'One of the proudest moments of my life' - O'Mahony delight at Ireland captaincy

New Ireland captain Peter O'Mahony says leading the side for the Six Nations championship is something he’s "always dreamed of".

The 34-year-old Munster back row has led the team for a number of one-off games in the past, and captained the Lions for their opening Test in 2017.

"Ever since I was a boy starting off in the game, I have always dreamed of captaining Ireland," said O’Mahony, who has 101 Ireland caps.

"I have been asked to lead Ireland on a number of occasions previously, and each of those 10 matches were special days.

"To be now asked to captain Ireland ahead of the Six Nations is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life and I would like to thank Andy [Farrell] for this show of faith in me.

"We have a strong core of leaders who will all play a key role in driving the highest standards for the team over the coming weeks.

"Competition is red hot across the squad and we’re all hugely motivated to work hard when we meet up next week ahead of the opening game in Marseille."

Farrell has named a 34-man squad for the tournament and three uncapped "training panellists" in Oli Jager, Tom Ahern and Sam Prendergast.

The team begins the defence of their title against France on 2 February.