Top 5 Irish Sporting Moments of 2024.

Author: Liam Lacey, Last Updated: 06.01.2025

As we bid farewell to 2024 and ring in 2025, we have decided to look back at the Top 5 sporting occasions that have graced an unprecedented year of history making and achievement in Irish sport. From our Olympic heroes doing the country proud over the summer of 2024, to more history making from the greatest horse racing trainer in the world Willie Mullins, 2024 has proven to be a year of unbridled success for Ireland’s sporting heroes.

What Makes Our list?

A Summer in Paris Irish Fans will never forget.

After the achievements in Rome, Irish athletics was on a high heading into the Paris Olympics in July. A record team of 134 athletes went to the Games as the country enjoyed its most successful Olympic Games ever, winning 7 medals, 4 Golds and 3 Bronze medals. The team secured medals in seven consecutive days of the Games with Mona McSharry kicking off the medal rush on July 29th in the Women’s 100 metre Backstroke. Daniel Wiffen then added Ireland’s first Gold Medal of the Games by winning the Men’s 800m Freestyle the following day, with the 23-year-old adding a Bronze in the 1500m Freestyle later in the meet.

Rowers Daire Lynch and Phillip Doyle won a bronze in the Men’s Double Sculls event before the all-conquering Paul O’ Donavan and Fintan McCarthy won their second consecutive Gold in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls. Rhys McClenaghan added another Gold with victory in the Men’s Pommel Horse, before Kellie Harrington won the Gold Medal for the second consecutive Olympics in the Women’s Lightweight boxing Division.

Cork and Clare Dish Up a Classic All-Ireland Hurling Final

Few matches will be looked back upon with more fondness and joy (unless you are from Cork, of course,) than the 2024 All-Ireland Hurling Final. Cork and Clare provided us with one of the greatest and most epic games of hurling ever witnessed inside Croke Park as Clare finally took home the Liam McCarthy after a back-and-forth match that went all the way to extra time.

Moments of brilliance like Tony Kelly’s goal in the second half will ensure that this year’s decider will live long in the memory of Clare people as the county took home their fifth All-Ireland title, and their first since 2013. For Cork the longest drought in their history goes on, The Rebel County without an All-Ireland crown since 2005.

Mageean and the Mixed Relay Team Win Gold at European Athletics Championships.

An historic summer of Irish athletics was kicked off in glorious fashion at the 2024 European Athletics Championships back in June when Ciara Mageean took home a long-awaited major gold medal in the Women’s 1500 metres. Injury would later play a part in the Down athlete’s inability to contribute to Ireland’s record-breaking Olympics but on that night on June 7th, Mageean became the first Irish athlete to win an individual European Championship gold since Sonia O’ Sullivan.

Two nights previously, the 400 metres mixed relay team had won the inaugural version of the race at the European Championships. The team consisting of Chris O’ Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr and Sharlene Mawdsley took the gold, with Mawdsley and Adeleke adding a Women’s 400m relay silver later at the meet, alongside Phil Healy and Sophie Becker. In fact, Adeleke also brought home an individual silver medal in the Women’s 400m, making it Ireland’s most successful Europeans with 2 golds and 2 silvers.

Willie Mullins Rules the Racing Year Once More.

2024 was a record-breaking year for the Closutton maestro as he once again was named leading trainer at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, including bagging his 100th Festival winner with Jasmin de Vaux in the Bumper.

This year’s Festival also saw Irish trained horses win all four big Championship races as the Irish domination of the famous festival continued. For Mullins more history beckoned as he added another Grand National to his name with the victory of, I Am Maximus in the world’s most famous horserace. Mullins then became the first Irish based trainer to claim the British jump racing Champion Trainer crown since Vincent O’ Brien in 1954.

Shelbourne Reclaiming the League of Ireland Title

Few managers have caught the imagination in Irish sport like Shelbourne manager Damien Duff since his appointment back in 2021. The 100 times capped former Ireland international immediately brought attention and eyes to the League when he became manager, and he has certainly lived up to the hype as boss of the Drumcondra based club.

An FAI Cup Final appearance in his first season was followed by qualification for the UEFA Conference League Qualifiers at the end of his second. His third season would bring the League title back to Tolka Park for the first time since 2006 as Shels confounded preseason predictions to take the title on the last day against Derry City.

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