HOLLYWOOD star Colin Farrell will be back in his homeland this weekend as he takes on the Dublin City Marathon.
The Dubliner, who is now based in LA, will be pounding the streets of the capital in support of people living with the rare genetic skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).
His close friend Emma Fogarty is Ireland's longest-surviving EB patient.
"I love Emma, I love her to bits. I couldn’t be any more proud of her," Farrell said this week as he geared up for his mammoth run.
"But I don’t think I could be any more frustrated knowing that Emma and all those in our country who suffer with EB aren’t getting the care they could."
Colin Farrell, pictured left with Emma Fogarty, will run the Dublin Marathon in aid of the Debra Ireland charityThe actor is raising funds for Debra Ireland, a charity which supports people living with EB, which is also known as ‘butterfly skin’ due to the condition leaving the skin as fragile as a butterfly wing.
People living with EB are missing the essential proteins that bind the skin's layers together, so any minor friction, movement or trauma causes it to break, tear, and blister.
Fogarty, who is from Co. Laois, is about to turn 40 and has lived with EB for four decades.
She will join Farrell, who is currently starring in HBO hit series The Penguin, on the final stretch of the marathon, which takes place on Sunday, October 27.
Fogarty will run the last four kilometres - each representing a decade of her life with the condition.
The pair had initially set themselves a fundraising target of €400k but this has now been increased to €1m after their story garnered a huge response among the Irish community.
Currently they have raised more than €600k. Donations can be made here.
