A former Galway hurler is set to take on a sporting challenge of a whole different intensity in honour of an uncle lost to rare cancer – and he has enlisted the help of another Galwegian who is also one of the world’s greatest endurance athletes to achieve his goal.

Éanna Ryan followed in the footsteps of his uncle and namesake to wear the Galway jersey and, like the All-Ireland winner, also distinguished himself in the club colours of Killimordaly.

But this April, the 41-year-old General Manager at M6 Motors will take on one of the world’s toughest endurance events the Marathon des Sables – a gruelling 250 kilometre ultra marathon across the Sahara Desert.

For Éanna, this challenge is about far more than testing his physical limits – it’s deeply personal, because he is running in honour of his late uncle, Iggy Daly, who passed away earlier this year from cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive bile duct cancer.

His campaign, titled “Run for Iggy”, aims to raise both awareness and funds for Cholangiocarcinoma Ireland, a cause that remains under-recognised in the broader cancer landscape.

“The way Iggy faced his illness right until the end would inspire anyone to live life to the fullest,” says Éanna.

“This run is for Iggy, his wife Bridie, their sons Darren and Evan, and their partners Sinéad and Klara. It’s also for my mother Anne, Iggy’s sister, who was especially close to him.”

“I’m proud of my Daly family roots. They’ve been through some rough times, and losing Iggy was particularly hard and still doesn’t feel real. I’m also doing this for my uncles, the Daly men, who’ve always shown what real strength looks like and every niece and nephew has a special bond with them” he adds.

To prepare, Éanna has been training under the guidance of former Connacht Rugby star, endurance athlete and international adventurer Damian Browne at the IronMind Institute.

Browne, the first man to row solo from New York to Galway, has become a mentor in building the mental resilience needed for such an extreme challenge.

“Training with Damian Browne was a no-brainer,” Éanna says. “His philosophy – ‘There’s no growth in comfort’ – mirrors everything this journey represents.”

Cholangiocarcinoma – or cancer of the bile duct – is a rare but aggressive cancer with limited awareness and few treatment options. Cholangiocarcinoma Ireland was founded to support patients and families affected, and to raise awareness and funding for research.

In addition to Iggy’s story, Éanna also spoke of James Hastings, founder of Cholangiocarcinoma Ireland, who is currently battling the illness himself, and Karen Dunne, who has been a huge support in getting the campaign off the ground; she lost her husband Kieran to the same disease just over a year ago.

The Marathon des Sables is widely regarded as the toughest footrace on earth – a brutal test of both physical and mental endurance.

Over six consecutive days, Éanna will cover the equivalent of six back-to-back marathons, carrying all his own food and gear through scorching desert conditions where daytime temperatures can exceed 45°C.

The Killimordaly man says the support from his local community, GAA network and car sales network has been incredible.

“It really keeps me going on the long training days, there’s a real sense of everyone being behind it.”

Éanna is documenting his entire journey on social media @eannaryan_ under the hashtags #RunForIggy and #BraveToTheEnd and has recently released a short film capturing his preparation, mindset, and the emotional purpose behind the mission.

My goal is to raise €50,000,” Éanna says.

“But more importantly, I want to raise awareness. Too many families like ours are being blindsided by this disease. If we can get to a point where early screening becomes possible, we might prevent others from going through what we did.”

■ All funds raised will go directly to Cholangiocarcinoma Ireland, supporting research, awareness, and families affected by the disease. You can contribute on https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/ER53287470

Pictured: Gym work…Éanna Ryan puts in the training for his ultra marathon across the Sahara Desert.