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