Irish team for World Under 19 Boxing Championships features Mayo athlete

Just 24 hours after Team Ireland’s return from the European Elite Championships with two gold and two bronze medals, the squad to contest the World Under 19 Boxing Championships has been named.

Euro Under 19 bronze medalist Grace Bailey, a member of Castlebar Boxing Club, has been named on the 12-strong team going to Budva, Montenegro, from October 14 to 28.

Among the others to make the cut are reigning European Under 19 champion and 2023 world champ John Donoghue of Olympic BC, Mullingar, his brother, 2023 European medalist Jason, double European medalist and club-mate Louise Joyce, and Euro Under 19 bronze medalists Kalib Walshe and Kayleigh Byrne.

Kristian Jubani, Boxing Ireland's 2026 European Under 19 medalist at 50kg, has been selected to contest the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, from October 31 to November 13. He will travel with the team to continue his preparations, but will not compete in Budva.

The team is led and managed by Jennifer O'Sullivan Coffey of Sliabh Luachra BC, Kerry, and coached by Eoin Pluck, High Performance, Garry Kehoe, Marble City BC, Kilkenny, Fergus Turner, Enniscorthy BC, Wexford, and Aoife Hennigan, Swinford BC, Mayo.

The draw takes place on October 15 and boxing, at the Mediterranean Sports Centre, begins on October 16. Monday, October 26, is a rest day at the tournament. All finals and medal ceremonies will take place on Tuesday, October 27.

Afternoon sessions will begin at 11 a.m. Irish time, while evening sessions will get underway at 4 p.m. Irish time.

The Team Ireland athletes selected for the tournament are as follows: 48kg Louise Joyce, Olympic BC Mullingar, Westmeath; 50kg Caoimhin Connolly, Twin Towns ABC, Donegal; 51kg Kayleigh Byrne, Gorey ABC, Wexford; 54kg Carley O’Herron, Rochfortbridge BC, Westmeath; 55kg Lee Largey Snodden, Immaculata BC, Antrim; 60kg Kalib Walshe, Wexford CBS, Wexford; 65kg Grace Bailey, Castlebar BC, Mayo; 65kg Jason Donoghue, Olympic BC, Mullingar, Westmeath; 70kg Kaysie Joyce, Clonmel BC, Tipperary; 70kg John Donoghue, Olympic BC, Mullingar, Westmeath; 75kg Cassie Henderson, Phoenix BC, Armagh; and 75kg Jason Whelan, Dublin Docklands BC, Dublin.

RESOUNDING WIN

Team Ireland rounded off the European Elite Boxing Champoinships on Friday with Aoife O’Rourke of Castlerea BC being crowned 75kg champion after a resounding win over Turkey’s Büşra Işıldar in a highly physical contest full of pace and power.

Isildar is a multiple world and European medalist but couldn’t best the double Olympian, who claimed the victory 5-0. Judges scored the bout 30:27, 30:27, 30:27, 30:26 and 29:28.

This is Aoife’s fourth confederation level title (2019, 2022 and 2024) in addition to her 2023 European Games gold. Aoife’s journey to the top of the podium has included wins over 80+kg world champion, Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska, and Russia’s 2025 world champion, Saltanat Medenova.

Speaking to Boxing Ireland's Grainne Walsh at ringside, Aoife said: “We all want to get in and we want to perform and reach this final stage, but to actually have it happen again for my fifth time, including the European Games, I honestly can’t believe it right now! It’s really special, and I’m just looking forward to enjoying the moment.

“You can’t be looking too far ahead and get distracted by other things. We only have this moment here now, and there’s no point worrying about the future. It’s not going to get you anywhere and cause you a headache. I’m trying to be a lot more present, and the same for my boxing. When I’m in the ring, I’m in the ring and I’m in boxing mode.”

And of her sister, Lisa, who won 80kg gold on Thursday, Aoife added: “We’re riding the waves right now, but we will look back when we’re older and reflect on such special memories that we had together, and it goes down in history like being sisters on the same team. I’ve seen Lisa through all her injuries, and to finish on top of the podium, nobody deserves it more. She put in so much hard work behind the scenes to get to this moment.”

Aoife was also awarded the second place best female boxer of the tournament accolade. Team Ireland's Michaela Walsh and Jon McConnell collected their respective 57kg and 70kg bronze medals and overall, Ireland finished fifth in the medals table out of 43 federations.

Daina Moorehouse, Kellie McLoughlin, Evelyn Igharo, Dean Clancy and Jon McConnell lost to the eventual silver medalists in their weights, while Michaela Walsh exited to the champion.

High performance director and EEC team leader Jon Mackey said: “I want to pay credit to Paddy Sharkey of Castlerea Boxing Club – the club where Aoife and Lisa fell in love with boxing and why they're here with us this week.”

Jon paid tribute to his backroom team also: “We've got a great staff working behind the scenes. I want to pay great credit to Damian Kennedy, our interim head coach, who has led an incredible staff of coaches here at the European Championships. We've a huge staff back home, we've got the very best in sport science and medical experts working with our programme back in the Sport Ireland Institute, so I want to say thanks to them – Dr. Sharon Madigan, Paul Carragher, Paul Ahern.

Reflecting on the tournament, Kennedy commented: “It’s been brilliant. On another day we could have been coming home with a bigger medal tally. Jude Gallagher, for example, his performance was on a knife-edge. Daina Moorehouse, on a knife edge. Shannon Sweeney (a member of St. Anne's BC Westport), again, a very close contest. Performances? Absolutely outstanding.

“They've all excelled. They've given us everything. You can see from the performances, the intensity of our boxing has changed. The volume we approach the contest with has changed. Mix that along with accuracy, and we're in a great place going forward.”