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Kellie Harrington Returns to International Boxing in Sofia

Athlete celebrating with gold medal at event
Boxing

Kellie Harrington is heading back to where it really counts.

The two-time Olympic champion will return to top-tier international action next month after being named in a powerful 14-strong Ireland squad for the European Elite Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 17–25 September.

It will be her first appearance at a major benchmark event since she retained her Olympic lightweight crown in Paris two years ago. A long time away for an athlete of her stature. Long enough that many believed Paris was the final chapter.

Harrington initially walked away after those Games, announcing her retirement before quietly edging back towards the ring. An exhibition in Dublin in December signalled the first step. A 12th national Elite title underlined that the competitive fire had not gone out.

She has boxed internationally since that comeback, but skipped this year’s World Boxing Cup legs in Brazil and China. Sofia changes that. This is the stage where reputations are reasserted and careers re-energised.

Harrington back at the sharp end

At 36, the Dubliner’s presence at 60kg immediately alters the complexion of Ireland’s challenge. She is not returning alone, either.

Recent Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jon McConnell, at 70kg, makes the cut after his breakout success. Silver medallist Michaela Walsh, a mainstay of Irish squads over the past decade, is in at 57kg, while Jude Gallagher, who took bronze in July, lines up in the men’s 60kg division.

The backbone of the squad, though, runs through the O’Rourke sisters. Reigning 75kg world champion Aoife O’Rourke leads the middleweight charge, with her sister Lisa – a 2022 world champion and 2025 silver medallist – stepping in at 80kg. Between them, they bring serious hardware and a habit of turning up when the stakes spike.

Olympians Daina Moorehouse, Jenny Lehane, Dean Clancy and heavyweight Jack Marley all return, reinforcing the sense that this is a group built not just to compete, but to contend.

Shannon Sweeney, crowned European champion in 2024, adds more pedigree at 48kg, while Cliona D’Arcy, Evelyn Igharo and Gavin Rafferty complete a line-up that carries medals, miles and ambition in equal measure.

Interim high performance head coach Damian Kennedy summed it up simply: this is a squad loaded with “experience and championship pedigree”, a blend of established champions and boxers “ready to make their mark on the European stage”. The expectation, internally at least, is clear.

A serious test in Sofia

The European Elite Championships in Sofia will be one of the sternest examinations Ireland’s boxers face this year. The tournament is open to 33 nations, with World Boxing ranking points on offer – a detail that sharpens every bout and every round.

Kennedy knows the standard will be “exceptionally high”. Ireland’s answer is to prepare with equal intensity.

Before flying to Bulgaria, the squad will host a multi-nations sparring camp on home soil. Poland, Hungary and Finland are due to send teams, giving Irish boxers a run of targeted, high-level sparring against a mix of styles and approaches.

High performance director Jon Mackey sees that as a crucial piece of the puzzle, a way to give the team a “strong platform” heading into Sofia. Different looks, different rhythms, different problems to solve – all before the first bell rings at the Championships.

Team Ireland for the European Elite Championships

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

For Harrington, Sofia offers something different from the nights of Olympic finals and flag-bearing duties. This is about proving, to herself as much as anyone else, that there is still another chapter left to write.

For Ireland, with world and European champions scattered across the weight classes, it feels like an opportunity to test the depth of a programme that has grown used to walking away from major events with medals.

The question now is not whether this team can compete. It’s how loudly they can announce themselves when the bell sounds in Bulgaria.

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