Daniel Wiffen & Mona McSharry Spearhead Ireland’s Largest-Ever European Aquatics Championships Team
Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry spearhead Ireland’s largest-ever European Aquatics Championships team, with 26 swimmers and one diver selected for Paris in August.
The pair – who between them won a gold and two bronzes at the 2024 Olympics – will be joined by Ellen Walshe, John Shortt and Danielle Hill who have all clinched European honours across the long and short-course pools.
Mona McSharry: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia
Hill heads to Paris as the defending 50m backstroke champion following her gold medal performance at Belgrade 2024. Wiffen returns to the French capital two years after his Games success in search of the only medal missing from his long-course collection to add to his Olympic, world and Commonwealth honours.
McSharry and Walshe seek their first European long course medals as Shortt continues his rise through the senior ranks a year after double gold at the World Junior Championships.
The squad features a blend of proven performers and emerging talent, with 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, coached by Bob Bowman at the University of Texas and who swept the breaststroke events at the recent Irish Championships, will 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, which will take place in the River Seine prior to the pool programme — the same venue where his brother Daniel became Ireland’s first Olympic open water swimmer in 2024.
In diving, Paris Olympian Jake Passmore will be Ireland’s sole representative.
Ireland will be represented by six athletes across two European Aquatics Junior Championship events this summer.
John Shortt: Photo Courtesy: Swim Ireland
Five swimmers have been selected for the European Junior Swimming Championships in Munich in July with one diver representing Ireland at the European Junior Diving Championships in Budapest in June.
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.”
| 2026 European Aquatics Championships (50m), Paris, 10th – 16th August | ||||
| Athlete Name | Home Coaching Programme | Coach | ||
| Jacob Armon | Swansea University | Graeme Antwhistle | ||
| Evan Bailey | University of Texas | Bob Bowman | ||
| 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 | ||