Olympian Sharlene Mawdsley's father Thomas dies suddenly
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
Tributes have begun to pour in following the shock passing of Thomas Mawdsley, the father of Irish Olympic star Sharlene Mawdsley.
Thomas passed away tragically on Tuesday, just days after his daughter competed in a high-profile sprint event in Philadelphia.
And a number of tributes have been paid following the shock passing with Athletics Ireland releasing a statement, Irish Mirror reports.
In a statement issued to the Sunday World, the organisation said: "On behalf of all the Athletics Ireland family I express our sincere condolences to the Mawdsley family. Sharlene, we are here to support you during this difficult period and our thoughts and prayers are with you."
Thomas is predeceased by his father, Tom, and brother, Billy. His death notice says that he will be sadly missed by his partner Louise, mother Sally, sons, daughters, grandchildren, siblings, and extended family.
Thomas will rest at Meehan's Funeral Home in Newport this Friday from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. The funeral mass will take place at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Newport on Saturday at 11.30 am, followed by burial at Rockvale Cemetery in Newport.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
11 hours ago
- The Journal
Sarah Healy storms to stunning Diamond League win in Rome
IRELAND'S SARAH HEALY has won the Women's 1500m at this evening's Diamond League meet in Rome. The in-form Dubliner clocked 3:59.17 to secure a famous win at the Stadio Olimpico. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫! 🇮🇪♦️ — Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 6, 2025 Healy, 24, timed her run to perfection, finishing strongly to claim her first-ever Diamond League victory. Having opened her outdoor season with a 3000m PB in Rabat two weeks ago, the UCD AC star dug incredibly deep in a thrilling close to the race. Australian duo Sarah Billings (3:59.24) and Abbey Caldwell (3:59.32) both clocked personal bests as they settled for second and third respectively. 'I'm obviously really happy to come away with the win,' Healy told Diamond League channels afterwards. 'It was a really competitive field. I kind of thought it wouldn't be crazy quick tonight, and it wasn't. It was quite crowded, I think we're all capable of running around the same time so there were a lot of bodies. I was a little further back, I wanted to be the whole time. I just tried to stay patient. Advertisement 'In the last lap, I had to make a good few moves, which I'm happy with, especially on the home straight.' Athletics Ireland. Athletics Ireland. 'I know my shape is good,' she continued. 'I ran a big 3k PB three weeks ago, so I know I'm really fit. Hopefully a PB in the 1500m [currently 3:57.46] is coming for me soon, but today I wanted to just compete for the win. 'I know I'm good at hard, fast races, but races like this have probably been more where I struggled, so I'm really, really happy to win tonight. It's really cool.' Healy said she hopes to compete in the 1500m at World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, and she is really enjoying racing at the minute. 'I'm having a lot of fun, which is the main thing, and probably why I'm running so well,' Healy added, while confirming her attendance at the Paris Diamond League on Friday, 20 June. Elsewhere at the meet, Cathal Doyle knocked over a second off his 1500m personal best and secured his first automatic qualifier for a World Championship. The Dubliner ran 3:32.15 as he finished 14th, clocking the second fastest 1500m ever by an Irishman, behind only national record holder Andrew Coscoran (3:30.42). Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shauna Bannon: "With the good and the bad days, I still have my son"
Irish UFC fighter Shauna Bannon has cited her son Jayce as her biggest motivator as she pushes for success in the UFC strawweight division. "Mama B" is 7-1 in professional MMA, with the 31-year-old's only loss coming in her UFC debut against Bruna Brasil. She told the Irish Mirror: "I thought I was motivated before I had him, but now it's just on a different level. I could be having such a bad day, a bad training session, or I'm injured or whatever, and I still get to go home and he's there, making me laugh and joke. "I remember when I lost my debut, I felt like s***. And then I got to go home to him, and he just put a smile back on my face. "With the good and the bad days, I still have him, and that's huge to me." While providing for her son is now Bannon's biggest motivation, it was her father who sparked her love for kickboxing. "Only the other day, my main kickboxing gym, Tallaght Martial Arts, my Dad's gym, was moving to a new location and clearing up, and I was looking at the collages on the walls of photos from all over the years. "I actually got so emotional seeing those photos. I was crying because I was thinking that I don't know where I'd be today if my Dad had