Wexford Regular Siobhán O'Dea and Son Luke Take on Ironman in Memory of Brother

Siobhán O'Dea, a regular visitor to Wexford who does much of her triathlon training on the county’s roads and beaches, is taking on a remarkable personal challenge with her son Luke — the Ironman Barcelona on October 5th — in memory of her late brother Michael Carmody, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) almost six years ago.

Their goal is to raise €10,000 for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) to support families affected by this cruel and incurable condition, which gradually robs a person of the ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe, while the mind remains fully alert. Michael, originally from Co. Clare, was RNLI Divisional Engineer for Ireland and held a special connection to Wexford, especially the RNLI stations in Wexford and Dunmore East, which were among his favourites. Now, Siobhán and Luke are honouring his memory by taking on their first full Ironman Triathlon, consisting of a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle, and a 42.2km marathon — all back-to-back. Siobhán, a Professional Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Infectious Diseases at St. Vincent’s Hospital, balances her medical career with being a mother of four adult children and a grandmother to a one-year-old. She’s completed 15 marathons over the past 12 years, but says Ironman training is on another level. “I used to do two gym classes a week and a weekend run,” she says. “Now it's training every day — sometimes twice a day — combining strength work, running, cycling, and swimming. Wexford’s coastline and roads have become a core part of that training routine.” Luke, who works as Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Glasgow Warriors Rugby Team, has years of experience coaching with Leinster Rugby, the Irish U18s, and several top clubs across Ireland. He only started doing triathlons two years ago and has been training alongside his mum ever since. Despite their demanding careers and limited triathlon experience, Siobhán and Luke are determined to complete the race — not only as a tribute to Michael’s strength and love for pushing boundaries but to raise vital awareness and support for others battling MND. You can support their efforts and follow their journey by donating at: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/SiobhanAndLuke Listen back here to the full interview with Siobhan [audio mp3="https://www.southeastradio.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Siobhan-RAW.mp3"][/audio]