Irish medallists at 2007 EU C’ships in Dublin
Ireland will enter the 2018 edition of the European Union Men’s Championships in Valladolid, Spain as the No. 1 (male) nation in the tournament.
Ireland, Italy and Bulgaria, in that order, command the top three positions in the all-time medals table since the inaugural competition in France in 2003.
Ken Egan and Paul McCloskey became the first Irish boxers to reach EU finals in France 15 years ago
Former WBO World middleweight titlist Andy Lee made the middleweight decider in Madrid in 2004, the year he qualified for the Athens Olympics, and Egan returned to claim our first EU gold in Italy 12 months later.
Ireland’s dominance of the tournament began at the 2007 Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium where Egan, Darren Sutherland, Roy Sheahan, Carl Frampton and Cathal McMonagle won three gold and two silver medals.
Those of us with long enough memories will also recall that two people with the Irish squad, whose names we will not mention, gave a fine rendition, including the high notes and operatic arrangements, of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in the Ringside Club adjacent to the Stadium in celebration on the night of the finals at the home of Irish boxing!
Two years later, Irish boxing produced a truly remarkable performance after the nine-strong squad secured three gold, three silver, three bronze, the Team of the Tournament Award and topped the medals table in Denmark.
David Oliver Joyce, a three-time EU champion, completed his hat-trick at the last EU Men’s Championships in 2014 in Bulgaria.
The Irish women’s team are lying in 7th position in the all-time EU medals table. Current unified pro champion Katie Taylor (5) and current EU champion Michaela Walsh (1) have topped the podium six times.
Alanna Murphy, who met Taylor in the first officially sanctioned women’s bout in Ireland at the National Stadium in 2001, claimed Ireland’s first women’s EU medal (bronze) in 2006 in Italy.
The 2018 European Union Men’s Championships begin in Valladolid, a city with strong Celtic origins, on November 8.
IRELAND AT EU MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2003 France
64kg Paul McCloskey Silver
81kg Ken Egan Silver
54kg Brian Gillen Bronze
60kg Andy Murray Bronze
91kg Alan Reynolds Bronze
2004 Spain
75kg Andy Lee Silver
2005 Italy
81kg Ken Egan Gold
69kg Karl Brabazon Bronze
75kg Eamonn O’Kane Bronze
2006 Italy
63kg Alanna Murphy Bronze
2008 Liverpool
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
50kg Debbie Rogers Bronze
2007 National Stadium Dublin
69kg Roy Sheahan Gold
75kg Darren Sutherland Gold
81kg Ken Egan Gold
57kg Carl Frampton Silver
91kg Cathal McMonagle Silver
2008 Poland
56kg John Joe Nevin Gold
57kg David Oliver Joyce Gold
81kg Ken Egan Gold
49kg Paddy Barnes Silver
91kg Con Sheehan Silver
2009 Bulgaria
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2009 Denmark
57kg David Oliver Joyce Gold
75kg Darren O’Neill Gold
91kg Con Sheehan Gold
52kg Declan Geraghty Silver
54kg John Joe Nevin Silver
69kg William McLaughlin Silver
60kg Eric Donovan Bronze
64kg Philip Sutcliffe Bronze
81kg Ken Egan Bronze
2010 Hungary
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
2011 Poland
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
69kg Louise Traynor Bronze
81kg Laura O’Neill Bronze
2013 Hungary
60kg Katie Taylor Gold
69kg Claire Grace Bronze
2014 Bulgaria
60kg David Oliver Joyce Gold
81kg Darren O’Neill Silver
75kg Michael O’Reilly Silver
52kg Hughie Myers Bronze
2017 Italy
54kg Michaela Walsh Gold
60kg Kellie Harrington Silve
69kg Grainne Walsh Bronze