The month of October is Black History Month in Ireland. It recognises the global impact of black history and remembers the ongoing fight for racial equality and social justice worldwide.
In celebration of Black History Month, we look back at some of the sporting achievements of black Irish athletes.
Rhasidat Adeleke
Rhasidat Adeleke is an Irish sprinter and the first Irish woman to break the 50-second barrier in the 400 metres. In 2021, Adeleke won her first senior national outdoor title at age 18, winning the 100 m / 200 m sprint double at the European U20 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. That same year, she took up a scholarship with the University of Texas at Austin and competed in the US Collegiate Indoor Championships.
In August 2022, she placed fifth in the 400 metres final at the European Championships held in Munich, setting an Irish record of 50.53 seconds. She has since lowered her national record over 400 m to 49.20 s to take gold in the final at the NCCA Division 1 National Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas this year. She holds six Irish national records (60 m indoors, 200 m indoors and out, 300 m indoors and 400 m indoors and out).
Blessed! Next chapter with @nike 🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/NAgpNw5mOW
— Rhasidat Adeleke (@rhasidatadeleke) July 17, 2023
Elizabeth Ndudi
Elizabeth Ndudi is an Irish track and field athlete. Ndudi became Ireland’s first-ever field gold medalist at the European Under-20 Championships in Jerusalem; The Dundrum athlete came out on top in the long jump with a jump of 6.56 metres. Her distance is also a new Irish under-20 record.
Ndudi’s victory now brings to 24 the number of medals Ireland has ever won at under-20 level, half of which have been won since 2017.
The reaction is everything! 🥹💕
Elizabeth Ndudi jumps into the history books for Ireland 🇮🇪 with long jump gold in #Jerusalem2023! pic.twitter.com/uVTMB6bJJm— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) August 10, 2023
Nadia Power
Nadia Power is a track athlete, having represented Ireland at Youth and U20 levels with her first medal success at the U23 European Championships in 2019. The Dublin athlete set a New Irish U23 record in 2020 as well as securing a win in the World Athletics Continental Tour in Zagreb.
In 2021, Power qualified for her first Olympic Games in Tokyo in the 800m. She set a new Irish indoor 800m record with a time of 2:02.44, and further improved on this time at the World Indoor Tour in Poland running 2:00.98. Power was also named as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman for January 2021.
#Athletics
7th place for Nadia Power in 800m Heat 2 with a time of 2:03.74
Outside the 3 automatic Q spots - a wait to see if her time is good enough to qualify when all heats are completed#TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/S381mrZGHU— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 30, 2021
Gina Akpe-Moses
Gina Akpe-Moses is a sprinter. In 2017 she became the European Junior Champion over 100 metres, the first Irish woman to win a sprint gold medal at that level. In 2018, she won silver as part of the women's 4 × 100 m Irish team at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, having also qualified for the final of the individual race.
My best day of Summer 2017 #summer2017 #athletics 🏃🏽♀️🥇☘️ pic.twitter.com/t983GcAOmH
— Gina Moses (@GinaAkpeMoses) November 24, 2017
Linda Djougang
Linda Djougang was born in Cameroon and grew up in North Dublin. She started playing rugby when she was 18 for Wanderer Women’s Rugby Club at Division 4. She had the opportunity to get selected for a Leinsteer Trial in 2016, and made the Leinster squad that same year.
In 2017, Djougang moved to Old Belvedeere Women’s Rugby Club, and went on to get her first Leinster Cap in 2018. Djougang won her first Ireland cap in 2019 in the Six Nations against Scotland, and also scored a try for Leinster against the Harlequins in the first women’s club game at Twickenham that same year. She was a part of the Ireland team that did not qualify for the 2021 Rugby World Cup. Outside of rugby, she works as a full-time nurse and was on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic.
#IrishRugby
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲! 💪💚@DjougangLinda made a big impact during her maiden #WomensSixNations campaign in green, making 4⃣5⃣ carries in just four games 🔝#ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/bvkjhhB9AM— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 6, 2021
Sophie Spence
Sophie Spence is a former player and Grand Slam winner for Ireland women's rugby union international. Spence made her international debut in 2012 and played an instrumental role in Ireland’s run to a Six Nations Grand Slam success in 2013. She played a key role as Ireland claimed a second Six Nations title in three years in 2015 and was named Women's Player of the Year at the Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards.
Spence represented Ireland at the 2014 and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups and was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat England and New Zealand. Spence ran her own academy in Ireland where she coached young girls across the country and is currently a World Rugby coaching intern with the Welsh national women's team.
