EUROPEAN ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Team Ireland Announced
Boxing Ireland has announced the team to contest the 2026 European Elite Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria – and it includes double Olympic Champion, Kellie Harrington, boxing for Ireland at benchmark-event level for the first time since her historic Paris win.
The team also includes double Olympian, reigning World champion, and four time continental champion, Aoife O’Rourke and her sister, Lisa, the 2022 World champ and 2025 World silver medalist. They are joined by 6 Paris Olympians: Daina Moorehouse (51kg), Jenny Lehane (54kg), Jude Gallagher (60kg), Dean Clancy (65kg), Jack Marley (90kg) and 57kg Michaela Walsh, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist at the weight. CWG 70kg champion, Jon McConnell, will also be competing in Sofia. The team is completed by 2024 European champion, Shannon Sweeney, World Youth champion and European U23 bronze medalist Cliona D’Arcy, Evelyn Igharo (70kg) and Gavin Rafferty (75kg).
The European Elite Championships is a World Boxing ranking event in which 33 federations are eligible to participate.
The team has been in camp since July, and as the final part of their preparations, Boxing Ireland will host a multi-nations sparring camp at the High Performance Unit at the Institute of Sport, from September 2nd to 9th. Participating nations will include Hungary and Finland. The camp will form an important final phase of the preparation programme, giving Team Ireland the opportunity to work against high-quality international opposition before travelling to Bulgaria.
Interim High Performance Head Coach, Damian Kennedy says “ There is huge experience and championship pedigree within this squad, with Olympians, World and European medallists and established Elite champions alongside boxers ready to make their mark on the European stage. That blend of experience, ambition and potential gives us a very strong team. The European Championships will be one of the biggest tests our athletes face this year, with an exceptionally high standard expected in Sofia. Following a productive training block, our focus now turns to the multi-nations camp, where we will use quality international opposition to sharpen the technical and tactical elements of our boxing and make those final adjustments ahead of competition. We’re looking forward to getting the team to Sofia and seeing them put all that hard work into action.”
High Performance Director, Jon Mackey says “There has been extensive preparation behind this team, with a strong focus on performance, conditioning and technical development, led by Damian and the High Performance Coaching Team. A key part of that work has been individualising preparation to the needs of each boxer, supported by the Sport Ireland Institute’s Sport Science and Medicine practitioners across nutrition, strength and conditioning and physiology. We’re also looking forward to welcoming boxers from Poland, Hungary and Finland for targeted sparring, providing valuable exposure to different international styles. Together, these elements give the team a strong platform as they approach the European Elite Championships”
Team Ireland
48kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Mayo
51kg Daina Moorehouse, Enniskerry BC, Wicklow
54kg Jennifer Lehane, DCU BC, Dublin
57kg Michaela Walsh, Holy Family BC, Belfast
60kg Kellie Harrington, St. Mary’s BC, Tallaght, Dublin
60kg Jude Gallagher, Two Castles Olympic, Tyrone
65kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Leitrim
70kg Evelyn Igharo, Clann Naofa BC, Louth
70kg Jon McConnell, Holy Trinity BC, Belfast
75kg Aoife O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
75kg Gavin Rafferty, Dublin Docklands BC
80kg Lisa O’Rourke, Castlerea BC, Roscommon
80+kg Cliona D’Arcy, Tobair Pheadair BC, Galway
90kg Jack Marley, Monkstown BC, Dublin
