Swim Ireland has named 68 athletes to its National Programme for the 2026–27 season, bringing together swimmers across three distinct cohorts. The Performance group is focused primarily on the LA 2028 Olympic Games, the Junior Pathway supports athletes developing towards Brisbane 2032, and the Senior Pathway recognises swimmers with the potential to contribute in 2028 while continuing to progress towards 2032. Entry standards were deliberately demanding and informed by Swim Ireland’s On Track system, which benchmarks athletes by event, gender and age against the performance profiles associated with future top-16 finishes at the World Championships and Olympic Games.
The Performance cohort features 17 athletes, including established championship performers and emerging senior talent. The group includes 2026 European Aquatics Championships medallists Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry, alongside Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen and World Junior Record holder John Shortt.
A further 17 athletes have been selected for the Senior Pathway. Their programme will support progression towards the 2027 European U23 Championships and help position them for future senior international success.
The Junior Pathway comprises 34 athletes who will work towards qualification and competitive performances at the 2027 European Junior Championships and European Youth Olympic Festival.
All three cohorts have completed an onboarding and orientation weekend in Dublin ahead of the announcement. The National Programme is underpinned by Swim Ireland’s four Regional Programmes, which broaden the talent pool, provide support and international racing opportunities for developing athletes, and strengthen the pathway towards future Olympic cycles.
National Performance Director Andy Reid said: “The standards for inclusion in the National Programme are intentionally challenging, so it is encouraging to see 68 athletes earn their place across the three cohorts. The success achieved at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships, including double gold for Ellen Walshe and three medals for Mona McSharry, demonstrated the quality and ambition within Irish swimming. Our priority now is to maintain that momentum. Working in partnership with athletes, coaches, clubs, National Centres and Regional Programmes, we want to build on those performances and prepare our swimmers to qualify for and compete with distinction at the 2027 Summer International Meets”
| Performance | ||
| Athlete | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Evan Bailey | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Jack Cassin | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Eoin Corby | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Charlotte Cullen | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson |
| Grace Davison | Stirling University | Ben Higson/Bradley Hay |
| Tom Fannon | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Conor Ferguson | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson |
| Darragh Greene | Gold Coast Performance | Mel Marshall |
| Matthew Hamilton | Auburn University | Arilson Silva |
| Danielle Hill | Larne SC | Peter Hill |
| Jack Kelly | Texas Longhorns | Bob Bowman |
| Ellie McCartney | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Mona McSharry | University of Tennessee | Matt Kredich |
| John Shortt | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Ellen Walshe | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
| Daniel Wiffen | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Nathan Wiffen | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Senior Pathway | ||
| Athlete | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Reuben Alty | Pardue University | Alex Jerden |
| Adam Bradley | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Alana Burns-Atkin | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson |
| Maren Byrne | Alto Swim Club | Joey Sementelli |
| Niamh Connery | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Clare Custer | Harvard University | Amanda Kulik |
| Ava Jones | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Alex Martin | Coolmine/Dublin Pathway | Steve Beckerleg |
| Ashling McCarthy | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Alex Moore | Chelsea & Westminster | TBC |
| Christian O’Brien | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Denis O’Brien | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Killian O’Loughlin-Brophy | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Rosalie Phelan | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson |
| Cormac Rynn | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Eoghan Rynn | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Olly Watts | National Centre (Ulster) | Kevin Anderson |
| Junior Pathway | ||
| Athlete | Home Programme | Home Programme Coach |
| Thomas Bugler | Sundays Well SC | Deirdre Sheehan |
| Sorcha Canning | Dolphin SC | Mick McCormack |
| Amy Casagrande | Coolmine SC | Marina Loughney |
| Charlotte Cayuela | NAC SC | Adrian Hernandez Molano |
| Juliet Cotter | Trojan SC | Mark Walsh |
| Keir Donaghy | Ballymena SC | Louise Mc Bride |
| Julia Dziedzic | Aer Lingus SC | Alan Turner |
| Olivia Falls | Bangor SC | James Hand |
| Garvan Gillard | Sundays Well SC | Deirdre Sheehan |
| Phelim Hanley | Blackrock SC | Goretti Guilfoyle |
| Helge Ho | Aer Lingus/Dublin Pathway | Tom Grieve |
| Emily Hughes | Millfield School | TBC |
| Dara Hynes | Lurgan SC | Aaron Rickhuss |
| Rebecca Lavery | Bangor SC | James Hand |
| Thomas Livingstone | Ballymena SC | Louise Mc Bride |
| Lev Lobanets | Dolphin SC | Mick McCormack |
| Shea Mathers | Banbridge SC | Davy Wilson |
| Beau Mc Cabe | Trojan SC | Tristan Cote |
| Dylan Mc Grath | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Dan McBride | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
| Ryan Morgan | Coolmine SC | Marina Loughney |
| Meadhbh Ni Riain | Limerick SC | TBC |
| Lucas Nian | Tallaght SC | Tao Li |
| Anton Nieuwoudt | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Lucy O’Brien | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Tadhg O’Brien | Dolphin SC | Mick McCormack |
| Radu Pamfil | Tallaght SC | Tao Li |
| Gregory Paramud | Celtic Waves SC | Stephan Teeling Lynch/ Elaine Barry/ Diarmuid Hughes |
| AJ Rodriguez Mendoza | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
| Ned Rooney | Celtic Waves SC | Stephan Teeling Lynch/ Elaine Barry/ Diarmuid Hughes |
| Chloe Stewart | Bangor SC | James Hand |
| Jessica Sweeney | Drogheda/Dublin Pathway | Ciaran Doyle |
| Aaron Whelan | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
| Milena Zorychta | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
