Come on Irish Olympians!!

When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.

Edna O'Brien

As an alien in London, (sorry Sting!), I've enjoyed cheering on the Brits, down the pub, in things like the Euros and Wimbledon with my English friends and neighbours however, my patriotic heart will always be Emerald Green! Which is why I'm really looking forward to the Olympics!

While celebrating its largest team ever, Ireland is also celebrating 100 years of competing as Team Ireland in the Olympic Games.

In 1924, a 48-person team represented Ireland as a nation in the Games, which also took place in Paris. This year, Team Ireland's 133 athletes are competing across 14 sports. What I Love about team Ireland is the emphasis on gender equality. They proudly walk out for the opening ceremony with a 48/52 gender balance, 64 female athletes and 69 male athletes.

In terms of geographical breakdown, the counties with the largest representation on Team Ireland 2024 are Co Dublin (34 athletes), Co Cork (16 athletes), and Co Down (14 athletes). Only two counties are missing from the “home county” list – Co Westmeath and Co Leitrim, although both countries have tight connections with Team Ireland athletes.

Here's a few of the Irish Female Olympians I'll be cheering on!

Aifric Keogh, Rower

Home Town – Na Forbacha, Co. Galway

Aifric started rowing in the Jes in Galway in 2006, and studied Food Microbiology at UCC. Aifric (with Emily Hegarty) made a final at World Championships in 2018. Despite a blood clot on her lung in 2019 she won European medals in 2020 & 2021. The Galway athlete went on to make history as one of Ireland’s first female Olympic rowing medallists claiming bronze in Tokyo in the Four. Despite racing mostly in Fours, Aifric was paired with Fiona Murtagh last year, and the duo came fourth at 2023 World Championships which earned the boat an Olympic berth for Paris. The pairing have made the podium in all three of this seasons World Cup regattas.

Natalie Long, Rower

Home Town – Cobh, Co. Cork

Born in South Africa with Irish grandparents on her father’s side Natalie moved to Cobh in 2007 with her dad, where initially she took up ocean rowing. She began classic rowing while studying for a degree in diagnostic radiography in London. She has only pursued the sport seriously since 2018 and a return to single sculling helped her break into the Irish squad in 2021 at the age of 32, but she did not make the team for Tokyo. Natalie won silver in the Four at Europeans in 2022, and was also seventh at 2022 Worlds in a pair.

Mia Griffin – Cycling

Home Town - Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny

Originally a Kilkenny minor camogie player, Mia didn’t take up cycling until her late teens yet won a bronze medal in Individual Pursuit at the European U23s (2020). She has been integral to Ireland’s Team Pursuit line-up winning silver at the Nations Cup in Hong Kong this year, and securing their historic Olympic spot as a result. She was also part of Irish team who won Pursuit bronze at the 2021 European Championships, and raced for a bronze medal at this year’s Europeans where they were beaten by world record holders Germany.

Mia raced on the World Tour with Israel Premier Tech Roland in 2023, and is now with UK Continental Tour side DAS-Hutchinson. She is the only Irish woman to take part in, and finish Paris-Roubaix unfortunately suffering a bad concussion on it last year which kept her off the bike for five months. On her return she also qualified Ireland’s nation spot in the Olympic Road Race with a third place on the Tour of Guangzi in China; the best result ever by an Irish rider in a women’s World Tour race!

Megan Armitage, Cycling

Home Town – Shinrone, Co. Offaly

Megan went from fun runner to a marathoner while studying law and French in UCD, and then made an even quicker leap from social cyclist to a pro road racer. She only took it up seriously during lockdown, went to Belgium’s kermesse circuit after graduation and was runner-up in only her second year at National Championships (2021). Last year she became the first Irish female to win a UCI-ranked stage race with her GC victory at the Vuelta Extremaduras Feminas. She also had two concussions in 2023, one of which put her out of the Tour de France. She subsequently signed for her UCI Continental Tour team and finished 24th on GC at the Thuringen Tour in June, but illness ruled her out of her debut at the Giro’ earlier this month.

Aoife O’Rourke, Boxing

Home Town – Tarmon, Co. Roscommon

Aoife originally took up boxing to get fitter for inter-county football but quickly emerged as world class, winning silver at her first major (European U22s) in 2018. She has a phenomenal 27-1 record since making her Olympic Games debut in 2021 where she lost to China’s two-time silver medallist Qian Li in the last 16. Her only loss since was to USA’s Naomi Graham in the 2022 World Championships. This year she won her third consecutive European title in Budapest (2019, 2022 & 2024) and overcame Qian Li en route to the prestigious Strandja title in February. She secured early qualification for Paris by winning the 75kg at last year’s European Games in Krakow.

Gráinne Walsh, Boxing

Home Town – Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Grainne played soccer for Shamrock Rovers and the Irish U17s before concentrating on boxing, initially with local club Spartacus. She was a World and European quarter-finalist in 2016 and a bronze medallist at the 2019 European Games but a thumb injury, which eventually needed surgery, derailed her Tokyo Olympic dream and then a dumbbell fell on her toe in training which also needed surgery.

She looked to have clinched her Olympic debut at the first qualifiers in Italy this year but was on the wrong end of a split decision and had to go to the final Qualifiers in Thailand in June where she won four fights, beating Armenia’s Ari Hovesepyan to finally secure her ticket to Paris.

Jodie McCann, Athletics

Home Town – Glenageary, Co. Dublin

Jodie has been in the form of her life this year, lowering her 5000m personal best by nearly one minute, to move to tenth on the Irish all-time list, and has also set PBs in the 1500m/Mile/3000m. Putting her primary teaching job on hold and training with Craig Mottram’s group in Australia (she has an Australian passport through her mother) earlier this year seems to have helped. Now back in Ireland she is coached by her father Clark, and Paris will be particularly special for the family as her older brother Luke is also making his Olympic debut.

Sharlene Mawdsley, Athletics

Home Town – Newport, Co. Tipperary

Sharlene has made huge progress in the past two years; knocking almost a second and a half off her PB, and repeatedly anchoring Ireland to historic relay medals by running the fastest relay splits against the world’s best quarter-milers this season. She played a key role for the mixed 4x400m winning bronze at the World Relays in May and made the European 400m final individually (eighth) this summer, but the highlight of her career to date was anchoring the mixed relay team to that historic European gold, and repeating it to lead the women’s 4x400m to a silver medal. Her 50:72 PB this summer overtook Joanne Cuddihy to move her second on the Irish all-time 400m list. She is coached by the “OG” of Irish sprinting – double Olympian Gary Ryan – and will celebrate her 26th birthday on the penultimate day of the Games.

And Finaly, From the Kingdom!!

Zoe Hyde, Rowing

Home Town – Killorglin, Co Kerry

Zoe credits the pandemic with bringing her back to elite rowing as she started training again seriously while working from home. The Kerry native won a World Cup silver with Sanita Puspure in Lucerne in 2022, and put her work with Deloitte on hold after they won bronze at the 2022 World Championships in the heavy double. Hyde was paired with Alison Bergin for the 2023 Worlds where their fourth place clinched the spot for Paris. This year the pairing finished fifth at the Europeans, and fourth at the second World Cup regatta.

Come On IRELAND!!!!

What’s on this week!