Complete Guide to the Irish in Action: History and Impact

According to RTÉ, Irish athletes are competing across two major international showcases this week as the European Athletics Championships take place in Birmingham and the European Aquatics Championships run concurrently in Paris. Live coverage of both events is available on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, charting a medal haul that includes gold for Ellen Walshe in the women’s 400m individual medley and Mark English in the men’s 800m, alongside silver medals for Mona McSharry in the women’s 100m breaststroke and Rhasidat Adeleke in the women’s 200m.

Day Five Schedule and Results Across Birmingham and Paris

Friday, August 14th, brought a packed slate of heats and finals for the Irish team in both host cities. In athletics, Kate O’Connor opened her women’s heptathlon campaign in the 100m hurdles (10.42am) and the high jump (11.25am), with evening sessions slated for the shot put (7.35pm) and 200m (9.02pm). Track events featured the men’s 4x400m relay heats (11.16am) with a provisional squad including Ciaran Carthy, Alex Cullen, Fintan Dewhirst, Sean Doggett, Joe Doody, Andrew Egan, Darragh Murphy, and Jack Raftery. The women’s 4x400m relay heats (11.46am) listed Rhasidat Adeleke, Sophie Becker, Jenna Breen, Arlene Crossan, Michelle Duggan, and Cliodhna Manning. Cathal Doyle (12.05pm) and Andrew Coscoran (12.15pm) contested the men’s 1,500m heats, while Niamh Allen and Fiona Everard lined up for the women’s 10,000m final at 7.45pm.

At the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, the morning swimming heats yielded mixed progression results. In the women’s 50m freestyle, Rosalie Phelan finished 30th and did not advance. The men’s 50m breaststroke saw Jack Kelly (22nd), Darragh Greene (30th), Adam Bradley (48th), and Eoin Corby (52nd) miss out on the next round. In the women’s 100m backstroke, Danielle Hill (14th) and Grace Davison (15th) qualified for the semi-finals, though Lottie Cullen missed progression due to the two-athlete-per-nation rule despite finishing 17th. Jack Cassin booked a semi-final spot in the men’s 200m butterfly by finishing 16th, while Liam Custer placed 34th. In the women’s 200m individual medley, Ellen Walshe (2nd) and Ellie McCartney (12th) safely advanced. Daniel Wiffen and Nathan Wiffen were entered for the men’s 1,500m freestyle heats.

Friday’s evening swimming session featured Ellie McCartney and Mona McSharry in the women’s 200m breaststroke final (5.43pm), alongside Grace Davison and Danielle Hill in the women’s 100m backstroke semi-finals (5.50pm). Adam Bradley, Eoin Corby, Darragh Greene, and Jack Kelly contested the men’s 50m breaststroke semi-finals (5.59pm), and Rosalie Phelan raced in the women’s 50m freestyle semi-finals (6.18pm). Jack Cassin returned for the men’s 200m butterfly semi-finals (6.25pm), and Ellen Walshe teamed up with Ellie McCartney again for the 200m IM semi-finals (6.35pm).

Day Six Schedule: Race Walks, Relays, and Finals in Paris

Saturday, August 15th, shifts focus to endurance events and heavy relay schedules. David Kenny and Oisin Lane get day six underway early in the men’s half-marathon race walk at 7.30am. Kate O’Connor continues her heptathlon events with the long jump (10.25am) and javelin (11.55am) before concluding with the 800m at 7.45pm. The women’s 1,500m heats feature Sarah Healy, Sophie O’Sullivan, and Jodie McCann at 12.15pm. Women’s 4x100m relay heats (12.40pm) list Katie Bergin, Sarah Leahy, Ciara Neville, Mollie O’Reilly, Lauren Roy, Molly Scott, and Lucy-May Sleeman. The men’s 4x100m relay squad (1pm) includes Sean Aigboboh, Toluwabori Akinola, Dubem Amah, Lucas Fadden, Marcus Lawler, Ryan Mulholland, Israel Olatunde, and Mark Smyth. Jack O’Leary rounds out the day’s athletics in the men’s 10,000m at 8.25pm.

In the Paris pool on Saturday, the morning session includes Tom Fannon and Matthew Hamilton in the men’s 50m freestyle heats, Ellen Walshe and Alana Burns-Atkin in the women’s 200m butterfly heats, John Shortt in the men’s 100m backstroke heats, Mona McSharry in the women’s 50m breaststroke heats, and Jack Cassin, Jacob Armon, and Liam Custer in the men’s 200m IM heats. The evening session features a packed slate of finals and semi-finals, highlighted by Daniel Wiffen and Nathan Wiffen in the men’s 1,500m freestyle final at 6.20pm, alongside potential appearances in the women’s 50m freestyle, breaststroke, and 200m individual medley finals.

Day Seven: Marathons and Final-Day Relays

Sunday, August 16th, brings the endurance championships to a close on the roads and in the pool. Fionnuala McCormack starts the morning at 7.30am in the women’s marathon, followed by Paul O’Donnell, Ryan Creech, and David McGlynn in the men’s marathon at 8.10am. The evening athletics session hosts the women’s 1,500m final (9.13pm), the women’s 4x400m relay final (9.33pm), and the men’s 4x400m relay final (9.48pm).

Swimming finals on Sunday evening feature the men’s 400m freestyle—with Denis O’Brien, Cormac Rynn, Daniel Wiffen, and Nathan Wiffen—alongside the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relay finals, bringing the joint championships to a close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I watch the European Athletics and Aquatics Championships in Ireland?

According to RTÉ, live coverage for both events is broadcast on RTÉ2 and available to stream on the RTÉ Player.

Which Irish athletes have already won medals?

RTÉ confirms that Ellen Walshe won gold in the women’s 400m individual medley, Mark English won gold in the men’s 800m, Mona McSharry secured silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke, and Rhasidat Adeleke claimed silver in the women’s 200m.

Where are the two championships taking place?

According to the official schedule details, the European Athletics Championships are being held in Birmingham, while the European Aquatics Championships are taking place in Paris.