Monday February 20th started as a normal day for the Jones family just outside Carrick, in Donegal - but it turned out to be far from normal.
TY student Ryan Jones made the five-minute journey to Coláiste na Carraige as normal, in time to board Patrick McShane's bus at 9 am for an Ulster Colleges Faul Cup final against Ballybay Community School.
The final was fixed for the Bawnacre Centre in Irvinestown at 12 noon, a venue which has been used by the Carrick college on numerous occasions over the past years.
The first part of the journey normally takes in a stop at Christy Dunleavy's just outside Donegal town. Ryan Jones would mostly sit alone with headphones on in preparation for any game, but on this day he was sitting beside Ciaran Love.
After arriving in Irvinestown, getting togged out and doing the warm-up under the guidance of Neilly Byrne, the team are given their last-minute talk by manager Noel Ward.
Three minutes into the game a great move involving Darren Cunningham and Evan Campbell ends with Ryan Jones firing Coláiste na Carraige into a 1-1 to 0-0 lead. The Ballybay boys come back to lead 1-5 to 1-2 before Jones steps up to point on 20 minutes and a minute later Adrian Breslin leaves it 1-5 to 1-4.
Ballybay add another point and just before half-time Jones and a Ballybay player go for a ball which ends with the Carrick player on the ground some time around 12.35 pm.
At first glance it was just another tumble but soon it was clear that Ryan was badly injured and needed help. The entire Jones family, his parents Anne Marie and Thomas were on the sideline, as was his twin brother Conor, who was part of the Coláiste na Carraige panel. Also there were his sisters Noelle and Sharon.
Ryan was given assistance by first aid people immediately before the paramedics arrived. An air ambulance was requested and just over an hour after Ryan hitting the ground, he was on his way to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
It was a helicopter ride that he remembers nothing about and his last memory of the day is pulling into Christy Dunleavy's that morning - nothing about the game or scoring 1-1; nothing about the injury which left him unconscious and with a dislocated shoulder.
He would not be aware of what had happened until around 3pm the following day, when he became fully conscious for the first time. His parents were in the waiting room and were just as happy as he was, as they related to him the train of events which saw him in intensive care in the Royal.
Just over two weeks later, Ryan is well on the road to recovery, and looking forward to getting back to school and resume his studies. His chosen career, although it is early days, is an ironic one - that of a nurse or paramedic.
This impressive young man, who will celebrate his 17th birthday in April, is thankful to all who looked after him during a critical period, especially in the immediate aftermath of the injury.
With the Jones name I assumed that he was a Naomh Columba man, but it turns out his colours are the blue and gold of Kilcar, living in the Kilcar parish.
"My father would be from Malinbeg but we're living in Kilcar. It would be a touchy subject," laughs Ryan, who has been playing since he was six or seven.
Ryan takes up the story of Monday 20th. "We left about nine and stopped at Dunleavy's. That's the normal stop. We would have Noel (Ward) and Patrick (McShane, the bus driver and team mentor) on the bus. Neilly (Byrne) and Damian (Carr) go by car. They would always join us at Dunleavy's," said Ryan.
When put to him that the game started off very well with him scoring a goal, Ryan replies: "So I hear anyway. I don't remember anything. The only thing I remember from the day is going to Dunleavy's; the rest is what people are telling me.
"We laughed about it when they told me about the goal in ICU."
When the injury occurred he says mum and dad felt it wasn't too bad. "They thought I was going to get up.
"It was well into Tuesday evening that I remember anything, maybe three or four. The first thing I can remember was asking could I see my parents. I would think that was about three.
"When they told me that I had been removed to hospital in a helicopter, I just laughed at them. I thought they were joking with me until they took out their phones and showed me the photos and videos.
"I was taken aback a bit because I didn't think it was that serious. At least I can say I got a wee trip in a helicopter," quips Ryan.
The young Coláiste na Carraige student is fulsome in his praise of the way he was treated by the medical people.
"They were just unbelievable the way they treated me, from the very first responders who were out within 20 minutes and the helicopter was there within an hour. Like they intubated me there and then within that hour.
"The care I got was just unbelievable, to be honest. I think it was so important that my brain was given a rest because it makes you wonder if it didn't, what kind of outcome would there be. I was just so lucky that they were close and in the right place at the right moment and then for the two doctors to be in the helicopter too, I was so lucky.
"It's just scary how easy it could happen. It was a pure accident, and for something like that to come out of it. It is scary how easy it can happen," said Ryan, who said that he dislocated his shoulder in the fall and it was popped back in by the first responders.
"It was just the way I fell, I landed on my shoulder and I gave my head a good wallop too on the astro," says Ryan, who agrees it was also a scary moment for his parents, who were at the game.
"It would have been even more scarier for them if they weren't at the game and got a 'phone call saying that I was taken away in a helicopter to the Royal in Belfast, that would have been worse."
Some eight days later Ryan was back at the venue for the re-fixed game, the importance of which was dimmed a little by the experience of the previous week.
The Ulster Colleges people sent former Tyrone All-Star and All-Ireland winner Peter Canavan to the venue to meet and talk to Jones.
