Irish Stars Shine in Dublin on Final Night of McCullagh International 

After three days of competition, the curtain came down on the 2026 McCullagh International, with seven Irish swimmers topping the podium at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre.  

Paris Olympians Tom Fannon and Danielle Hill both raced for the first time this year on Sunday, both swimmers had been dealing with injuries sustained in 2025. The duo claimed the Open and Female 50m Freestyle golds on their return to racing, Fannon in 22.43 and Hill in 25.54. Hill was joined atop the podium by Ards’ Grace Davison, who also clocked 25.54, adding to the 100m Freestyle gold she won on Friday. National Centre Ulster’s Rosalie Phelan was third in the race in 26.28. Joining Fannon on the podium was NAC’s Fionn Byrne (23.46) and Breifne’s Miks O’Flaherty (23.67). 

John Shortt closed out his weekend of racing with a third gold medal, this time in the Male & Open 200m Backstroke. The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer ripped through the water in dominant fashion, clocking 1:57.24 to top the podium. That time sees John Shortt sitting third in the world rankings so far in 2026. Emmett Cousins of New Ross finished in 2:04.89 to pick up silver, with third place and bronze going to Gudmundur Rafnsson of Iceland in 2:05.74.  

Ellen Walshe also picked up her third win of the weekend in the Female 400m Freestyle Final. The Templeogue swimmer, who won 100m Backstroke and 200m Freestyle gold on Saturday, won out in 4:15.80. Silver went to Iceland’s Vala Dis Cicero in 4:23.31 with Stirling’s Lucy Hope completing the podium in 4:25.06. 

Paris Olympian Grae Davison closed out the 2026 McCullagh International with a gold standard performance and another trip to the podium, this time in the Female 200m Backstroke, the Ards swimmer clocked 2:13.07 to win gold.  Lottie Cullen of National Centre Ulster went 2:15.86 to pick up silver with bronze going to Cora Rooney (National Centre Limerick) with 2:17.59. 

Following a second-place finish in the 200m Butterfly and bronze in the 200m Freestyle, National Centre Limerick’s Jack Cassin won his first gold of the weekend in the Open 100m Butterfly. Cassin clocked 53.31 and was followed home by University of Stirling team-mates Dean Fearn (54.02) and Benji Jeffreys (54.44). 

University of Stirling’s Jack McMillan made it a triple gold weekend as he topped the podium in the Open 400m Freestyle Final. Having won 200m and 800m Freestyle titles already, McMillan was home in 3:49.32 in the 400m ahead of National Centre Limerick’s Cormac Rynn (4:00.35) and his Stirling team-mate Arvin Chahal (4:01.94). 

University of Stirling’s Keanna MacInnes completed a Butterfly double as she added the Female 100m Butterfly to 200m Butterfly gold from Friday. MacInnes was the only swimmer under the one-minute mark touching in 58.84. National Centre Limerick’s Ellie McCartney, who already won 100m and 200m Breaststroke gold over the weekend, was second in 1:01.16 with bronze going to National Centre Ulster’s Alana Burns-Atkin in 1:01.79. 

Duncan Scott was another three-time gold medallist from the weekend after he cruised to victory in the Open 200m Individual Medley. The only swimmer under the two-minute mark, Scott clocked 1:59.48, going into the early season World rankings in third. Chelsea and Westminster’s Louis Thorne was second in 2:09.01 and Iceland’s Hólmar Grétarsson third 2:09.37. 

National Centre Limerick’s Isabel Kidney won the Female 200m Individual Medley in 2:21.71. She was followed home by Iceland’s Eva Margrét Falsdóttir in 2:22.62 and NAC Sc’s Kelly-Ann Brown in 2:22.64. 

National Centre Dublin’s Federico Poggio added to his 100m Breaststroke gold, with a win in the Open 50m Breaststroke. Poggio clocked 27.77 ahead of National Centre Limerick’s Eoin Corby (27.98) and Iceland’s Dagur Snorri Einarsson (28.28). 

