If this isn't the definition of blind luck, we don't know what is.
Shelagh O'Connell, mother to Irish rugby captain and potential superhuman experiment Paul O'Connell, entered a competition to win tickets to go see Ireland play against France on October 11th in Cardiff. The prize, which include flights and accommodation, was won by Shelagh herself.
However, when she was contacted to see if she could travel and make the match, she responded in the best way possible. "Is it OK if I'm Paul O'Connell's mam?"
As Shelagh explains it, getting match tickets aren't the issue. "It’s the flights and actually getting there. For the last game, when Ireland played Canada in Cardiff, we had to fly into London, followed by a four-hour drive to Cardiff. I wasn’t the best after sitting in the car for four hours. And I’m really looking forward to flying straight to Cardiff and having somewhere to stay, which in Cardiff is a huge problem.”
A four-hour journey to go see her son play? You can't beat Irish mammies, can you?
While Paul's won big for Ireland on many occasions, it's not the case for Shelagh. "I’ve never won anything of significance before so this is a great surprise. But hopefully we’ll have a few good wins in the World Cup too and we’ll have the (Webb Ellis) Cup at the end of October.”
Could you begrudge her, in fairness?
