The first athletes have been announced to represent Team Ireland at the Paralympic Games this summer. Seven athletes across two sports will fly to Paris for the Games which take place from August 28th to September 8th.
Colin Judge will represent Ireland for the second time in table tennis having competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Dublin native has been in excellent form since those Games and will be hoping to build on his recent performances for Paris.
Deaten Registe and Dearbhaile Brady will both make their Paralympic debuts in swimming. Registe recently made his international debut at the European championships and Brady goes into Paris with a European bronze medal from the same championships.
Meanwhile, Ellen Keane will be appearing at her fifth and final Paralympic Games. To date Keane has a Paralympic bronze and gold medal. She recently won European silver in Madeira and will be hoping to add to her tally in Paris.
Nicole Turner will also bring great experience to the team, competing in what will be the third Paralympic Games of her career. The Tokyo silver medallist goes into the Games with great confidence having won gold, silver and two bronze European medals this year.
Tokyo Paralympian, Commonwealth and European medallist Barry McClements will travel to his second Games in Paris. His path to the Paralympic Games this time around has not been easy having suffered a fractured femur in September 2023.
Róisín Ní Riain will be looking to impress at her second Paralympic Games. The Tokyo Paralympian and double World Champion who is currently studying at the University of Limerick had an outstanding European Championships winning five medals including two gold.
Speaking on the announcement, Paralympics Ireland Chef de Mission Neasa Russell said, “We are really delighted to be announcing the first of our Team Ireland for the Paralympic Games. We are incredibly proud of the performances the athletes have put in to get to this point and we are really looking forward to supporting them reach their potential at Paris. Tús maith leath na hoibre'”
Speaking on the announcement, Paralympics Ireland CEO, Stephen McNamara said, “It’s a very exciting day being able to announce the first of our athletes who will represent Team Ireland at the Paralympic Games. I want to congratulate the athletes as well as their coaches and families on this very special occasion. So much hard work goes into qualifying for the Games and this is a culmination of their efforts for the past number of years. We look forward to cheering them on in Paris.”
Speaking on the announcement, Para Swimming Performance Director, Dave Malone said, “It’s a tremendous day with six athletes being selected to represent Ireland at para swimming at the Games. It’s a really exciting team with a lot of world class experience alongside two new debutants. We have high hopes for our athletes as they put the final preparations towards the Games. We’ve had a challenging and rewarding qualification process and a very successful European Championships in Madeira winning 12 medals, so our team are well prepared and all of us are looking forward to supporting the athletes in the final few months before Paris”
Colin Judge
Age: 29
Hometown: Blackrock, Dublin
Club: UCD Table Tennis Club
Classification: 3
Deaten Registe
Age: 20
Hometown: Dungannon, Tyrone
Club: Lisburn City Swimming Club
Classification: S14
Dearbhaile Brady
Age: 16
Hometown: Feeny, Derry
Club: Limavady Swim Club
Classification: S6
Ellen Keane
Age: 29
Hometown: Clontarf, Dublin
Club: NAC Swim Club
Classification: S8/9
Róisín Ní Riain
Age: 19
Hometown: Drombanna, Co. Limerick
Club: Limerick Swim Club
Classification: S13
Nicole Turner
Age: 21
Hometown: Portarlington, Laois
Club: NAC Swim Club
Class: S6
Barry McClements
Age: 22
Hometown: Newtownards, Down
Club: Ards Swimming Club
Classification: S9
