ELLEN WALSHE RECORDED two top seed times and set a new Irish Record while Mona McSharry set a new Championship Record as the Irish Open Swimming Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials continued in Bangor on Friday morning.
Templeogue’s Walshe, already a double national champion in Bangor in the 200m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley, continued her impressive form with a new Irish Record of 1:58.72 in the 200m Freestyle, securing another European Championships consideration time.
The two-time Olympian broke her own 2025 record of 1:58.88 and was the only swimmer under the two-minute mark. Grace Davison clocked 2:00.92 to qualify second and achieve another European time, while Victoria Catterson swam 2:01.29 for third.
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Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
In the 100m Butterfly heats Walshe swam exactly one minute qualifying as the top seed for the Final ahead of National Centre Ulster’s Alana Burns Atkin (1:00.78) and City of Manchester’s Jessica Calderbank (1:00.83).
Mona McSharry produced her third‑fastest ever swim in the 200m Breaststroke, touching in 2:23.02 to win her heat and eclipse Ellie McCartney’s 2025 Championship Record of 2:24.35.
McCartney responded with a heat win of her own in 2:28.93, as both swimmers secured European Championships consideration times, with McCartney also adding a Commonwealth Games standard. Shark’s Niamh Connery was third fastest in the heats in 2:33.37, earning a consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships.
Newly crowned Irish Record holder and national champion in the 50m Breaststroke, Jack Kelly, is on course for a second title on Friday evening after posting the fastest time in the 200m Breaststroke. The Terenure swimmer touched in 2:12.42, just outside the European Aquatics Championships consideration time of 2:12.27. National Centre Ulster’s Lachey Reed and Trojan’s Beau McCabe completed the top three in 2:20.03 and 2:20.12 respectively.
John Shortt topped the Open 50m Backstroke heats to secure top seed for the Final in 25.21. The National Centre Limerick swimmer, who set new Irish and Championship Records in the 100m Backstroke on Thursday, was inside the European Aquatics Championships consideration time of 25.49. Paris Olympian Conor Ferguson advanced as the second‑fastest qualifier in 25.54, just outside the standard.
Larne’s Danielle Hill leads the 50m Backstroke Final after clocking 28.56 in the heats, adding another Commonwealth Games and European Championships consideration swim. Jena Macdougald (UCD) and Lottie Cullen (National Centre Ulster) qualified second and third in 29.04 and 29.13 respectively.
Cormac Rynn (National Centre Limerick) topped the 200m Freestyle standings, producing the fastest swim of the heats and the only time under 1:50 with a 1:49.56 effort. Daniel Wiffen qualified second in 1:50.19, ahead of Irish Record holder Evan Bailey in 1:50.75.
Jack Cassin (National Centre Limerick) won the final heat of the Open 100m Butterfly heats in 53.42 to lead the qualifiers into the final. Heat two winner, Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton, is the second-fastest qualifier in 53.64, adding a second European Championships Consideration time (U23) to the 100m Freestyle.
Competition continues this afternoon through to Sunday.
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Walshe and McSharry star as day three heats deliver fast times in Bangor
ELLEN WALSHE RECORDED two top seed times and set a new Irish Record while Mona McSharry set a new Championship Record as the Irish Open Swimming Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials continued in Bangor on Friday morning.
Templeogue’s Walshe, already a double national champion in Bangor in the 200m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley, continued her impressive form with a new Irish Record of 1:58.72 in the 200m Freestyle, securing another European Championships consideration time.
The two-time Olympian broke her own 2025 record of 1:58.88 and was the only swimmer under the two-minute mark. Grace Davison clocked 2:00.92 to qualify second and achieve another European time, while Victoria Catterson swam 2:01.29 for third.
In the 100m Butterfly heats Walshe swam exactly one minute qualifying as the top seed for the Final ahead of National Centre Ulster’s Alana Burns Atkin (1:00.78) and City of Manchester’s Jessica Calderbank (1:00.83).
Mona McSharry produced her third‑fastest ever swim in the 200m Breaststroke, touching in 2:23.02 to win her heat and eclipse Ellie McCartney’s 2025 Championship Record of 2:24.35.
McCartney responded with a heat win of her own in 2:28.93, as both swimmers secured European Championships consideration times, with McCartney also adding a Commonwealth Games standard. Shark’s Niamh Connery was third fastest in the heats in 2:33.37, earning a consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships.
Newly crowned Irish Record holder and national champion in the 50m Breaststroke, Jack Kelly, is on course for a second title on Friday evening after posting the fastest time in the 200m Breaststroke. The Terenure swimmer touched in 2:12.42, just outside the European Aquatics Championships consideration time of 2:12.27. National Centre Ulster’s Lachey Reed and Trojan’s Beau McCabe completed the top three in 2:20.03 and 2:20.12 respectively.
John Shortt topped the Open 50m Backstroke heats to secure top seed for the Final in 25.21. The National Centre Limerick swimmer, who set new Irish and Championship Records in the 100m Backstroke on Thursday, was inside the European Aquatics Championships consideration time of 25.49. Paris Olympian Conor Ferguson advanced as the second‑fastest qualifier in 25.54, just outside the standard.
Larne’s Danielle Hill leads the 50m Backstroke Final after clocking 28.56 in the heats, adding another Commonwealth Games and European Championships consideration swim. Jena Macdougald (UCD) and Lottie Cullen (National Centre Ulster) qualified second and third in 29.04 and 29.13 respectively.
Cormac Rynn (National Centre Limerick) topped the 200m Freestyle standings, producing the fastest swim of the heats and the only time under 1:50 with a 1:49.56 effort. Daniel Wiffen qualified second in 1:50.19, ahead of Irish Record holder Evan Bailey in 1:50.75.
Jack Cassin (National Centre Limerick) won the final heat of the Open 100m Butterfly heats in 53.42 to lead the qualifiers into the final. Heat two winner, Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton, is the second-fastest qualifier in 53.64, adding a second European Championships Consideration time (U23) to the 100m Freestyle.
Competition continues this afternoon through to Sunday.
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Swimming