Cork girls pull no punches on TV

Two Cork women are to feature in a new RTÉ series on women in combat sports. The series starts next Monday night.

Cailíní Comhraic follows Christina Desmond, a native of Cill na Martra and seasoned member of the Irish Olympic boxing team, on her journey to secure a place on the national team for the Olympic Games.

The series shows how Ms Desmond balances her boxing with a full-time career with An Garda Síochána in Waterford.

Ms Desmond twice secured the overall accolade at the prestigious Echo Women In Sport Awards, in 2013 and 2019.

She started her boxing journey at the age of 11, alongside her twin brother in her native Cill na Martra.

Ms Desmond’s amateur boxing career has garnered her a long list of accolades, including 19 national Irish titles, six of which were at senior elite level. She has also represented Ireland at World and European elite levels.

Also featured on the programme will be rising star Rosa Walsh, also from Cork, who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor.

For the show, Ms Walsh heads to the Brazilian jiu jitsu European trials in Croatia as she fights for a chance to win her first world title.

Meanwhile, Mary O’Neill, a third-dan sensei from Donegal, is embarking on an exciting new chapter. She has opened her own martial arts club, the first female-run club in Donegal.

The series explores the challenges and triumphs of her first year in business.

Finally, the series will feature Julie and Sienna, a mother-daughter duo from Connemara in Galway. Julie is the only female coach at Club Dornálaíochta Chonamara, and trains Sienna, her daughter, who is chasing her dream of winning her first All-Ireland boxing title.

The series explores the highs and lows of women of all ages and abilities as they push themselves to their limits in their sports.

Cailíní Comhraic, the new three-part Irish-language series that follows four Irish women breaking boundaries in combat sports, begins on RTÉ One and on the RTÉ Player at 8pm on Monday, March 24.