Band of brothers seek opponents

In perhaps a world first, eight brothers from Cadamstown in Offaly are warming up to face eight other siblings in a tug of war competition in Tullamore. Publican Emmet Lynch of Hugh Lynch's pub in Tullamore put out a call last week looking for another family to take Cadamstown's Ryan brothers on, in a follow-up to an event last year where the brothers pulled against the rest of Cadamstown outside the popular pub. On Thursday Emmet confirmed he has three leads to follow up, but it's looking likely that a family tug of war team will be found to face down the Offaly Ryan clan on July 15 next. Last Tuesday week Emmet told listeners of the John Murray Show on RTÉ that he was searching the globe to find another tug of war team comprised of siblings to take on David, Noel, Sean, Paul, Tom, Deccie, Ollie and Gaye Ryan. On the same show Ollie Ryan told listeners he and his brothers "wouldn't be on the small side of big" and trained by pulling barrels of concrete. This week Emmet confirmed the national call out was successful, with three families - the McGrath family, the Devereaux family and the Rice family - all putting themselves forward as potential family teams pending their ability to get all family members back from all corners of the globe to Tullamore at the right time. The event is set to be part of a party weekend, which will culminate with the novelty tug of war on Sunday, July 15. While it's undecided as yet, Emmet added that it may even be possible to raise funds for a worthwhile cause on the back of the novel event.