Eilish Byrne has her sights set on the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 - and there is no stopping this amazing woman.

With the launch of her website today Eilish has now begun some serious work towards raising the funding to go to the Paralympics.

Para Equestrian Ireland ltd., is a relatively new sporting body in Ireland and as such are reliant on the money trail to have funds left by the time it reaches Equestrian sports.

The Irish Sports Council is responsible for funding International competition in all sports and they allocate funds to the Irish Paralympic Council who then allocate the funds to the various Para sporting bodies.

For Para Equestrian Ireland to receive greater funding they need to have proven performance and this is a big task for the five Para Equestrian competitors of which Eilish is one. The five riders are working very hard to gain a team qualification for Beijing and will be traveling to Vienna at the end of this month, as well as heading to England for the World Championships. As with all sports it is a catch 22 situation - the riders need funding to be able to travel to get qualification for major championships but there will not be a large enough budget until they have proven results!

In the typical Eilish Byrne way, this strikingly beautiful woman is not content to sit and wait for funding to be made available - she is organising fundraising all over the countryside, speaking on radio throughout Ireland - and not just for herself! Eilish is determined to go to Beijing as part of a team and if dtermination is worth anything this woman has millions to her credit!

Eilish, 42 years old has spina bifida, but she does not let this physical disability stop her from enjoying life to the fullest and is always the first one on hand to help a friend, or muck out a stable. In her early 20's Eilish decided she wanted to see the world and did what so many in their early 20's do - she loaded up a back pack and trekked around the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa!

In January this year Eilish moved her life to Arklow in County Wicklow from Dundalk, to be able to train daily with guru-status Dressage Coach, Niall Quirke and with her new horse, Youri she has already been out to several competitions under International Judges and has done extremely well.

Niall trains dressage purists, eventers and showjumpers and has a knack for getting the best out of them all for their chosen discipline and Eilish is no different - Niall makes no allowance for her disability and expects 100% performance from her, which is why these two get along so well!

Eilish knows no boundaries and seems to have no fears - she has sat to rears and spins, and says this is easy compared to bungee jumping!

Her new horse, Youri is wonderful under saddle but since he was purchased in January this year he has had to learn about life as a Paralympian horse - and that includes things like getting used to being led from the electric scooter to behaving when being saddled all of which he is learning well.

It is amazing just how quickly horses understand that things like the electric buggy are not to be feared! Youri, pictured left with Eilish, has no problems and is very relaxed around the buggy.

www.jumpingaround.com are proud to support Eilish in her bid for Beijing Paralympics and onwards from there with Kentucky on the goal list as well.

And as we go to press today we have had news from Eilish that she has been signed up for a

one year sponsorship deal with Horseware Ireland makers of the world famous Rambo Rugs. Horseware have been sponsors of the Irish Para Equestrian teams but with her individual sponsorship Eilish becomes part of a very elite group of riders supported by Tom McGuiness and his company.

To publicise the new sponsorship deal, Eilish will give a ridden display at the property of Tom McGuiness on Sunday 29th April, in Dundalk. The display will be done at the County Louth Show prior to the opening National Summer Grand Prix for the season.

For those who will be there, make sure you make the time to chat with this truly remarkable woman who is happy to answer questions about just about anything!

Anyone who feels they might be able to help Eilish in her bid for Beijing please contact her by email - click here - this help may be an idea about a fundraising event, the offer of money, publicity or even a contact to someone who may be able to help.

Eilish has many avenues available to her to publicise those who sponsor her and is not shy about making sure they are all mentioned at every opportunity so any funding donated will be more than gratefully accepted - it will be publicly acknowledged and will bring returns to your company or product.

If you have a company and you are thinking about sponsoring someone, come to Dundalk and meet Eilish - she is a very marketable personality with a message so important to get into the marketplace and once you have met her your decision will be easy.

Visit www.eilish-byrne.com and learn more about this remarkable woman.