Olympic finalist Mona McSharry spearheads a team of 18 named by Swim Ireland for the European Championships with the competition in Rome in August their benchmark meet of the season.
The continental showcase, which runs from 11-21 August in the Italian capital, is the priority focus for their Republic of Ireland athletes with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England having a similar status for the Northern Irish athletes.
A number of those bound for Birmingham will also compete in Rome
Once Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland have ratified the nominations made to them for the Northern Ireland team and the Olympic Federation of Ireland have similarly ratified the nominations made to them for the EOC European Youth Olympic Festival in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, both teams will be announced at a later date.
McSharry was eighth in the 100br in Tokyo before finishing 2021 with bronze at the World Short-Course Championships in Abu Dhabi.
She will be joined by Ellen Walshe, 400IM silver medallist in the UAE, with eight of the nine Tokyo Olympians set for the Foro Italico.
Steven Beckerleg takes on the role of head coach for the male athletes within the team, whilst John Szaranek will undertake the equivalent role for the female athletes.
National performance director Jon Rudd will be Ireland’s team leader.
The switch of the FINA World Championships (50m) from May to June resulted in the majority of pre-selected athletes opting not to attend the competition as part of their preparations for the benchmark meets, but Ireland will be represented in swimming by Olympian Daniel Wiffen and sprint-specialist Calum Bain in Budapest, Hungary.
The remaining contingent of athletes with Rome and/or Birmingham on their minds will utilise the Barcelona and Canet legs of the Mare Nostrum tour to aid their preparations.
The aspiring stars of the future will focus on the LEN European Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania, in July with seven athletes making the cut.
The 2022 FINA World Junior Championships in August were moved from Kazan to Lima, Peru, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The three athletes that met Swim Ireland’s original Selection Policy for this competition (Molly Mayne, Liam Custer, and Grace Hodgins) will instead be provided with senior international caps on this occasion.
For the first time in a long time, international Open Water swimming is back on the table for Ireland with Hazel Bentley and Sean Donnellan competing at the LEN European Junior Open Water Championships in Setubal, Portugal.
Bentley also qualified for one round of the LEN Open Water Cup.
Rudd said:
“After a very successful Olympics and World Short-Course Championships in 2021, it is time for our athletes to see how they can move our sport on yet again for Ireland and with so many events on the calendar this summer, we believe that we have struck an excellent balance across all of that which was available to us.
“The senior team for Rome is strong and we can look forward to something similarly exciting when the Northern Ireland team is announced for Birmingham.
“Our Juniors also have everything to look forward to and nothing to lose and we are confident that they will fare well in Romania against the best youngsters in Europe.
“It’s also very pleasing to see us back in international Open Water territory and we will use these selections to help us assess where our talent lies on the continental stage.
“We wish all of our athletes and their coaches the very best in their preparations over the weeks to come.”
| Swimming – 2022 LEN European Championships (50m), Rome, Italy | ||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Victoria Catterson | National Centre (Ulster), Ireland | Kevin Anderson |
| Eoin Corby | National Centre (Limerick), Ireland | John Szaranek |
| Niamh Coyne | National Centre (Dublin), Ireland | Steven Beckerleg |
| Liam Custer | Sarasota Sharks SC, USA | Brent Arckey |
| Conor Ferguson | National Centre (Ulster), Ireland | Kevin Anderson |
| Darragh Greene | National Centre (Dublin), Ireland | Steven Beckerleg |
| Danielle Hill | Larne SC, Ireland | Peter Hill |
| Grace Hodgins | Trojan SC, Ireland | Jonathan Preston |
| Brendan Hyland | Nunawading SC, Australia | Jol Finck |
| Molly Mayne | Hamilton Aquatics SC, UAE | Ash Morris |
| Max McCusker | Arizona State University, USA | Herbie Behm |
| Finn McGeever | National Centre (Limerick), Ireland | John Szaranek |
| Jack McMillan | University of Stirling, Scotland | Steven Tigg |
| Mona McSharry | University of Tennessee, USA | Matt Kredich |
| Robert Powell | National Centre (Dublin), Ireland | Steven Beckerleg |
| Shane Ryan | National Centre (Dublin), Ireland | Steven Beckerleg |
| Jordan Sloan | National Centre (Ulster), Ireland | Kevin Anderson |
| Ellen Walshe | University of Tennessee, USA | Matt Kredich |
| Swimming – 2022 FINA World Championships (50m), Budapest, Hungary | ||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Calum Bain | University of Stirling, Scotland | Bradley Hay |
| Daniel Wiffen | Loughborough University, England | Andi Manley |
| Swimming – 2022 LEN European Junior Championships, Otopeni, Romania | ||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Evan Bailey | New Ross SC, Ireland | Fran Ronan |
| Liam Custer | Sarasota Sharks SC, USA | Brent Arckey |
| Grace Davison | Ards SC, Ireland | Curtis Coulter |
| Grace Hodgins | Trojan SC, Ireland | Jonathan Preston |
| Thomas Leggett | Larne SC, Ireland | Peter Hill |
| Molly Mayne | Hamilton Aquatics SC, UAE | Ash Morris |
| Ellie McCartney | National Centre (Ulster), Ireland | Kevin Anderson |
| Open Water Swimming – 2022 LEN European Junior Open Water Championship, Setubal, Portugal | ||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Hazel Bentley | Asgard SC & Wicklow SC, Ireland | John Kealy |
| Sean Donnellan | Glenalbyn SC, Ireland | Nickey Burke |
| Open Water Swimming – 2022 LEN Open Water Cup | ||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Hazel Bentley | Asgard SC & Wicklow SC, Ireland | John Kealy |