Farrell's marathon effort raises £644,000 for skin disease charity

Colin Farrell has raised €774,000 (£644,000) for a charity supporting people with a rare skin condition by running the Dublin marathon while pushing a friend who has the disease around the course in her wheelchair.

- Lisa O'Carroll

The actor raised the money for Debra Ireland, which supports people with the incurable genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB), or "butterfly skin", which causes very fragile and blistering skin.

Farrell pushed Emma Fogarty, 40, around the last four kilometres of the course - a kilometre for each decade of her life lived with the condition.

Fogarty, who is one of the oldest survivors of the disease in Ireland, gently hugged him after they crossed the finish line to huge cheers.