Mayo garda to undertake mammoth physical challenge in aid of Down Syndrome Mayo

Irish Independent

04-05-2025

In 2021, James and his wife Ciara welcomed their third daughter Iris, into the world. She was born with Down Syndrome.
Today, James is the Chairman of Down Syndrome Ireland's Mayo branch, which supports and advocates for over 140 members.
On June 1, the Knock native will do five 'Hyroxs' back-to-back to fundraise for the charity. Here's what that means: a one-kilometre run, 1,000 metres on a ski erg (yanking down two pulleys, essentially), a 50-metre-long 202kg sled push, a 50-metre-long 152kg sled pull, 80 metres of burpee broad jumps, 1,000 metres on a rowing machine, a 200-metre-long farmers carry with 24kg kettlebells, 100 metres of lunges with a 20kg sandbag, and - finally – 100 6kg wall balls walloped at a 10-foot-high target.
And again. And again. And again. And again. All in the one day!
That is extreme exertion, even for a 6-foot tall, 94 kg 46-year-old who, in 2012, ran five marathons back-to-back for the Tania McCabe Foundation – a charity founded in memory of a garda sergeant who died in childbirth.
Even to fundraise for a cause as worthy as Down Syndrome Mayo, this seems a bit extreme at first.
But then you speak to James for half-an-hour. You hear about what his youngest daughter means to him, the joy she has brought to so many lives, and the work Down Syndrome Mayo does to support people like Iris and her family. Only then do you realise how important this is to James.
He takes us back to when Iris first came into his life.
'It was the beginning of April three years ago. We went for a routines scan, and we learned that things weren't as routine as we thought it was.'
The scan detected an issue with Iris' heart, which had not fully formed. They were referred on two Dublin for a harmony test.
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'About three weeks before Iris was born, we found out we were going to have a baby with Down Syndrome,' continues James.
'We didn't know whether it was going to be a boy or a girl. We didn't want to know. We were just told there is a strong possibility that this child has Down Syndrome.
'We didn't know whether she was going to be born alive, if she is going to survive, what medical treatment she needs. They are telling us she is going to need surgery today, she is going to need this, she is going to need that.'
It was news that no parent expects to hear towards the end of a pregnancy.
'We're just expected to have a baby the same as the other two [children], and then you get hit with this,' says James.
'It's a new challenge; it's something new that's thrown at you but it's the amount of information that's thrown at you at the time that frightens you. There is nearly nothing positive said to you at the time by the medical profession. They are nearly telling you 'the child is going to be slow to do this, it's going to be behind to do that'. 'You are going to be lucky if they accomplish this or if they accomplish that.' So you get this overload of information and you are still trying to process being told that there is a high probability your child is going to be born with Down Syndrome. You are left in a very confused state and not knowing what to do because it's not what you expected. It's not the journey you had set out on.
'You don't know, with this child arriving, how that's going to affect the other dynamics of the family, having two older children. Are they going to be affected by it, how is it going to affect your own relationship. With your other family members, how are they going to accept it, people in the community and all that. It's just a very weird situation to be put in. It has an effect alright.'
Amid a 'medical overload of information' Mayo Down Syndrome reached out to the family before Iris was born to tell them what they needed to give Iris the start she needed.
But even at this stage, it was doubtful if Iris was even going to survive childbirth. Indeed, medics were downright sceptical.
Then on May 11, 2021, Iris confounded expectations and arrived into the arms of a mother and father who were 'delighted' from the moment she was born.
'She is a proper fighter. We had been told that she wasn't going to survive. There was a high probability with the heart condition that she had that she wasn't going to live,' James explains.
'She was born on the Tuesday and on Friday they sent us home from the hospital. We were in Crumlin. They couldn't understand how this child had beat the odds but also didn't require surgery at the time.'
Iris is nearly four years old now. In that time, she has already done so many things she was never expected to do.
'There's no difference between her and any other child,' explains her father, a garda sergeant stationed in Bangor-Erris. 'She is going to playschool, she is playing football, she is climbing trees, she's a proper daredevil.'
At home, she's the playful little 'dictator-boss' to her sister Ivy and brother Emelyn. In her hometown of Crossmolina, she cannot darken a door without hearing a welcoming 'Hi Iris'.
'There's a lot to be thankful for, living in a town like Crossmolina, when we've had Iris. She is known the length and breadth of the town. More people know her name than know ours,' James remarks.
'In the playschool there she's like a little queen. For us, it's been a brilliant location for Iris to grow up.'
Only naturally, it is there in Crossmolina, in the North West Fitness Academy headquarters, that James will undertake his half-daft half-philanthropic all-day-long Hydrox challenge.
The former Aghamore footballer will be accompanied by friends from near and far. Other gyms in Mayo are running similar concurrent events to support the fundraiser.
Every cent raised is badly needed and goes directly towards services for those who need it. This ranges from family counselling, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, social outings and grants for families whose child is starting school for the first time.
James took over as Chairman of Down Syndrome Mayo in 2023, at a time when its future was 'in serious jeopardy' unless key positions on its committee were filled.
No one can speak better for the charity and how it helps people with Down Syndrome and their families.
'You are just trying to keep everyone as close as possible to live the best life that they can live and trying to encourage them as well to get out, join in with their schools or into the work force… to give them the proper platform to succeed in life.'
Clearly no shortage of motivation. So how prepared does he feel physically and mentally for what he's about to undertake?
'At 46 sometimes you need a can of WD40 to wake up in the morning and get the joints moving,' smiles James, sporting his blue garda sergeant t-shirt over a WhatsApp call with the Irish Independent.
'There is always a niggle or two but that's just the age I'm at. There's nothing you can do about that, but training-wise I'm training well, eating as best I can. But having a busy family life on top of everything else, rest just isn't there the way you would if you had the time, you'd like to sit down and do that bit more or to get to bed that bit earlier. That's part of working shift work and a busy home life.'
James and Ciara Carty have put a difficult road behind them and a difficult one before them, but James insists they 'wouldn't change the journey with Iris or our other children (Ivy and Emlyn) for anything'.
'Myself and the wife are constantly on the road with one of the kids. It's a good challenge. Overall I feel great about it. Mentally, I love the thought of doing it. I mightn't love it so much on the evening of June 1, but at this moment in time, love it.'