Phelan gets nod to resume club career
Young Kilkenny star Conor Phelan has been told by a top London heart specialist that he can resume his hurling career, but only at club level.
Phelan's sporting world came crashing down last summer when a faulty valve was discovered in his heart during a routine test at Dublin's Mater Hospital.
The 22-year-old Waterford IT student, an All-Ireland senior and U21 winner with Kilkenny in 2003, was told that his playing days were over due to the defect.
However, Canadian-born Professor Bill McKenna, following a thorough examination, has approved Phelan to return to hurling for his club Clara.
Phelan, who has not played or trained since September, said: "I have been told I can go back playing, but I will be monitored every four months to see how things are going.
"I will take it easy and see how things go. I won't be rushing back. The news could have been better, but that's the way it is. At least I am better off than I was before Christmas.
"London was a last resort, and I went there looking for hope more than anything. I got a bit of that.
"It is not all doom and gloom. I can have a career at club level at least. I didn't want to be a spectator for the rest of my life," he told The Kilkenny People.
