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Swim Ireland has announced the athletes who will represent Ireland in upcoming senior international competitions, the European Short Course (25m) Championships and the World Long Course (50m) Championships.

For the forthcoming 2023 European Aquatics Championships in Bucharest in December (6th – 10th), a team of 17 athletes have been named, spearheaded by European Record holder Daniel Wiffen. The team was selected in two sections, to allow both a senior and a junior element to the team. Wiffen, who was a two-time finalist at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan will feature alongside Ellen Walshe who was a semi-finalist at this event. Familiar names such as Shane Ryan and Danielle Hill will also be part of the team, with some athletes, including Mona McSharry, Darragh Greene and Conor Ferguson opting not to compete on this occasion in favour of the training pool.

For the first time of asking, twins Daniel and Nathan Wiffen will compete on an Irish team together, whilst exciting youngsters John Shortt, Ellie McCartney and Grace Davison will be familiar names from recent European Junior and Commonwealth Youth Games campaigns.

The 2024 iteration of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar (2nd – 18th February 2024) will see both swimmers and divers vie for Olympic berths in Paris, with this being the penultimate occasion for swimmers before a final Olympic Trials in Dublin in May. For the divers, this is their final nail-biting attempt to achieve their place as part of Team Ireland.

Mona McSharry will feature for Ireland in this event as part of a 12-strong swimming team and a 3-person diving team. McSharry was a finalist on two occasions at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and, alongside Wiffen, will form Ireland’s greatest hopes of final spots and podium challenges across the eight days of racing. Ellen Walshe will skip this event to focus on training through to May and both the Men’s 400m Medley relay and Women’s 400m Freestyle relay are set to compete on this occasion. Ireland currently sit with three relays in provisional Olympic relays berths, with an overall Top-16 position from Fukuoka and Doha required to secure Paris invitations.

National Performance Director Jon Rudd was excited about the announcements taking place and what this means for Irish swimming and diving over the months ahead. “The European Short Course Championships is first up for us and will give athletes an opportunity to tune up in international waters before many of them head to Doha. For the juniors on the team, opportunities to test themselves against older and more experienced athletes is something that must be grasped with both hands. I am sure that those on our team will do that very thing.”

In terms of Doha, he went on to say, “It is an unusual time of the year to have such an event, and we may never see this again, particularly in Olympic year, but it must be embraced, and we have to take the opportunities that come with it. Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and Ellen Walshe have all booked their places in Paris, and this is a chance for our swimmers, divers and our relays to add themselves to Team Ireland and ensure their spots come July.”