Robbie Henshaw officially opens Vision Ireland store in Mullingar

Irish rugby star Robbie Henshaw was in Mullingar today to officially open a new Vision Ireland store on Dominik Street.

He was tasked with cutting the ribbon at the opening of the charity shop, which sells used clothes and furniture in aid of the 54,000 people living with sight loss in Ireland.

Fresh off a starring performance for Leinster against La Rochelle in the Aviva Stadium last weekend, Henshaw said sustainability is something he feels strongly about.

“In today’s world sustainability is top of the list for a lot of people and for me,” he said.

“We, as sportspeople, do try and drive it in sports and use reusable items as much as we can.

“We’re trying to eliminate [single use] plastic out of the game of rugby too, there is a lot of push in Leinster for people to bring in their own reusable bottles to the dressing room.

“The way things are going with climate change, it’s very important for us to drive that message home.”

The five-time Six Nations winner is encouraging people to donate their used furniture to Vision Ireland’s store in Mullingar.

“We’re asking people to donate old items they’re not using in their house so they can be recycled and purchased from here,” said Henshaw.

“We’re also pushing our furniture donation scheme and encouraging people to donate and buy second-hand furniture instead of throwing them out.

“It’s a great initiative and it’s great to be behind it.”

Henshaw, an ambassador and board member for Vision Ireland, said he feels strongly about their cause.

“I remember my grandfather was visually impaired when I was younger and I remember the struggles he used to face around the house or when I was watching TV with him,” he said.

“It’s something that’s been close to me from when I was very young and this is a fantastic charity.

“It’s also great for me to develop myself in a different space outside of rugby.”

Originally from Athlone, Henshaw tied the knot with Mullingar woman Sophie Marren on March 21.

“It was a great day and the weather was perfect,” he said.

“The wedding was four days after the Six Nations so the celebrations were at an all-time high - it was great stuff.

“It was straight back to work after though, so fingers crossed that in the summer we will get some time for a honeymoon.”

Henshaw quipped that he’s a “half” Mullingar man now.

“I spent lots of my years growing up in Mullingar because I was going out with my partner here since school,” he said.

“I’ve played loads of sports here too - Gaelic with Garrycastle, and we used to play against St Loman’s and Mullingar Shamrocks.

“I had also played on the county minor team for two years so we would have trained a lot here in Mullingar during that time.”

Robbie Henshaw is expected to feature for Leinster in their upcoming Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton in Croke Park on May 4.