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Athlete celebrating with gold medal after victory
Amir Azimi
Boxing

Kellie Harrington Leads Ireland at European Elite Championships in Sofia

Kellie Harrington is back where she has always looked most at home – on the brink of a major championship with medals on the line and pressure in the air.

The two-time Olympic champion has been named in a 14-strong Ireland squad for the European Elite Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 17–25 September, marking her first appearance at a top-tier event since retaining her Olympic lightweight crown in Paris two years ago.

For a time, it looked like Paris would be the final chapter. Harrington initially walked away after that second Olympic gold, stepping into retirement with her legacy secure. Then came the change of heart. She reappeared in an exhibition bout in Dublin in December, shook off the rust, and promptly collected a 12th national Elite title to underline that the competitive fire had not gone out.

She has boxed internationally since, but skipped this year’s World Boxing Cup stops in Brazil and China. Sofia, then, becomes the real measuring stick of her comeback – her first major championship since Paris and a return to the kind of stage she has dominated for a decade.

Heavy artillery across the weights

Harrington is far from alone in terms of pedigree.

Ireland travel with a squad packed with recent medals and serious ambition. Jon McConnell, fresh from Commonwealth Games gold at 70kg, anchors the men’s middleweights. Joining him is Glasgow silver medallist Michaela Walsh at 57kg, one of the most seasoned operators in the set-up, and Jude Gallagher, who added a Commonwealth bronze to his résumé in July.

At 75kg, reigning world champion Aoife O'Rourke leads the line, while her sister Lisa – a 2022 world champion and 2025 world silver medallist – steps in at 80kg, giving Ireland a formidable one-two in the middle-to-heavy women’s divisions.

Olympians Daina Moorehouse, Jennifer Lehane, Dean Clancy and Jack Marley bring proven big-tournament experience, while 2024 European champion Shannon Sweeney, Cliona D'Arcy, Evelyn Igharo and Gavin Rafferty round out a squad that looks built to contend across the board.

“There is huge experience and championship pedigree within this squad, with Olympians, World and European medallists and established Elite champions alongside boxers ready to make their mark on the European stage,” said interim high performance head coach Damian Kennedy. “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.”

Sharpening the edge before Sofia

Ireland will not go in cold. Before flying to Bulgaria, the team will host a multi-nations sparring camp, designed to harden timing, reactions and ring craft against unfamiliar styles.

The camp will feature boxers from Poland, Hungary and Finland, with high performance director Jon Mackey describing it as “targeted sparring” aimed at providing valuable exposure to different international looks. The idea is simple: face as many problems in the gym as possible so nothing feels new when the bell rings in Sofia.

“Together, these elements give the team a strong platform as they approach the European Elite Championships,” Mackey said.

The platform is there. The medals, as always, will be decided under the lights.

Team Ireland for the European Elite Championships, Sofia

  • Shannon Sweeney (St Anne's BC, Mayo) – Women’s 48kg
  • Daina Moorehouse (Enniskerry BC, Wicklow) – Women’s 51kg
  • Jennifer Lehane (DCU BC, Dublin) – Women’s 54kg
  • Michaela Walsh (Holy Family BC, Belfast) – Women’s 57kg
  • Kellie Harrington (St Mary's BC, Dublin) – Women’s 60kg
  • Jude Gallagher (Two Castles Olympic, Tyrone) – Men’s 60kg
  • Dean Clancy (Sean McDermott BC, Leitrim) – Men’s 65kg
  • Evelyn Igharo (Clann Naofa BC, Louth) – Women’s 70kg
  • Jon McConnell (Holy Trinity BC, Belfast) – Men’s 70kg
  • Aoife O'Rourke (Castlerea BC, Roscommon) – Women’s 75kg
  • Gavin Rafferty (Dublin Docklands BC) – Men’s 75kg
  • Lisa O'Rourke (Castlerea BC, Roscommon) – Women’s 80kg
  • Cliona D'Arcy (Tobair Pheadair BC, Galway) – Women’s 80+kg
  • Jack Marley (Monkstown BC, Dublin) – Men’s 90kg

For Harrington, it is another charge at history. For the rest, it is a chance to prove Ireland’s golden era in the ring is nowhere near finished.

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