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.

Caption: Éanna Ryan and his late uncle Iggy Daly.

Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.

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