'The fear was so bad' - Sharlene Mawdsley opens up about that Legendary All-Ireland party race!
Sharlene Mawdsley went viral after Tipperary's All-Ireland win in July
Sharlene Mawdsley has long been a favourite in Irish sport, but this summer, the Tipperary All-Ireland celebrations added a whole new dimension to her fame, one involving sandals, former hurlers, and a very public sprint.
The Olympian, who is dating Tipp hurler Mikey Breen, found herself at the centre of the Liam MacCarthy celebrations after Tipperary’s win over Cork. The standout moment was a spontaneous race in the early hours of a post-match party against former Tipp player Buggy O’Meara, which quickly went viral.
Now, Mawdsley has opened up about that infamous clip, admitting that while she enjoyed the celebrations, the incident left her feeling a little sheepish the following day. Speaking to the Irish Independent, she recalled the panic that set in as the video circulated online.
"Someone must have said, ‘I bet I’d beat you in a race’. And my competitiveness said, ‘No, you won’t’. Next thing I knew, the sandals were off and I was ready to go.
"You’ve been drinking for four or five hours and then something like that happens and you’re like, ‘Oh, God’. I woke up the next day and saw my phone and thought, ‘What’s happened?’ And then I saw it. I didn’t leave the apartment for the day. The fear was so bad."
Despite the post-party panic, Mawdsley made sure her legs were in top condition for Nationals just two weeks later, joking: "I was a bit worried, but thankfully, everything paid off. I could have fun and still win a national title!"
So, while Tipperary fans were celebrating their All-Ireland triumph, they were also witnessing the birth of a new kind of legend, Sharlene Mawdsley, Olympian, national champion, and post-All-Ireland racing star.
One thing is clear. If Tipp lifts another Liam MacCarthy in 2026, you can bet Sharlene will not be quite so quick to accept spontaneous race challenges in the middle of the celebrations.