Former Ireland AM star Siomha Ni Ruairc welcomes first child into world & reveals adorable snaps

FORMER Ireland AM star Siomha Ni Ruairc has revealed that she has given birth a baby girl.

The Galway native and her UFC fighter hubby, Cathal Pendred, who tied-the-knot in the five-star Lough Eske Castle in Donegal in June 2024, welcomed their first child into the world.

Siomha took to Instagram today to announce to her 33,700 followers that she had given birth.

The 33-year-old had kept tight lipped about the gender of her baby the whole way through her pregnancy and finally revealed she had a girl.

She shared heart-melting pictures of herself, Cathal and their little one at home sitting on the couch together.

Siomha and Cathal looked happier-than-ever as they doted on their baby girl with massive smiles on their faces in the snaps.

The TG4 host captioned her post: “Getting used to life with our gorgeous girl.

“Our lives and hearts have never been fuller.”

The couple’s friends and fans flooded the comment section with love and support.

RTE star Miriam O’Callaghan commented: “Comhghardeachas Síomhá to you both – a beautiful healthy baby girl – thrilled for you all. What a joy! Enjoy.”

Virgin Media host Zara King said: “The best news. Congratulations guys.”

Podcaster Kevin Twomey wrote: “STOP THE LIGHTS, congrats guys.”

Aoife added: “Oh God, I am so happy for you all.”

Siomha decided to stick to the Leap Year tradition and pop the question to Cathal on February 29, 2020, at Ashford Castle.

After their four-year engagement, the happy couple said their I dos at Lough Eske Castle in Donegal.

The pair then jetted over to South East Asia to celebrate their love in what Siomha has said was a “one in a life time” honeymoon.

The pair set off on an “extended Christmas break” to Thailand where they visited Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands.

Siomha co-hosted Ireland AM on the weekends alongside Martin King and Elaine Crowley for two years but called it quits in September 2025.

Before her exit, Siomha was working seven days a week with Ireland AM, the Irish language organisation Conradh na Gaeilge, and her podcast, How to Gael.

Once she knew she had to cut down on her workload somewhere, Siomha practically examined her schedule to see which would support her best during her maternity leave.

She explained: “Unfortunately, I had to look at everything I was doing and see what was the most practical thing to give up, and as a self-employed, independent contractor, my TV work isn’t covered by maternity leave, whereas my other work like with Conradh na Gaeilge is.

“I made the very difficult decision to step away from Ireland AM to prioritise the work that did give me maternity leave, and this is finding no fault with Ireland AM or Virgin Media whatsoever.

“Unfortunately, that’s just the sector of being an independent contractor and being self-employed.

“I don’t know if I will come to regret that for my own career in years to come? But for me right now, it was definitely the right decision.”