Kellie Harrington Leads Ireland's Squad for European Elite Championships
Kellie Harrington is officially back in the thick of it.
Ireland’s double Olympic champion has been named in a stacked national team for the 2026 European Elite Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, running from 17-25 September. It will be her first major benchmark tournament since that golden summer in Paris, and a clear signal that her story is not finished yet.
The Dubliner had walked away after the 2024 Games, only to quietly lace the gloves again in December for an exhibition at Dublin’s Mansion House. That night felt like a test of appetite as much as ability. The answer came quickly. Harrington stormed to a 12th national title in January, then added gold at the four nations tournament in Glasgow in June.
Los Angeles 2028 has since moved from distant thought to open ambition. Sofia now becomes the first serious staging post on that road.
O’Rourke sisters spearhead formidable line-up
If Harrington brings the star power, she is far from alone.
Aoife O’Rourke, a double Olympian, reigning world champion and four-time continental champion, leads a formidable middleweight charge. Her record at this level speaks for itself. Alongside her is sister Lisa O’Rourke, the 2022 world champion and 2025 world silver medallist, giving Ireland a rare sibling double act with genuine podium pedigree.
Six Paris Olympians join them, underlining the depth of experience in the squad. Daina Moorehouse (51kg), Jenny Lehane (54kg), Jude Gallagher (60kg), Dean Clancy (65kg), Jack Marley (90kg) and 57kg contender Michaela Walsh – a Commonwealth Games silver medallist at the weight – all return to the international spotlight with unfinished business.
Jon McConnell steps in at 70kg, while the team’s balance is completed by a trio who know how to win when the stakes rise.
Shannon Sweeney arrives as the 2024 European champion. Cliona D’Arcy, a world youth champion and European U23 bronze medallist, continues her rapid climb through the senior ranks. Evelyn Igharo (70kg) and Gavin Rafferty (75kg) round out a squad that blends proven medal winners with hungry emerging talent.
Ranking points, reputations and a long season ahead
The European Elite Championships in Sofia carry more than just medals. It is a World Boxing ranking event, with 33 federations eligible to compete. The draw on 16 September will shape the early storylines, but Ireland already know they are travelling with expectations, not hopes.
Preparation has been serious and sustained. The squad has been in camp since July, building conditioning and cohesion. As the final sharpening phase, Boxing Ireland will host a multi-nations sparring camp at the High Performance Unit at the Institute of Sport from 2-9 September, bringing in international opposition before the real blows start to count.
For Harrington, it is the next chapter in a career that has already redrawn Irish boxing history. For the rest of this loaded team, it is a chance to write more of their own. Sofia will not decide Los Angeles, but it will show who is ready to lead Ireland into the next Olympic cycle – and who is coming to take the throne.
