Women
Daina Moorehouse
Age: 22
Event: 50kg
Club: Enniskerry BC
Previous games: None
The Wicklow light flyweight is an all-action competitor who boxes southpaw out of the Enniskerry Boxing Club, not far from Bray where she lives and where London 2012 champion Katie Taylor grew up. She secured her place for Paris in the final qualification tournament in Thailand, overcoming a points deduction to defeat Zlatislava Genadieva Chukanova from Bulgaria by split decision. A proven medallist at youth level, she moves to 50kg from 48kg to accommodate the Olympic categories for women. Her first senior international tournament was just last year and she hopes to kick on from there.
Jennifer Lehane
Age: 25
Event: 54kg
Club: DCU BC
Previous games: None
A primary schoolteacher, who temporarily gave up the classroom for the ring to pursue her Olympic dream, earned her Paris ticket in June of this year at the Bangkok qualification tournament. The southpaw grabbed the opportunity with victory over Hanna Lakotar of Hungary and travels to her first Games. A former martial artist, the Ashbourne native nipped past Niamh Fahy in the pecking order and has steadily improved over the last 12 months. Her qualification makes her the first Irish woman boxer to compete in the bantamweight division since boxing was introduced to the Olympic roster in 2012.
Michaela Walsh
Age: 31
Event: 57kg
Club: Holy Family GG, Belfast
Previous games: Tokyo 2020
Secured qualification at the European Games last year, Walsh becomes a double Olympian along with Kellie Harrington and Aoife O’Rourke. The Belfast boxer and her brother Aidan became the first Irish brother and sister to qualify in boxing for an Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago. Has won silver at the Commonwealth Games twice in 2014 and 2018 and in Birmingham in 2022 won the gold medal. She is also a double bronze featherweight medalist at the European Championships and goes into the Paris games as one of the more experienced athletes on the Irish team.
Kellie Harrington
Age: 34
Event: 60kg
Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght
Previous games: Tokyo 2020 (Gold)
Is seeking to become the first Irish athlete since hammer thrower Pat O’Callaghan in 1928 and 1932 to retain an Olympic gold medal. Harrington won her Olympic title in Tokyo where she beat Beatriz Ferriera 5-0 in the final of the lightweight division. From Dublin’s inner city, she has also won world championship lightweight gold and light welterweight silver medals. Although one of the biggest names in Irish sport, she has stated that she intends to return to her part-time cleaning job at St Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin, regardless of her result in Paris this summer.
Gráinne Walsh
Age: 28
Event: 66kg
Club: St Mary’s BC, Tallaght (we have several St. Mary’s!)
Previous games: None
Agonisingly lost out to a controversial 3-2 split decision in the Italian qualifier but showed real character to come back strongly in Bangkok and book her place in Paris. The Tullamore welterweight, who studied languages in NUI Galway, is also a talented footballer. The European Games bronze medallist also played football with Shamrock Rovers for three years and was capped for Ireland at Under 17 level. A real believer in having a strong mindset, she has had multiple surgeries on her right hand over the years and has come back each time.
Aoife O’Rourke
Age: 27
Event: 75kg
Club: Castlerea BC
Previous games: None
Another qualifier from the 2023 European Games, she comes from a talented boxing and GAA family. Sister Lisa became light middleweight world Champion in 2022 and her grandfather Dan was a GAA president. Aoife has proven pedigree at the highest level and is a three-time European middleweight champion at Madrid 2019, Budva 2022 and Belgrade 2024. Another boxer who brings a golden track record in elite boxing into Paris. Her three successive European Championship crowns are second only to Katie Taylor’s record six wins in a row between 2005-2014.
Men
Jude Gallagher
Age: 22
Event: 57kg
Club: Two Castles Olympic BC
Previous games: None
In March the Tyrone featherweight earned his ticket on the Road to Paris world Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio. Gallagher proved too good for Turkmenistan’s Sukur Owezow in his quarter-final, the 22-year-old securing his Olympic qualification with a unanimous 5-0 decision after controlling the fight for three rounds. Coached at club level by Eric Donovan, Gallagher is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Birmingham and is nick named the ‘Tyrone Tornado.’ From Newtownstewart, he fulfils an ambition since he began boxing to compete at the Olympic Games.
Dean Clancy
Age: 22
Event: 63.5kg
Club: Sean McDermott
Previous games: None
Born in Sligo, Clancy clinched his Olympic spot for Paris by beating Italian Gianluigi Malanga in the 63.5kg quarter-final of the 2023 European Games and went on to win a bronze medal. Influenced by his father Jason, the Irish lightweight has put his college studies on hold to train full-time for Paris 2024 and every Tuesday gets on a train at 6.30am to go to Dublin to join the national squad in their high performance base. A bronze medallist at the 2022 European Games, Clancy won his first senior national title in 2019. He also happens to be a talented portrait painter, following on from his grandfather who was an artist.
Aidan Walsh
Age: 27
Event: 71kg
Club: Holy Family Belfast
Previous games: Tokyo 2020 (bronze)
The brother of Micheala had the longest path to qualification for several reasons. His weight was the largest by number of entries (70), and the fact that just five quota places were available meant all losing quarter-finalists at the Bangkok Qualification tournament had to box two additional bouts. It was even more incredible as Walsh had all but retired six months previously and had been looking for a job outside boxing. A freak injury prevented him from boxing for a silver medal in Tokyo but the 2022 Commonwealth gold medallist will travel to Paris as one of Ireland’s most canny Olympians.
Jack Marley
Age: 21
Event: 92kg
Club: Monkstown BC, Dublin
Previous games: None
The Sallynoggin heavyweight completed his qualification process courtesy of a silver medal performance at last summer’s European Games in Poland leaving him with a full year to prepare. As a kid he was more of a footballer and played with the famous St Joesph’s Boys club in South Dublin. The first from his club to box at an Olympic Games, he travels as a young heavyweight and has plenty more years to fill the frame. A one-time real estate wannabe, he swapped square feet for poundage and became the first Irish heavyweight boxer since Cathal O’Grady in 1996 to qualify for an Olympic Games.
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