Daina Moorehouse, aged 22, is an energetic competitor in the 50kg event who boxes southpaw at Enniskerry BC. Residing close to Bray, the birthplace of London 2012 champion Katie Taylor, Daina secured her Paris Olympic slot in the final qualifiers held in Thailand. Despite a points deduction, she triumphed over Bulgaria’s Zlatislava Genadieva Chukanova in a split decision. A recognised youth medalist, Moorehouse switched to the 50kg category from 48kg to accord with female Olympic weight divisions. After debuting in senior international tourneys last year, she’s looking forward to building on that experience.
Jennifer Lehane, 25, will be making her Olympic debut in the 54kg category. She paused her primary school teaching career to chase her Olympic aspirations, qualifying for Paris in June this year at a tourney in Bangkok, where she triumphed over Hungary’s Hanna Lakotar. Known for her martial arts background, Ashbourne-born Lehane superseded Niamh Fahy and has shown steady progress over the past year. Her qualification marks a historic moment as the first female Irish boxer competing in the bantamweight division since the sport was added to the Olympics in 2012.
31-year-old Michaela Walsh, already a veteran at the Tokyo 2020 games, has once again qualified for the 57kg category at the Paris games. A member of Holy Family GG, Belfast, Michaela has the unique distinction of being one half of the first Irish sibling duo to qualify for an Olympics in boxing, the other half being her brother Aidan. Michaela has an impressive track record, winning two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018 and a gold in Birmingham in 2022. She is also a two-time bronze medalist at the European Championships, earning a spot among the more seasoned athletes representing Ireland at Paris.
Finally, 34-year-old Kellie Harrington of St Mary’s BC, Tallaght, a gold medalist at Tokyo 2020, is on the roster for the 60kg event.
This summer, Harrington will attempt to become the inaugural Irish athlete to retain an Olympic gold medal since Pat O’Callaghan did so in the hammer throw in 1928 and 1932. The Olympics in Tokyo saw Harrington, who hails from the heart of Dublin, win her crown in the lightweight division, where she triumphed over Beatriz Ferriera in the finale with a 5-0 victory. She has also been awarded a world championship lightweight gold and light welterweight silver medal. Despite being one of Ireland’s most celebrated sport personalities, she intends to resume her part-time cleaning work at St Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin, irrespective of her performance at the Paris event.
Gráinne Walsh, age 28, competes in the 66kg category and is a member of the St Mary’s BC, Tallaght. Despite not having competed in previous games, she impressively made her mark during the Italian qualifier with a close 3-2 split decision. She managed to bounce back in Bangkok, securing her spot for Paris with unwavering determination. An alumni of NUI Galway, Walsh also skillfully plays football. She has previously played with Shamrock Rovers, represented Ireland at the Under 17 level, and even managed to win a bronze medal at the European Games.
Next is Aoife O’Rourke, aged 27, in-line for the 75kg category. A member of Castlerea BC, she also has no previous games history. She qualified from the 2023 European Games and comes from a lineage of boxing talents. Her sister Lisa was crowned the light middleweight world Champion in 2022, while her grandfather Dan was a GAA president. Aoife herself is a three-time European middleweight champion, with her wins in Madrid 2019, Budva 2022, and Belgrade 2024 testifying to her prowess in the sport. Her consecutive European Championship trophies make her the closest contender to Katie Taylor’s record of six successive wins between 2005 and 2014.
Finally, we have Jude Gallagher, 22, competing in the 57kg division. He’s a member of Two Castles Olympic BC and, like his colleagues, hasn’t participated in previous games.
In Busto Arsizio’s “Road to Paris” world qualification tournament in March, Tyrone’s featherweight contender secured his place. A unanimous 5-0 decision in his favour against Turkmenistan’s Sukur Owezow in the quarterfinals assured Gallagher of his Olympic opportunity, following three rounds of dominance. Eric Donovan guides him at club level and he bagged a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Hailing from Newtownstewart, Gallagher also goes by the alias ‘Tyrone Tornado’ and has always desired to compete in the Olympics since he took up boxing.
Dean Clancy, 22-year-old, competes in 63.5kg category. Clancy, a member of Sean McDermott’s club, paved his way to Paris Olympics for the first time by defeating Italy’s Gianluigi Malanga in his quarter-final match at the 2023 European Games and subsequently won bronze. Guided by his dad, Jason, the Irish lightweight, has set aside his university learning to dedicate himself fully to preparations for the Paris 2024. To participate in the high performance base of the national team, every Tuesday he heads to Dublin at 6:30 am. Winner of a 2019 national senior title and the 2022 European Games bronze, Clancy is also an accomplished portrait painter, following in his artist grandfather’s footsteps.
At 27, Aidan Walsh competes in 71kg category. Belonging to the Holy Family Belfast club, he made it to the Olympics via a challenging path due to the excessive number of contestants (70) in his weight category and limited quota places. Despite the fact he had almost retired half a year ago and was looking for a job outside boxing, Walsh persevered and fought two extra matches, which all losing quarter-finalists in the Bangkok qualification tournament were required to do. An unfortunate injury prevented him from contending for a silver medal in Tokyo, however, the 2022 Commonwealth gold medallist is looking forward to showcasing his skills in Paris as one of Ireland’s most strategic Olympians.
Lastly, 21-year-old Jack Marley, who competes in the 92kg category and belongs to the Monkstown BC Dublin club, will be participating in Olympic Games for the first time.
The heavyweight from Sallynoggin completed his qualification journey by earning a silver medal at the previous summer’s European Games in Poland. This afforded him a full year for preparation. During his younger years, he was primarily a football player, playing with the renowned St Joesph’s Boys club in South Dublin. He is the pioneer from his club to compete in the Olympic Games. Despite his youth, he is making headway as a heavyweight and has many promising years ahead. Initially considering a career in real estate, he instead pursued boxing, becoming the inaugural Irish heavyweight to qualify for the Olympics since Cathal O’Grady in 1996.