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Colin Farrell has helped raise nearly £600,000 for a charity supporting people with a rare genetic condition, completing the Dublin Marathon by pushing his friend over the finish line in her wheelchair.

The Hollywood star said Emma Fogarty – who is Ireland’s longest survivor with the genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB) – is “what courage is all about”.

Colin Farrell with his close friend Emma Fogarty. Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Born with no skin on her left foot and right arm, Miss Fogarty experiences excruciating blisters from the slightest touch – a condition also known as butterfly skin.

Farrell, 48, finished the 42km (26-mile) run in four hours, six minutes and 45 seconds.

Each of the final four kilometres of the race represented a decade of Miss Fogarty’s life. Now aged 40, doctors originally told her parents she’d be unlikely to live longer than a week.

Their Run To 40 campaign to raise funds for Debra, the national charity supporting people living with EB, initially had a 400,000 target (£333,000) but they now aim to achieve 1m (£833,000) after viewers of the Late Late Show donated 470,000 (£391,000) last week.

The tally now exceeds 694,000 (£578,000).

‘Nothing compared to the pain she faces every day’

Oscar-nominated Farrell, who’s currently starring in Sky Atlantic’s The Penguin, said after the pair crossed the finish line at Upper Mount Street just before 1pm on Sunday: “I have known Emma for many years and she epitomises bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about.

“That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.

“It was an honour to see her waiting for me with 4km to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it.”

Miss Fogarty, who lives with the most severe form of EB, said she was determined to celebrate her 40th birthday in June in dramatic fashion because others with her form of EB rarely live beyond 35.

She said: “This was a dream come true for me and I want to thank Colin, who has been the most supportive, generous and loyal friend I could wish for.

“He has always shown his compassion and empathy for people living with EB and is a true champion in my eyes.

“Running a marathon is never easy but once he committed to it there was no going back, he is a man of his word.”

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

‘Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle’

EB is caused by a lack of proteins between the skin layers, meaning even the mildest touch can cause devastatingly painful blisters, which must be bandaged, causing more extreme pain.

Some 80% of Miss Fogarty’s body is covered in layers of bandages to prevent wound infection.

“The doctors said it would be better for me not to make it because my life would be so hard,” Miss Fogarty said.

“No one expected me to survive for this long – because people with my type of EB almost never do – but I’ve always been encouraged to be a fighter.

“Reaching 40 shouldn’t be a miracle, but right now, it is.”

Miss Fogarty has also had two battles with cancer.

Funds raised during the Run To 40 campaign will be used to fuel pioneering research into EB in Ireland.

Around 22,500 runners took part in the Dublin Marathon, with the race won by Kenyan Moses Kemei with a personal best time of two hours, eight minutes and 47 seconds.

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Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’

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Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it's 'an underdog just like me'

Snoop Dogg has become a co-owner and investor of Swansea, with the US rapper hailing the Welsh football club as “an underdog that bites back, just like me”.

The former Premier League club, which plays in the English second tier, confirmed the US rapper and producer plans to use his own money to invest in it, Sky Sports reports, although it didn’t disclose financial details.

“My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City,” the music icon said in the announcement.

“The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me,” he added. “This is a proud, working class city and club.

“An underdog that bites back, just like me.

“I’m proud to be part of Swansea City. I am going to do all I can to help the club.”

Swansea’s American owners, led by Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen, are trying to grow the Championship club’s global brand and increase commercial revenue.

Snoop Dogg, 53, who has 89m followers on Instagram and more than 20m on X, helped launch the team’s 2025-26 home shirt last weekend.

More on Snoop Dogg

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The club ownership group said: “To borrow a phrase from Snoop’s back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club’s reach and profile.”

Luka Modric, who recently signed with AC Milan from Real Madrid, joined Swansea’s ownership group in April.

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Police taking no further action after investigating Kneecap’s Glastonbury show

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Police taking no further action after investigating Kneecap's Glastonbury show

Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.

Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.

However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.

The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.

Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.

The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).

Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London
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Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA

Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.

They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.

Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.

The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”

“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.

The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.

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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.

He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.

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Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin

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Tomorrowland: 'Devastating' blaze destroys main stage at major festival - two days before it was due to begin

A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.

Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.

Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.

fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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The fire gutted the main stage


 fire which destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control

The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.

It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.

Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.

A fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky


The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.

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The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.

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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.

Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.

“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”

Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen who said fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’

Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.

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