Kellie Harrington named in Ireland team for European Elite Championships

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 six 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 are 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-nation 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 said: “With Olympians, World and European medallists and established Elite champions alongside boxers ready to make their mark on the European stage”.

He added: “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.” 

The events will take place from 17 to 25 September.

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, 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, Dublin) 

80kg: Lisa O’Rourke (Castlerea BC, Roscommon) 

80+kg: Cliona D’Arcy (Tobair Pheadair BC, Galway) 

90kg: Jack Marley (Monkstown BC, Dublin)