Ability
• Self-belief and achieving success
• Endless vision – being visionary, not blind