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WIN: An exclusive Rás Tailteann King of the Mountains jersey

WIN: An exclusive Rás Tailteann King of the Mountains jersey

Today at 08:25
It's not long until the 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann kicks off and to celebrate the Irish Independent's sponsorship of the 2025 King of the Mountains jersey, we have a special competition for our readers.
The race takes place from May 21 to May 25 and we have five exclusive jerseys to give away before then. To enter click here.

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Inside Joanna Cooper and Conor Murray's love story as couple celebrate annniversary
Inside Joanna Cooper and Conor Murray's love story as couple celebrate annniversary

Extra.ie​

time6 days ago

  • Extra.ie​

Inside Joanna Cooper and Conor Murray's love story as couple celebrate annniversary

It's been two wonderful years since Irish rugby star Conor Murray and Derry girl Joanna Cooper tied the knot. Joanna and Conor said 'I do' in Portugal, surrounded by their nearest and dearest, in June 2023 and have been living in the honeymoon stage ever since. Now, as they celebrate two years of marital bliss, let's take a walk down memory lane and look back on how things began for the loved-up couple. It's been two wonderful years since Irish rugby star Conor Murray and Derry girl Joanna Cooper tied the knot. Pic: Instagram/Joanna Cooper Joanna and Conor first met in 2018 on a night out in London. Although their chemistry was undeniable, Joanna has been open in past about how it was 'not love at first sight.' When asked by the Irish Independent if the pair were joined at the hip from day one, the former Miss Universe Ireland replied: 'I wouldn't say that.' However, it didn't take them long to make the first move, with the couple quickly embarking on a long-distance relationship, with Joanna modelling in London and Conor based back home for Munster training. Joanna and Conor said 'I do' in Portugal surrounded by their nearest and dearest in June 2023 and have been living in the honeymoon stage ever since. Pic: Instagram/ Joanna Cooper Despite the distance, their connection wasn't hindered in the slightest, with the pair moving in together quicker than expected. Speaking to host Ray D'Arcy on his RTÉ Radio 1, Conor explained: 'Joanna moved in fully at the start of lockdown which has been brilliant.' 'Thankfully we were planning it anyway, Joanna was due to move in at the end of the Six Nations back in March, it was happening anyway,' he added at the time. Now, as they celebrate two years of marital bliss, lets take a walk down memory lane and look back on how things began for the loved up couple. Pic: Instagram After marking their fourth anniversary, Conor decided to get down on one knee and make things official with the love of his life. The rugby star popped the question to Joanna in a romantic Dubai proposal in 2022. Wasting no time whatsoever, Joanna and Conor said 'I do' in Portugal, surrounded by their nearest and dearest in June 2023. Eager to grow their family further, Joanna and Conor announced that they were expecting their first child in May 2024, having welcomed a baby boy named Alfie on October 22. Pic: Instagram/Joanna Cooper Ahead of their monumental destination wedding, the couple also tied the knot in private in Ireland, with their dog Kevin being the guest of honour. Eager to grow their family further, Joanna and Conor announced that they were expecting their first child in May 2024, having welcomed a baby boy named Alfie on October 22. Joanna, Conor, and their little boy are now enjoying life post-international rugby as Conor announced his retirement earlier this year. Conor, Peter O'Mahony and Cian Healy all announced they'd be stepping back from the Ireland team in February after playing their final Six Nations games. We're excited to see what the future holds for this adorable pair.

