An inspirational Donegal woman has been honoured with the title of Mayo Person of the Year.

Rita Casey (née Doherty) is a native of Malin Head who is living and working as a garda in Charlestown.

Last year, Rita ran the Dublin City marathon in 4hrs 4mins whilst undergoing chemotherapy and raised an impressive €232,300 for Mayo/Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

Rita Casey and CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice, Martina Jennings

Rita Casey was diagnosed with stage 4 brain and lung cancer in May 2021, having previously overcome breast cancer in 2017.

“Rita may have been born a Donegal woman, but Mayo has been her home for over 20 years and she is a worthy recipient for the Mayo Person of the Year,” said the Mayo Association Dublin.

She was honoured with the Lord Mayor’s Medal award at the Dublin marathon in October.

A mother of three, Rita is well supported by her husband, former Mayo footballer John Casey, who played in the 1996 and 1997 All-Ireland finals.

Rita is also a guest speaker at the final event of the ‘Let’s Talk About Cancer’ series this April. The event, taking place in Carrick on Shannon on Sat 13th April, will be looking at the role of sport in combating a cancer diagnosis.