Boxing

Meet Team Ireland - Boxers

Talented team of youth and experience hoping to maintain Ireland’s proud Olympic tradition in Paris

Kellie Harrington’s gold at the Tokyo Olympics was one of the defining moments of the year for Irish sport. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Kellie Harrington’s gold at the Tokyo Olympics was one of the defining moments of the year for Irish sport. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Johnny Watterson
Sat Jul 20 2024 - 18:22
Women
Daina Moorehouse
Daina Moorehouse: the Wicklow light flyweight secured her place for Paris in the final qualification tournament in Thailand. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Daina Moorehouse: the Wicklow light flyweight secured her place for Paris in the final qualification tournament in Thailand. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Age: 22

Event: 50kg

Club: Enniskerry BC

Previous games: None

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The Wicklow light flyweight is an all-action competitor who boxes southpaw out of the Enniskerry Boxing Club, not far from Bray where she lives and where London 2012 champion Katie Taylor grew up. She secured her place for Paris in the final qualification tournament in Thailand, overcoming a points deduction to defeat Zlatislava Genadieva Chukanova from Bulgaria by split decision. A proven medallist at youth level, she moves to 50kg from 48kg to accommodate the Olympic categories for women. Her first senior international tournament was just last year and she hopes to kick on from there.

Jennifer Lehane
Jennifer Lehane: the primary teacher becomes the Irish female boxer to compete in the bantamweight division since boxing was introduced to the Olympic roster in 2012. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Jennifer Lehane: the primary teacher becomes the Irish female boxer to compete in the bantamweight division since boxing was introduced to the Olympic roster in 2012. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Age: 25

Event: 54kg

Club: DCU BC

Previous games: None

A primary schoolteacher, who temporarily gave up the classroom for the ring to pursue her Olympic dream, earned her Paris ticket in June of this year at the Bangkok qualification tournament. The southpaw grabbed the opportunity with victory over Hanna Lakotar of Hungary and travels to her first Games. A former martial artist, the Ashbourne native nipped past Niamh Fahy in the pecking order and has steadily improved over the last 12 months. Her qualification makes her the first Irish woman boxer to compete in the bantamweight division since boxing was introduced to the Olympic roster in 2012.

Michaela Walsh
Michaela Walsh: the Belfast boxer, a gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, becomes a double Olympian along with Kellie Harrington and Aoife O’Rourke following her appearance in Tokyo. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Michaela Walsh: the Belfast boxer, a gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, becomes a double Olympian along with Kellie Harrington and Aoife O’Rourke following her appearance in Tokyo. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Age: 31

Event: 57kg

Club: Holy Family GG, Belfast

Previous games: Tokyo 2020

Secured qualification at the European Games last year, Walsh becomes a double Olympian along with Kellie Harrington and Aoife O’Rourke. The Belfast boxer and her brother Aidan became the first Irish brother and sister to qualify in boxing for an Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago. Has won silver at the Commonwealth Games twice in 2014 and 2018 and in Birmingham in 2022 won the gold medal. She is also a double bronze featherweight medalist at the European Championships and goes into the Paris games as one of the more experienced athletes on the Irish team.

Kellie Harrington
Kellie Harrington: bidding to become the first Irish athlete since hammer thrower Pat O’Callaghan in 1928 and 1932 to retain an Olympic gold medal. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Kellie Harrington: bidding to become the first Irish athlete since hammer thrower Pat O’Callaghan in 1928 and 1932 to retain an Olympic gold medal. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Age: 34

Event: 60kg

Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght

Previous games: Tokyo 2020 (Gold)

Is seeking to become the first Irish athlete since hammer thrower Pat O’Callaghan in 1928 and 1932 to retain an Olympic gold medal. Harrington won her Olympic title in Tokyo where she beat Beatriz Ferriera 5-0 in the final of the lightweight division. From Dublin’s inner city, she has also won world championship lightweight gold and light welterweight silver medals. Although one of the biggest names in Irish sport, she has stated that she intends to return to her part-time cleaning job at St Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin, regardless of her result in Paris this summer.

Gráinne Walsh
Gráinne Walsh: the Tullamore welterweight has proved her resilience and is also a talented soccer player and was capped for Ireland at U-17 level. Photograph: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Gráinne Walsh: the Tullamore welterweight has proved her resilience and is also a talented soccer player and was capped for Ireland at U-17 level. Photograph: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Age: 28

Event: 66kg

Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght (we have several St. Mary’s!)