"He was there on behalf of the Ulster Schools GAA and he was talking to me about his experiences of head injuries. It was more to re-assure you that you can go back out and keep yourself fit. It was a nice touch by Ulster Schools, to know that someone else has been in your position."
THE TEACHER
Teacher Noel Ward has been manager of the Coláiste na Carraige team for many years and with that comes a huge responsibility when an injury to one of his players occurs. But he was really happy that Ryan's parents were at the game and also school principal, Mr Sweeney.
"There would be plenty of days when you wouldn't have anybody else about and you mightn't have great mobile phone coverage. It was fantastic to have all those people present when a decision has to be made," said Ward, who was full of praise for the medical support which was there on the day.
"It certainly wasn't a 'phone call that I would have liked to make to tell the Jones's that Ryan was in hospital in Belfast.
"In fairness to everyone, even the referee put out a call for anyone with medical experience and Michael Love was there, with experience from the Coastguard. He was a big help. There was no waiting at all. When you reflect back on it, you look how quickly the work was done; is testimony to what those people do every day of the week," said Ward, who said it might be an idea that schools bodies might align themselves to the like the St John of God or the Order of Malta, to have medical help to call on.
He feels that this might be especially so at the later stages of competitions and also there might be a question of playing games on 3G pitches because they are less forgiving when players take a fall.
"There are a lot of moving parts and ultimately I take out the team and you hope that you make the right decision when things happen. It also brings up the question of having enough teachers present when games take place," said Ward, who was full of praise for Ryan Jones.
"He is a very modest young man. Very diligent in school. He is in Transition Year, which is fortunate in a way because it won't impede on his curriculum," said Ward.
THE FAMILY
And what was the experience like for Ryan's family? His mother, Anne Marie, knew that something was not right when he didn't get up immediately.
"I knew when he didn't get up, that something was wrong, because normally he gets up very quickly. We saw when he hit the ground that he was holding his head and we knew it was a head injury."
Making the journey to Belfast by car was not an easy one. "It is not a journey that any parent would want to make. You just try to keep level headed and hope for the best.
"There was no delay whatsoever, which meant a lot with the possibility of a brain injury and that. Time was of the essence because nobody ever knows until the scans are done.
"A friend of mine booked a hotel for us. The Ulster Colleges stayed in touch between them and the local Coláiste na Carraige and they were very helpful," said Anne Marie, who said that Ryan woke on Tuesday morning but was groggy.
"When we came back in the evening he was a completely different person, able to talk to us. That was a huge relief.
"It is not something that you would think could happen, but listen, nobody ever knows," says Anne Marie.
As for the future and his desire to be involved as a paramedic, Anne Marie says there will be plenty of time to think about that.
"It was something he has spoken about for a good while, it was something he always wanted to do. From a very young age, he would sit and watch any of the medical programmes."
COLÁISTE NA CARRAIGE
And what of the school in south-west Donegal and its ability to punch above its weight at colleges GAA over the last few decades?
"It is always a mix of the young and the old. My dad was asking me the other day how many were available for next year and I think it's only four or five of the starting team that will be gone. It just shows that we don't have the numbers there. There are only 222 students in total in the school," says Ryan.
"It was a big achievement to even get to the final with the numbers we have."
Ryan is anxious to get back to school and to get his life back on track pretty quickly.
"I would like to get back to school, to get into a routine and get back to a bit of normality. People ask me about the future and when I said I wanted to be a paramedic, they laughed at me because of what has happened. But it would be something I would be interested in doing," says Ryan.
As for football, the timescale for full contact is to take a year out, but that will not stop him maintaining his fitness and he also hopes to get involved at underage coaching. And training is something that he feels is a vital part of playing.
"Putting in the hard work at training," as Neilly (Byrne) says, "if you do it in training, you're going to be able to do it in games. All those sprints with Neilly, you think at the time it is going to be dreadful, but it pays off in the end.
"The way I look at it is, if you do something that's going to benefit you, it mightn't be enjoyable at the time but in the long run it will benefit you in the game."
Ryan missed out on his TY work experience, which was to have been last week at the Naíonraí in Teelin, but that is just a small sacrifice. The positive ending to his story is that he is well on the road to recovery after a scary day in Irvinestown.
BAWNACRE CENTRE
The managing director of the Bawnacre Centre, which comes under the auspices of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, was delighted to see Ryan back for the refixture last week. George Beacom is a big Fermanagh GAA supporter and was taken aback when he heard the name of the injured player being Ryan Jones, a namesake of one of the current Fermanagh senior team.
"Ryan was back last week along with his family and relayed his thanks to the Bawnacre Centre staff for their attention to him during the accident.
"He was bombarded with a selection of gifts from across the country and the Bawnacre Staff presented him with a Fermanagh intercounty jersey and hat. He stayed and had dinner with us along with his family. We wish him all the best for the future," said George.
"He came stepping in and as Micheal O Muircheartaigh would say, 'it was a day from heaven'; it was a glorious sunny day and it was great to see Ryan come skipping in," said George.
