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.
