2024 IS SET to be another huge year for Irish women’s sport.
From the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer to the annual challenges facing national and domestic teams, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Here, The 42 profiles some Irish sportswomen tipped for a breakout.
(With one exception, we kept the age scale for the main list to 23 and under, with some others detailed below.)
Sadhbh Doyle (Soccer)
Her Peamount United team-mates Erin McLaughlin, Ellen Dolan and Freya Healy grabbed the headlines on the international front last season, but Irish squad involvement is imminent for Doyle.
The 2023 League of Ireland and PFAI Women’s Player of the Year was in the mix for a call-up through the Nations League, and that will likely come to fruition soon.
Doyle, 23, is a joy to watch. She was a pillar of Peamount’s stunning league title win. The midfielder pulls the strings and regularly pops up with crucial goals. A dentistry student at Trinity College and a native of Galway, she represented Ireland at U17 and U19 level, winning 2019 Player of the Year in the latter grade. She also featured at the World University Games that year.
Now, a coveted senior international breakthrough awaits alongside her teenage clubmates. 2024 could be significant for Doyle.
Joy Ralph and Fiana Bradley are among many other rising talents in the league, with Ellen Molloy also set for a big year.
Sarah Healy (Athletics)
Take your pick in terms of Irish female athletes to watch this year. Both Rhasidat Adeleke and Ciara Mageean’s Olympic hopes have been well documented so it goes without saying to keep tabs on them.
Although already an Olympian herself, 1500m competitor Healy is one who may operate under the radar.
Sonia O’Sullivan offered a vote of confidence earlier this week, selecting the 22-year-old Dubliner as her nod for Irish breakthrough sportsperson of the year.
“I expect a few more breakthrough runs from Sarah Healy, as long as she stays healthy and injury free, after she ran 3:59.68 at the World Championships last summer,” O’Sullivan wrote in The Irish Times.
That time secured a new U23 national record for Healy, while the backing from a “huge role model” will go a long way. The UCD Law student has plenty of international experience, but if she can find consistency in 2024, she’s certainly one to keep a close eye on.
Although perhaps too soon at senior level, European U20 long jump champion Elizabeth Ndudi is another, while it’s worth following the progress of heptathlete Kate O’Connor.
Niamh Crowley (LGFA)
2023 was a dream debut year for Niamh Crowley with the Dublin senior ladies footballers. The 19-year-old quickly established herself as a regular starter in the full-back line, playing a key role as the Dubs reclaimed the All-Ireland crown.
Manager Mick Bohan reserved special praise for her after the final win over Kerry.
“Niamh Crowley, her first season out of minor, you’d put her in your pocket – she’s 5ft 3in. She has a heart of a lion,” he said, with Niamh Donlon also getting a nod.
Crowley was one of 12 Dublin players nominated for an All-Star, and she enjoyed an impressive season with her club Fingallians as they won the intermediate championship.
She is also a talented camogie player, having starred for the Sky Blues at underage level, though has focused on inter-county football of late.
Crowley will be central once again as Bohan’s side look to keep the Brendan Martin Cup in the capital.
Eve McMahon (Sailing)
McMahon is barely a year into her senior career, but she is already making a splash on the world stage.
The a 19-year-old Howth Yacht Club sailor is the reigning U21 world champion and is eyeing qualification for the Olympics in Paris this summer.
She is now participating in the first major Olympic-class World Championship of 2024 in Argentina.
McMahon was shortlisted for the 2023 RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year, a prize ultimately won by Ireland international Evan Ferguson. Elizabeth Ndudi was also shortlisted for the award.
The Irish Sailor of the Year for 2021 and 2022, McMahon completed a stunning ’22 Youth World Championship hat-trick while sitting her Leaving Certificate.
Vikki Wall (Sevens Rugby)
Probably the most recognisable name on the list, the multi-sport Meath star is in the thick of a new challenge having joined the IRFU’s Sevens programme as a centrally contracted player last August.
A talismanic figure and Footballer of the Year through the Royals’ remarkable All-Ireland success, Wall also had a stint in the AFLW with North Melbourne in 2022.
A further oval ball code switch was more dramatic, to say the least. “More challenging, in so many different ways… it’s just a different level,” as she told The 42 before Christmas.
The Ireland Women’s Sevens team had already secured Olympic qualification when Wall came on board, so the Dunboyne ace is surely dreaming of the summer of a lifetime.
But for now, she must focus on establishing herself in the set-up.
Wall has donned the green jersey, but not yet on the World Series, so it her 2024 journey is one to keep tabs on.
Róisín Ní Riain (Para Swimming)
Another nominee for RTÉ Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year in 2023, Ní Riain claimed gold and silver medals at the World Para Swimming Championships last July.
She booked her second Paralympics ticket as a result, clocking personal bests in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.
The 18-year-old was the youngest member of Team Ireland at Tokyo 2020. There, she had one of the busiest schedules of any Irish athlete, contesting six events. Ní Riain gave a brilliant account of herself at her first Games, reaching several finals having just won her first medal at a major Para competition earlier that year.
With more experience under her belt this time around, the Limerick star will be targeting the podium.
As Ellen Keane prepares to bow out on a high after the Games, Ní Riain, Nicole Turner and the likes will continue to carry the can. Mona McSharry is the main Olympic hope.
Others to keep an eye on
Analise Murphy (Cycling)
Another 23yo+ code crosser, the Olympic silver medal winning sailor is enjoying a transition to cycling. Won three Irish track cycling titles on a borrowed bike, with Paris on the 33-year-old’s mind now. Megan Armitage is also worth looking out for on the road.
Tham Nguyen (Weightlifting)
Incredible story. 2022 history-maker, as the first Irish weightlifter to win a senior European medal after a seven-year absence from international competition. Entrepreneur. Mother. The 27-year-old hopes to follow in the footsteps of her brother, Nhat, and become an Olympian.
Lauren Walsh (Golf)
Made the move into the professional ranks after completing her studies in the US last summer. The 24-year-old Kildare woman is looking to build on an impressive amateur career, like Leona Maguire has done of late.
Aoife O’Rourke (Boxing)
On a strong team alongside Kellie Harrington and Michaela Walsh, O’Rourke will become a two-time Olympian this summer. Also a talented Gaelic footballer, the 26-year-old Roscommon woman is a multi European champion and has lit up the boxing scene in recent years.
Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen (Rowing)
One cannot be mentioned without the other. The Cork duo are among the Olympic medal hopefuls, having qualified for the Games after winning the world lightweight women’s double B final last year. Casey is 25, and Cremen turned 26 on Friday.
