This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Jim Shanahan. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 27 April 1938, Ireland
Died: 23 August 1989
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Teresa Kelly
Mullen, Teresa Lucy Margaret (‘Terry’) (1938–89), paralympic athlete, was born 27 April 1938 in Dublin, daughter of James Kelly and Lily Kelly (née Boles) of Ellenfield Road, Whitehall, Dublin. After attending school locally and working as a machinist for a time, she married (1961) Christopher John (‘Christy’) Mullen. Initially they lived in the North Strand area of Dublin but eventually moved to Coolock, Dublin. In her mid thirties, following complications resulting from an epidural, Mullen was confined to a wheelchair. Encouraged to attend the Clontarf day centre of the Irish Wheelchair Association, she was introduced to lawn bowls some time in the mid 1980s and immediately proved a natural at the game. Her career in both special bowls and lawn bowls was short but spectacular. In 1985 she won the national special bowls novice title; she went on to win the Irish senior titles in 1986 and 1987, becoming the first bowler from the Republic to do so. In 1986 and 1987 she also took part in the Stoke Mandeville Games (later renamed the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games), winning bronze medals in both the singles and doubles events. In preparation for the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul, Korea, an event that caters for disabled athletes of all kinds, she travelled regularly to Northern Ireland for competition and training where she competed with – and often defeated – the top able-bodied players.
Shortly before the 1988 games she was diagnosed as terminally ill with a tumour. Against the advice of her doctors, but with the support of her family and medical supervision provided by the Paralympic Council of Ireland, she left her hospital bed and travelled to Korea. Conditions in Seoul were difficult for her and she spent much of her time in bed, leaving only to compete. She felt ill ten minutes into her first match, which lasted two hours, but concealed this from her opponent. Against all odds she not only competed but won the gold medal in the Women’s Bowls Singles category, with the reigning champion, Patriga Kihungi of Kenya, in second place, and the bronze medal going to Britain’s Hazel Randall. Her achievement made front-page news in Ireland, and her courage and determination were widely admired. A measure of her achievement in a sport that requires intense concentration, superb hand-eye coordination, and an ability to stay calm and relaxed, is the fact that the terminal cancer was to claim her life within a year. Her story is widely seen as a testament to her determination to overcome a double disability and to the value of sporting activity for the disabled. She died 23 August 1989 at her home in Coolock, leaving a husband, one son, two daughters, and grandchildren. She is buried in Fingal cemetery, Balgriffin, Co. Dublin.