Ireland Has 12 Swimmers and a Historic 3 Divers Set for Europeans

2 May 2015; Men's 200m backstroke Irish National Champion Conor Ferguson, Larne, during the 2015 Irish Open Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre, Abbotstown, Dublin. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE

Photo Courtesy: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE

Swim Ireland has announced a roster of 15 that will compete in the 2016 LEN European Championships.

The roster includes 12 swimmers and three divers. This is a major accomplishment on the diving side, as Oliver Dingley, Natasha MacManus, and Jack Ffrench will be Ireland’s first representation at the European Championship in nearly 20 years.

Leading the diving campaign is Dingley. He has already qualified for Rio, and will be Ireland’s first diving Olympian in 68 years.

Head diving coach, Damian Ball, said, that all of Ireland had been “lifted” by Dingley’s accomplishment. Yet, he notes, “The Euro’s will be a tough challenge for Ireland’s divers, there’s no getting away from that, but we will enjoy the ride together and see where it takes us.”

For the swimmers, three Olympic qualifiers will represent the nation, in addition to nine others hoping to earn a trip to Rio. Fiona Doyle and Nicholas Quinn have already secured their Olympic berths.

Shane Ryan has earned his Olympic A times, but his participation is not yet guaranteed. The dual-citizen represented the United States at the Duel in the Pool in 2013, before choosing to represent Ireland internationally, to improve his chances of making the 2016 Games. Ryan’s year long waiting period should end on May 13, three days before the start of the swimming portion of the European Championships.

Conor Ferguson is another hoping to join his teammates in Rio. Last week, he came painfully close to the FINA A time, missing it by .05 in the 100 backstroke.

The other swimmers are Sycerika McMahon, Dan Sweeney, Alex Murphy, Jordan Sloan, Brendan Hyland, Curtis Coulter, Danielle Hill, and Mona McSharry.

Swim Ireland contributed to this report.

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