Irish Medal Prospects
Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy - Lightweight Double Skulls
Kellie Harrington - Lightweight Boxing
Daniel Wiffen - 800m and 1500m Freestyle Swimming
Rhys McClenaghan - Pommel Horse
Rhasidat Adeleke - 400m
Aoife O'Rourke - Middleweight Boxing
Aifric Keogh & Fiona Murtagh - Rowing
Daire Lynch & Phillip Doyle - Rowing - Double Skulls
Rory McIlroy - Golf
Nathan Timoney & Ross Corrigan - Rowing
Ireland Eventing Team
Shannon Sweeney - Boxing
Daina Moorehouse - Boxing
Some interesting facts are that this is Team Ireland's largest Olympic team ever... it's also our 100th year of competing as a nation.
Full Press release below:
Ireland celebrates 100 years of competing as a nation in the Olympic Games this year. In 1924, a 48-person team represented Ireland as a nation in the Games, which also took place in Paris. This guidelines booklet also includes some significant key historic Irish Olympic moments as well as a guide on how to follow the sports.
The 2024 edition of Team Ireland is a 133-person team, across 14 sports. The Olympic Games in Paris 2024 boast a 50/50 gender balance, and the Irish team almost replicates this with 64 female athletes and 69 male athletes – a 48/52 balance.
In terms of geographical breakdown, the counties with the largest representation are Dublin (34 athletes), Cork (16 athletes), and Co. Down (14 athletes). Only two counties are missing from the ‘home county’ list – Westmeath and Leitrim, although both countries have tight connections with Team Ireland athletes.
History will be made, this year, by marathon runner Fionnuala McCormack when she becomes Ireland’s first female athlete to compete in five Olympic Games. Equestrian athletes Cian O’Connor and Austin O’Connor will become four-time Olympians.
There will be seven three-time Olympians including Olympic Champion Paul O’Donovan. Thomas Barr, Ciara Mageean Mark English (all athletics), Leona Maguire, Stephanie Meadow (both golfers) and Shane Ryan (swimming) complete the list.
The youngest team member is Grace Davison (swimming), at 16 years old, while the oldest is soon-to-be four-time Olympian Austin O’Connor (eventing).
There are plenty of family connections within the team – Sophie O’Sullivan (athletics), is the daughter of Olympic medallist Sonia O’Sullivan. Rachael Darragh (badminton) is the niece of three-time Olympian Chloe Magee, and Leona Maguire is the cousin of Ross Corrigan (rowing). Siblings Aidan and Michaela Walsh (boxing) are both competing once more, and track athletes Jodie and Luke McCann.
A significant number of ‘twins’ are on the team, with canoe slalom athletes Madison and Michaela Corcoran both competing – the daughters of 1992/1996 Olympian Mike Corcoran. Athlete Brian Fay is Ireland’s first quadruplet, and seven athletes on the team have a twin; Noel Hendrick (whose twin narrowly missed qualification), Fintan McCarthy (whose twin Jake is also on the Irish rowing team), Daniel Wiffen (whose twin Nathan narrowly missed qualification), Leona Maguire (whose twin was her caddy previously), and David Harte (whose twin Conor competed in Rio 2016). Fiona Murtagh (rowing) and Clare Boles (rugby) also have a twin.