never got me into kickboxing. "Normally young girls go into dancing or singing or something completely different. So, I'm so grateful that my Dad put me on that journey, and it led me to the path that I'm on now. "I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't do kickboxing. I literally get to live every day doing what I love. And I couldn't imagine it being any different. "My Dad is still in my corner now when I fight in the UFC and it's really special to have him there." Bannon is unsure whether kickboxing or jiu jitsu is her main discipline, as she practised so much jiu jitsu during her early career that she is now used to both styles. She explained: "When I first started, I soon realised that I needed to learn how to do jujitsu, because I had no background in it. I'd never even watched it. So, it wasn't like I even had a slight idea about it. I had to learn everything from scratch. "I remember my first sparring session, I was like, kick, kick, kick, and I just got double-legged [a jiu jitsu takedown]. And then I was on the ground and I didn't know what to do there. "So, I spent a good chunk of the first, probably year and a half, just doing jujitsu. I actually stopped doing striking completely. "Sometimes I'd take a half day from work to make the lunchtime class. I was sometimes doing jujitsu three times a day, because I just felt like I really needed to catch up. But now, to be honest, if you had to make me choose, and I got paid the same for striking or jujitsu, I'd probably do jujitsu." She revealed that by the time she turned pro, the Dubliner had a multitude of suitors for promotions, before settling on Invicta Fighting Championships, which is an all-women's series. She said: "I had one from Ares, I had one from Cage Warriors, I had one from Oktagon, I had one from KSW. And then I had one from Invicta. And there was PSL [as well]. "I had to do the pros and cons, and I wrote out. It wasn't even about the money at that stage because I had to think long term, you know, I was offered more money with different promotions. "But I went with Invicta because I did see it as the stepping stone to get into the UFC. And luckily it worked out. "I was originally offered an opportunity for the Contender Series, and then they actually just contacted me again, said they watched more of my fights and they wanted to sign me straight away. "Then they had an opponent for me and then I fought on the UFC London, so it all happened very, very fast. "There wasn't a lot of time to kind of digest it, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity that the UFC has given me and Invicta because they were an amazing promotion to fight with as well. Bannon thanked OnlyFans for the ability to pursue a fighting career as funding can be limited without sponsorship, especially at lower levels. "The sponsorship that I have with OnlyFans has given me that financial security because fighters don't get paid a lot, especially at the start. "And since my last fight and the partnership with OnlyFans, I'm financially secure, which takes a huge weight off my shoulders because I'm a single mother. I still have bills to pay. "It's a good way of getting closer to my fans as well because sometimes on other platforms, I wouldn't be able to connect with them in that way. "So it kind of gives that other connection with the fans as well that you're not normally able to give." She is hoping for two more UFC fights before the end of the year. "I'm hoping to fight again this summer. I'm just waiting on confirmation. And then if I do fight in the summer, I'd love to fight again before the end of the year. "I like to keep the momentum going and be active, as active as I can." OnlyFans has a huge range of sport creators offering exclusive behind the scenes content and insights into their training, including boxers, tennis stars, and MMA fighters. Fans can check out Shauna Bannon's OnlyFans at:
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time and TV channel is Ireland v Senegal on today in their friendly?
Ireland are back in action this evening as they take on 2021 African Cup of Nations winners Senegal in an international friendly. The feeling around this Irish team has started to shift positively under Heimir Hallgrímsson and he'll be hoping to gain some further momentum ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign. Ireland have been handed a tricky group alongside Portugal, Hungary, and Armenia and Senegal will prove as a stiff test this evening. Ranked 19th in the world, they will be without former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane but will have the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Idrissa Gueye involved. Here is everything you need to know about the game. The game takes place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The game kicks off at 7.45 pm. RTE Two will have live coverage of the game and it can be streamed on the RTE Player. We will also have live updates here on the Irish Mirror. Ireland 9/4 Draw 2/1 Senegal 6/5
