Seventeen-year-old speed skater Tara Donoghue was left feeling somewhat bittersweet after becoming the first Irish ice skater to claim a quota spot at a Youth Olympic Games — only to realise she’s overage

Conor Stakelum, 24, is Ireland’s top male ice skater. The four-time Irish champion, from Stillorgan in Dublin, developed his skills originally on the Dundalk Ice Dome and in Belfast, but is now training full-time in Dundee, Scotland. Last weekend, in Germany, he became the first Irishman to qualify for figure skating’s senior European Championships.