Irish rugby international @spence_87, who started her playing career while studying at #TeessideUni, is among rugby legends who feature on the new set of stamps released by @RoyalMail to celebrate moments from iconic men’s and women’s rugby union matches! 👏🏉🍀 pic.twitter.com/Nly7F1lfQj
— Teesside University (@TeessideUni) October 20, 2021
Jackie McCarthy O’Brien
Jackie McCarthy O’Brien was the first black person to represent Ireland in both rugby and soccer. The Limerick native played soccer from the age of 11 until her retirement at the age of 33, earning 13 national caps between 1983 to 1994. After retiring from soccer, she switched to rugby and within six months she represented Munster and later, the Irish National team. She played with the national team for four seasons before hanging up her boots.
Her daughter, Sam, followed in her footsteps and also went on to play for the Irish women’s soccer team, making them the first mother-daughter duo to represent the Ireland Women's National Team at senior level.
How Jackie McCarthy-O’Brien became the first black woman to represent Ireland in soccer and rugby https://t.co/LQadQ8Iyl4
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) July 3, 2023
Britney Ardense
Britney Ardense is a para-powerlifter who in 2018 became the first Irish athlete to set a Junior World Record in the 73kg category. Her powerlifting career began when she was 16 after she was recruited to the sport during a wheelchair basketball match. She has continued to break national records while representing Ireland on the international stage. The Cavan woman represented Ireland at the 2020 Paralympic Games and is currently training towards qualifying for Paris 2024.
Mullagh's own Britney Arendse heads to Tokyo tomorrow to represent Ireland in the Paralympics, in the 73kg Division of the Para Powerlifting competition. Best of luck Britney, we're all behind you in Mullagh & in Ireland https://t.co/z6kRRVXeEj#TeamIreland #TheNextLevel pic.twitter.com/CpvdLXVnGE
— Margaret's (@margaretseggs) August 13, 2021
Rianna Jarrett
Rianna Jarrett is a soccer striker, who since her first spell at Wexford, went on to win three league titles and three FAI Cups scoring 99 goals and making 108 appearances. She also has 16 caps for the Irish women’s national team. After being out of soccer for 12 months due to an injury, she recently returned to her home-club Wexford Youths, after living in London since 2020, playing for Brighton and Hove Albion and then London City Lionesses.
REPORT | @YouthsWomen 7-2 @dlrwaves
Doubles from Lauren Kelly and Rianna Jarrett, along with goals by Rossiter, Kennedy and an OG sealed the 3⃣ points for the Youths in the #SóHotelsWNL this evening 🙌
✍️ Report by @insideright7 👉 https://t.co/P8Qr7gOc30 #WNL pic.twitter.com/NxJAUDYfOc— LOI Women (@LoiWomen) September 28, 2019
Lara Dahunsi
Lara Dahunsi is a Gaelic football player from Antrim. She was named at midfield in the LGFA’s team of the league for Divison 4 in 2019 and at just 16, she was Ulster’s young player of the year. She continues to be a key player for Antrim, and was also included in the 2023 TG4 Intermediate Team of the Championship.
Lara Dahunsi of @AntrimLGFA is presented with the TG4 Player of the match by TG4 Head of Sport Rónán Ó Coisdealbha after the @TG4TV All-Ireland Ladies Football Junior Championship Final match between Antrim and Fermanagh at Croke Park. pic.twitter.com/bLPR1X7ug2
— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) July 31, 2022
Evelyn Igharo
Evelyn Igharo is a 14x Irish National Boxing Champion from Drogheda, Co. Louth. She won her fourteenth national title in 2020 and claimed silver at the European Youth Championships in 2018. Igharo became the youngest ever Elite National champion and her club’s first ever National champion.
“Evelyn [Igharo] represents the new Ireland. She’s Irish, she’s black, and if she keeps progressing she’s going to be a world champion, without a shadow of a doubt." - Boxing coach Jim O'Neill on the finest boxer to come out of Clann Naofa Academy, Dundalk pic.twitter.com/3B63q4ahTr
— Brendan Crossan (@CrossanBrendan) December 18, 2019
Gandy Malou-Mamel
Gandy Malou-Mamel is the first ever Irish player to be recruited by the UConn women’s basketball programmme - the most successful women’s college basketball team ever. As a sophomore at Gill St. Bernard’s school in Gladstone, New Jersey, she averaged 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in 27 games. Last year, she won a U18 Women’s National Cup with the Limerick Celtics, defeating the Liffey Celtics 66-57 in the final. In August, Malou-Mamel participated in the Irish National Team’s training camp. Malou-Mamel is UConn’s second commit of the Class of 2025.
2025 6’5” Gandy Malou-Mamel (@GandyMamel8) of @GSB_WBB continues to improve every game. Displaying her shot blocking ability and soft touch around the rim #Uncommitted @NJLadiesHoops pic.twitter.com/OPi7lmv4pD
— BROLYLEWISMEDIA (@brolymedia) January 26, 2023
