Luck of the Irish: Mum wins RWC competition to watch son play

Irish captain Paul O'Connell. Photo / Getty

Talk about the luck of the Irish captain's mum.

Shelagh O'Connell, mother of veteran Irish lock Paul O'Connell, will get to see her son play against France in Cardiff, but only after winning a newspaper competition.

The Irish Examiner executive who rang to inform the winner got a shock when she identified herself as O'Connell's mum.

"Yes. But is it OK if I am Paul O'Connell's mother?" she asked.

With the Irish players only getting match tickets on game day, booking flights and accommodation became tricky so Shelagh hadn't intended going to the Cardiff game.

She had been checking the paper for results of the competition, which involved answering eight World Cup-related questions.

"I didn't see anything about it, so I assumed it was over and I hadn't won," she said.

At least one reader wasn't so convinced about her luck.

"Yea... sounds real random alright," he posted under the story.