Shannon worker is first Olympic torchbearer

It will be carried by the some of the biggest names in Irish sport and it will traverse some of our most iconic landscapes prior to the Olympic Games but a Shannon Airport hangar and an airport duty manager were never part of the plan.

Until yesterday.

Rory McIlroy, Michael Carruth, Paul McGrath and even Jedward were slated as official “torchbearers” but Natasha Naughton-O’Keeffe got there before anyone, and she could hardly believe her luck when she was told hold the torch, following an emergency stop in Shannon yesterday.