Irish Examiner view: An uplifting sight

Seán Cox's journey to recovery

Sean Cox with his wife, Martina, and Miriam O'Callaghan. Picture: RTÉ Prime Time

The assault on Seán Cox in Liverpool in 2018 resonated with many Irish people, not least because the circumstances were so familiar. 

The experience of nipping to England for a soccer game with one’s friends is so common as to be almost unremarkable — a day trip undertaken by thousands upon thousands every year without incident.

The appalling assault suffered by Seán on his way to that Liverpool-Roma game, which necessitated a lengthy spell in hospital in an induced coma, was therefore all the more shocking because so many others have often walked the same streets safely.

Accordingly, the footage released this week of the Meath native walking with the aid of a robotic exoskeleton was greeted with real joy. It was uplifting to see someone overcome such enormous challenges and make real progress — and equally uplifting to see his wife Martina enjoy her husband’s achievement in walking.

When she said she was emotional seeing Seán walk again, she was speaking for a lot of other people who were also boosted by the sight.