Mayo garda completes gruelling 10 hour challenge to raise funds for Down Syndrome Mayo
Mayo garda completes gruelling 10 hour challenge to raise funds for Down Syndrome Mayo

Irish Independent

time03-06-2025

  • Irish Independent

Mayo garda completes gruelling 10 hour challenge to raise funds for Down Syndrome Mayo

And that wasn't all of the physical exertion which James Carty did at the week-end. For five kilometres he also yanked two pulleys on a SkiErg, undertook five kilometres of rowing, 400 metres of burpee broad jumps, half a kilometre of lunges, one kilometre carrying two 24kg kettlebells, half a kilometre lunging with a 20kg sandbag and a 6kg ball walloped off a ten-foot-high target 500 times and all in just over eleven hours. That is how far James went to fundraise over €17,000 for Down Syndrome Mayo over the weekend. James is chairperson of the organisation, which provides services and support to over 100 families of people with Down Syndrome throughout Mayo. The Knock native was inspired to undertake the challenge by his youngest daughter Iris, who was born with the condition in on May 11, 2021. 'It's just surreal, is the word,' James told the Irish Independent after completing the gruelling challenge. In the surrounds of Crossmolina's North West Fitness Academy, cheered on by dozens of friends, family members, locals and flanked by fellow fitness fanatics, the 46-year-old Garda sergeant tested his physical and mental fortitude with five back-to-back Hyrox simulations. The concept of Hyrox originated in Hamburg, Germany, and involves a series of physical challenges broken up by solo runs. For James, this meant five eight-kilometre laps of Crossmolina followed by an array of pushing, pulling, carrying and jumping. He began at 7.40am on Saturday morning. By 6pm that evening, he had burned over 8,000 calories. 'It was an unbelievable day, an unbelievable experience. The support from everybody is just amazing,' said Mr Carty, still suffering from mild Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and slight brain fog. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Though the task of completing this gargantuan test of endurance rested on his shoulders alone, Mr Carty was joined in body and spirit by hundreds of people throughout the day. This included over 100 fellow Hyrox athletes, members of Down Syndrome Mayo and their families, members of North West Fitness Academy, and gangs from M Fitness in Belmullet, Evolve Fitness in Donegal, Crossmolina GAA and Killala GAA. Working under his coach, Jack Curtis, James spent months preparing for the challenge. However, expectation and reality were still quite different. 'I got to the third one and I thought that was enough, but I just kept going,' James laughed. 'It was tough, it was. I look back on it and I did a lot of hard training, so I did. It prepared me very well, it really did.' The statistics back it up. In October 2023, Mr Carty completed his first ever Hyrox in one hour and 44 minutes. On Sunday, he completed his fifth and final Hyrox in 12 hours in one and 48 minutes. 'It was kind of crazy to think that the training had brought me to that level,' said James. The nauseating physical challenge alone made it an unforgettable weekend. But one moment will always stand out for James. 'I had said it to [my wife] Ciara a couple of days beforehand, I said 'When I get to the last run, have the push chair, the buggy read, Iris is going in it, and I am going to push her. She is going to do the last bit with me'.' At the very last kilometre, there she was. Iris hopped straight into the buggy to join her father on the home stretch, waving her hands to an adoring, cheering, applauding crowd of supporters. 'That's a memory for life,' said James. 'My other children, Ivy and Emlyn, they came out running with me, a few of their friends, came out.' So too did Noel Ryan, a member of Killala GAA Club, who compared it to a scene from a Rocky movie. 'Just seeing my own family being so happy in the moment and just having that picture in my mind from the start that I get to push Iris up the end, that was a real driving force behind it,' said James. When the last 6kg ball hit the ten-foot target after six o'clock, the exhausted garda embraced his family before sinking his shattered, weary glutes onto the nearest object. 'I still had an energy to keep going, but not to do another Hyrox,' he said. The money raised for Down Syndrome Mayo will help subsidise various therapies and counselling sessions for families who often struggle to access them. 'Having that money there to help subsidise that is immense. We do get a lot of people fundraising and that, but a lot of work goes into getting grants to make sure there is stuff there for our members,' explained James. Days like the one he had last Saturday are not all about fundraising either. 'We get to talk about Down Syndrome and make it a normal thing,' James said. 'People start talking about it and normalising it. It becomes a part of everybody's daily life that they don't see any differences…we have come an awful long way in such a short period of time in this country with it. But there is still a lot of work to go on. 'By being able to spread that awareness just gives us a stronger platform for going forward.'

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