Olympic and European Medallists Lead Record Ireland Team for European Championships
Ireland set to send largest‑ever squad to Paris this August
Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen, Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry and European Champions Ellen Walshe (25m), John Shortt (25m) and Danielle Hill (50m) will spearhead Ireland’s largest-ever European Aquatics Championships team, with twenty-six swimmers and one diver selected for Paris this August.
Hill heads to Paris as the defending European 50m Backstroke Champion following her gold medal performance in Belgrade in 2024, while recent European Short Course Champions Wiffen, Walshe and Shortt will look to carry their 25m success onto the long course stage. McSharry will also be targeting her first European long course medal.
The squad features a strong blend of proven performers and emerging talent, with Olympic semi-finalist Tom Fannon, European Short Course bronze medallist Evan Bailey, European U23 Champion Ellie McCartney, European U23 medallist Eoin Corby and European Junior medallist Grace Davison all earning selection.
Jack Kelly, fresh from a dominant Irish Open Championships where he secured all three Breaststroke titles, is set to make his senior Ireland debut on the European stage.
Olympians Darragh Greene, Conor Ferguson and Victoria Catterson also return to international competition, pulling on the green Ireland jacket for the first time since the Paris Olympic Games.
Adam Bradley, Alana Burns-Atkin, Cormac Rynn, Denis O’Brien, Jack Cassin, Danielle Farrell, Liam Custer, Lottie Cullen, Matthew Hamilton, Nathan Wiffen and Rosalie Phelan all bring international experience, while Jacob Armon is set to make his Ireland debut.
Nathan Wiffen has also opted to contest the Open Water event, which will take place in the River Seine prior to the pool programme — the same venue where his brother Daniel became Ireland’s first-ever Olympic Open Water swimmer in 2024.
In diving, Paris Olympian Jake Passmore will be Ireland’s sole representative.
The Championships mark another significant milestone for Irish swimming on the European stage, as athletes continue their journey towards LA 2028.
Ireland will be represented by six athletes across two European Aquatics Junior Championship events this summer, with five swimmers and one diver selected for Europe’s premier junior competitions for athletes aged 18 and under. In swimming, 800m and 1500m Freestyle National Champion Clare Custer is joined by Phelim Hanley and Niamh Connery, who return for their second and third European Junior Championships respectively in Munich this July. Julia Dziedzic steps up a level following her selection for the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2025, while Maren Clayton Byrne is set to make her Ireland debut. In diving, Emma Kelly will also make her Ireland debut at the European Aquatics Junior Diving Championships in Budapest this June.
Speaking on the team announcement, Swim Ireland National Performance Director Andy Reid said “To bring an Irish team of this size and quality to the European Aquatics Championships is a significant moment for our programme. We have Olympic and European champions leading the way, athletes looking to convert short course success onto the long course stage, and a strong group of emerging performers gaining valuable championship experience. That blend is critical as we continue building towards LA 2028.
For this Championships, we incorporated U23 standards within our senior selection policy, ensuring we capture athletes transitioning from junior to senior level and support their progression more effectively.
Equally important is the strength of our junior pathway. While teams are smaller this year, we are encouraged by the depth building in our younger cohorts, reflecting the excellent work being done across our clubs.
An announcement on the Commonwealth Games will be made by Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland in due course.
| 2026 European Aquatics Championships (50m), Paris, 10th – 16th August | ||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Jacob Armon | Swansea University | Graeme Antwhistle | ||
| Evan Bailey | National Centre Limerick | John Szaranek | ||
| Adam Bradley | Mount Kelly | Emma Collings-Barnes | ||
| Alana Burns-Atkin | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson | ||
| Jack Cassin | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Victoria Catterson | Sydney University Performance Centre | Richard Scarce | ||
| Eoin Corby | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Lottie Cullen | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson | ||
| Liam Custer | Stanford University | Dan Schemmel | ||
| Grace Davison | Ards | Curtis Coulter | ||
| Tom Fannon | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | ||
| Danielle Farrell | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Conor Ferguson | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson | ||
| Darragh Greene | Gold Coast Performance Centre | Mel Marshall | ||
| Matthew Hamilton | Plymouth College | Roberto Pavoni | ||
| Danielle Hill | Larne | Peter Hill | ||
| Jack Kelly | Longhorn Aquatics | Bob Bowman | ||
| Ellie McCartney | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Mona McSharry | University of Tennessee | Matt Kredich | ||
| Denis O’Brien | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Rosalie Phelan | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson | ||
| Cormac Rynn | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| John Shortt | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | ||
| Ellen Walshe | Templeogue | Brian Sweeney | ||
| Daniel Wiffen | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | ||
| Nathan Wiffen | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | ||
| 2026 European Aquatics Open Water Championships, Paris, 4th – 8th August | ||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Nathan Wiffen | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | ||
| 2026 European Aquatics Diving Championships, Paris, 31st July – 6th August | ||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Jake Passmore | University of Miami | Dario di Fazio | ||
|
2026 European Aquatics Junior Championships, Munich, 7th – 12th July |
||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Maren Byrne | Alto Swim Club | Joey Sementelli | ||
| Niamh Connery | Shark | Ross Coll | ||
| Clare Custer | Sarasota Sharks | Brent Arckey | ||
| Julia Dziedzic | Aer Lingus | Alan Turner | ||
| Phelim Hanley | Blackrock | Goretti Guilfoyle | ||
| 2026 European Aquatics Junior Diving Championships, Budapest, 22nd – 28th June | ||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Emma Kelly | Whirlwind Diving | Joseph Somma | ||
Ireland National Senior Team 2026 Schedule:
23rd – 25th May AP Race London International (London)
27th – 28th May Mare Nostrum Swim Tour (Canet-en-Roussillon, France)
30th – 31st May Mare Nostrum Swim Tour (Barcelona, Spain)
26th – 28th June Sette Colli Swim Meet (Rome, Italy)
24th – 29th July Commonwealth Games (Glasgow)
31st July – 16th August European Aquatics Championships (Swimming, Open Water & Diving) (Paris)
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