Second sight

While playing for University College Dublin, a horrifying injury to his left eye saw Ian McKinley’s vision, his world and his future come crashing down around him. The injury left McKinley blind in one eye and bereft, forcing him into early retirement, his life plans scattered in the wind. After relocating to Italy to heal and rebuild himself as a youth rugby coach, a heartbroken McKinley battled on until, in the end, he vowed to do whatever it took to once again play the sport he loved. As he discloses in ‘Second Sight’ in painstaking detail for the first time, McKinley poured his heart and soul into finding a way to play. He endlessly researched specialist goggles and he tenaciously fought his case against sceptical World Rugby bosses until finally, finally, he did the impossible – he came back.