In a tight contest for the Female 50m Breaststroke gold, University of Stirling’s Kara Hanlon won in 31.40, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Iceland’s Birgitta Ingólfsdóttir in 31.41. Bronze went to University of Limerick’s Eimear Doyle in 31.75. 

In Sunday’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay National Championships, UCD’s David O’Loughlin, Alessandro Ozella, Sean Donnellan, and Ben David combined to take gold in 3:54.19. Banbridge took silver in 3:58.33 just ahead of bronze medallists Ards in 3:58.69. 

In the female final, Bangor’s quartet of Rebecca Lavery, Grace Eyre, Olivia Falls and Chloe Stewart set a new Irish Junior Record on their way to the national title in a time of 4:23.05, breaking the 4:26.01 mark set by Ards in 2017. Cork clubs Sundays Well second in 4:30.07 and Dolphin third in 4:38.58.  

Ireland’s next senior meet will be the Irish Open Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials, which will also act as a trial for European Championships, at the Bangor Aurora from April 8th to 12th. Members of the Irish National Senior Team will travel to Edinburgh (13th – 15th March) and Paris (20th – 22nd March) in preparation. 

Full Results – Day 3 (22nd February) 

Open 4x100m Medley Relay: 1st UCD SC 3:54.19 2nd Banbridge SC 3:58.33 3rd Ards SC 3:58.69  

Female 4x100m Medley Relay: 1st Bangor SC 4:23.05 (IJR) 2nd Sundays Well SC 4:30.07 3rd Dolphin SC 4:38.58 

Open 400m Freestyle: 1st Jack McMillan University of Stirling 3:49.32 2nd Cormac Rynn National Centre Limerick 4:00.35 3rd Arvin Chahal University of Stirling 4:01.94 

Female 400m Freestyle: 1st Ellen Walshe Templeogue 4:15.80 2nd Vala Dis Cicero Iceland 4:23.31 3rd Lucy Hope University of Stirling 4:25.06 

Open 50m Breaststroke: 1st Federico Poggio National Centre Dublin 27.77 2nd Eoin Corby National Centre Limerick 27.98 3rd Dagur Snorri Einarsson Iceland 28.28 

Female 50m Breaststroke: 1st Kara Hanlon Edinburgh 31.40 2nd Birgitta Ingólfsdóttir Iceland 31.41 3rd Eimear Doyle University of Limerick 31.75 

Open 50m Freestyle: 1st Tom Fannon National Centre Dublin 22.43 2nd Fionn Byrne NAC 23.46 3rd Miks O’Flaherty Breifne 23.67 

Female 50m Freestyle: 1st Danielle Hill Larne 25.54 1st Grace Davison Ards 25.54 3rd Rosalie Phelan National Centre Ulster 26.28 

Open 200m IM: 1st Duncan Scott University of Stirling 1:59.48 2nd Louis Thorne COBW 2:09.01 3rd Hólmar Grétarsson Iceland 2:09.37 

Female 200m IM: 1st Isabel Kidney National Centre Limerick 2:21.71 2nd Eva Margrét Falsdóttir Iceland 2:22.62 3rd Kelly-ann Brown NAC 2:22.64 

Open 100m Butterfly: 1st Jack Cassin National Centre Limerick 53.31 2nd Dean Fearn University of Stirling 54.02 3rd Benji Jeffreys University of Stirling 54.44 

Female 100m Butterfly: 1st Keanna MacInnes University of Stirling 58.84 2nd Ellie McCartney National Centre Limerick 1:01.16 3rd Alana Burns-Atkin National Centre Ulster 1:01.79 

Open 200m Backstroke: 1st John Shortt National Centre Limerick 1:57.24 2nd Emmett Cousins New Ross 2:04.89 3rd Gudmundur Rafnsson Iceland 2:05.74 

Female 200m Backstroke: 1st Grace Davison Ards 2:13.07 2nd Lottie Cullen National Centre Ulster 2:15.86 3rd Cora Rooney National Centre Limerick 2:17.59 

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