The Walsh family from Barryroe made navigating Ireland’s Fittest Family’s challenges, including pulling a  7.5 tonne army truck down a runway, look easy  – but mum Amy said it was anything but.

Amy (50) and her three GAA-mad sons Michael (22), Aidan (21) and Alphie (19)  competed in the first episode of the new RTÉ series last Sunday night and successfully qualified for the next round.

‘But it wasn’t really about the result as such, well not for me,’ said Amy who works as a cancer rehabilitation physiotherapist with Cork ARC Cancer Support House in both Cork city and Bantry.

‘My take home from the whole experience is that as women we tend to give away our best energy and keep the scraps for ourselves, which is something to be mindful of,’ she said.

Taking part in Ireland’s Fittest Family was a bit of a personal wake up call for her, she admitted.

‘I would have been very fit say 15 years ago but I really let that baseline slide. It happens a lot of women who are busy working, bringing children to matches, drop offs and all that, that we forgo our own fitness because we simply don’t have the time.

‘But this was a reminder to me of much I love being active. It’s important that parents try not to sacrifice their fitness – a study showed that kids with two active parent were nearly six times  likely to be active, compared to parents of inactive children.’

Amy is a huge advocate of sustainable movement within the community. She’s the founder of Ladies who Launch, a kayaking group for women who have experienced or are living with cancer, now run independently by the participants with the support of Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre.

She’s also a qualified Pilates instructor, volunteers with West Cork Special Olympic Kayaking Club and has recently completed a Master’s degree in outdoor education.

Despite all of these credentials, her initial reaction when Michael told her they were taking part in a fitness test for the show was pure horror, but she said it was a privilege to compete with her sons.

‘It was like myself and the boys against the world. It was also really interesting to see adult traits in the children, their leadership, their drive, determination and willingness to complete a task.’

This wasn’t the first time the Walsh’s have had to show leadership skills. Their quick thinking and cool headedness led to the rescue of a female swimmer who was trapped in a sinkhole at their local beach, Dunworley, in 2021.

Amy and then 17-year-old Michael were walking on the beach when they noticed a towel on the ground near the sinkhole.

It occurred to them that there may be someone down there. When they shouted down, they got a reply of ‘help.’

Immediately, Amy rang the emergency services and Michael got a buoyancy aid, dropped it down the sinkhole and the swimmer caught the end of it. He and Amy helped her stay calm- as the full tide approached – until emergency services were called. They were later honoured for their bravery by Water Safety Ireland.