Previous games: None

Agonisingly lost out to a controversial 3-2 split decision in the Italian qualifier but showed real character to come back strongly in Bangkok and book her place in Paris. The Tullamore welterweight, who studied languages in NUI Galway, is also a talented footballer. The European Games bronze medallist also played football with Shamrock Rovers for three years and was capped for Ireland at Under 17 level. A real believer in having a strong mindset, she has had multiple surgeries on her right hand over the years and has come back each time.

Aoife O’Rourke
Aoife O’Rourke (red) in action against Anastasiia Shamonova of Russia. Another qualifier from the 2023 European Games, she's a three-time European middleweight champion. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho
Aoife O’Rourke (red) in action against Anastasiia Shamonova of Russia. Another qualifier from the 2023 European Games, she's a three-time European middleweight champion. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho

Age: 27

Event: 75kg

Club: Castlerea BC

Previous games: None

Another qualifier from the 2023 European Games, she comes from a talented boxing and GAA family. Sister Lisa became light middleweight world Champion in 2022 and her grandfather Dan was a GAA president. Aoife has proven pedigree at the highest level and is a three-time European middleweight champion at Madrid 2019, Budva 2022 and Belgrade 2024. Another boxer who brings a golden track record in elite boxing into Paris. Her three successive European Championship crowns are second only to Katie Taylor’s record six wins in a row between 2005-2014.

Men

Jude Gallagher
Jude Gallagher: the Newtownstewart native, nicknamed the 'Tyrone Tornado' is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Jude Gallagher: the Newtownstewart native, nicknamed the 'Tyrone Tornado' is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Age: 22

Event: 57kg

Club: Two Castles Olympic BC

Previous games: None

In March the Tyrone featherweight earned his ticket on the Road to Paris world Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio. Gallagher proved too good for Turkmenistan’s Sukur Owezow in his quarter-final, the 22-year-old securing his Olympic qualification with a unanimous 5-0 decision after controlling the fight for three rounds. Coached at club level by Eric Donovan, Gallagher is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Birmingham and is nick named the ‘Tyrone Tornado.’ From Newtownstewart, he fulfils an ambition since he began boxing to compete at the Olympic Games.

Dean Clancy
Dean Clancy: the European Games bronze medalist. Photographer: Tom Maher/Inpho
Dean Clancy: the European Games bronze medalist. Photographer: Tom Maher/Inpho

Age: 22

Event: 63.5kg

Club: Sean McDermott

Previous games: None

Born in Sligo, Clancy clinched his Olympic spot for Paris by beating Italian Gianluigi Malanga in the 63.5kg quarter-final of the 2023 European Games and went on to win a bronze medal. Influenced by his father Jason, the Irish lightweight has put his college studies on hold to train full-time for Paris 2024 and every Tuesday gets on a train at 6.30am to go to Dublin to join the national squad in their high performance base. A bronze medallist at the 2022 European Games, Clancy won his first senior national title in 2019. He also happens to be a talented portrait painter, following on from his grandfather who was an artist.

Aidan Walsh
AIdan Walsh: the bronze medalist from Tokyo came through a tough qualifying contest to book his place at his second Games. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
AIdan Walsh: the bronze medalist from Tokyo came through a tough qualifying contest to book his place at his second Games. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Age: 27

Event: 71kg

Club: Holy Family Belfast

Previous games: Tokyo 2020 (bronze)

The brother of Micheala had the longest path to qualification for several reasons. His weight was the largest by number of entries (70), and the fact that just five quota places were available meant all losing quarter-finalists at the Bangkok Qualification tournament had to box two additional bouts. It was even more incredible as Walsh had all but retired six months previously and had been looking for a job outside boxing. A freak injury prevented him from boxing for a silver medal in Tokyo but the 2022 Commonwealth gold medallist will travel to Paris as one of Ireland’s most canny Olympians.

Jack Marley
Jack Marley: the talented young Sallynoggin native became the first Irish heavyweight boxer since Cathal O’Grady in 1996 to qualify for an Olympic Games. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Jack Marley: the talented young Sallynoggin native became the first Irish heavyweight boxer since Cathal O’Grady in 1996 to qualify for an Olympic Games. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Age: 21

Event: 92kg

Club: Monkstown BC, Dublin

Previous games: None

The Sallynoggin heavyweight completed his qualification process courtesy of a silver medal performance at last summer’s European Games in Poland leaving him with a full year to prepare. As a kid he was more of a footballer and played with the famous St Joesph’s Boys club in South Dublin. The first from his club to box at an Olympic Games, he travels as a young heavyweight and has plenty more years to fill the frame. A one-time real estate wannabe, he swapped square feet for poundage and became the first Irish heavyweight boxer since Cathal O’Grady in 1996 to qualify for an Olympic Games.

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times