Wexford Duo Named Captains of Team Ireland for European U19 Boxing Championships

Two Wexford boxers have been chosen to lead Team Ireland at the inaugural European U19 Boxing Championships, set to take place in Ostrava, Czechia, later this month.

Kayleigh Byrne of Gorey Boxing Club and Patrick Kelly of St. Abban’s/Kilmyshall Boxing Club have been named co-captains of the 13-strong Irish team. Kayleigh will compete in the 51kg category, while Patrick enters at 70kg. Their appointments as team captains highlight the growing talent emerging from County Wexford and mark a proud moment for both local clubs. The team concluded its final preparations at the High-Performance Unit in Abbotstown over the weekend, wrapping up a six-week intensive training block. Preparations also included a multi-day sparring camp with the England Boxing U19 squad, held at the GB Olympic Training Centre in Sheffield. The Irish team is composed entirely of reigning national U19 champions, with a strong geographic spread: 4 boxers hail from Dublin, 2 each from Wexford and Louth, and one each representing Cork, Galway, Kildare, Waterford, and Westmeath. This year’s European U19 Championships is a landmark event, serving as the first-ever official benchmark competition for the age group. The tournament will run from September 30th to October 9th at the Černá Louka Arena in Ostrava. Full Competition Schedule: Monday, September 29: Draw and technical meeting September 30 – October 5: Preliminaries and quarter-finals Monday, October 6: Rest day October 7 – 8: Semi-finals Sunday, October 9: Finals (from 3pm Irish time) Daily sessions will begin at 10am and 3pm Irish time, ensuring fans at home can follow the action closely. As Team Ireland prepares to fly the flag in Czechia, all eyes will be on co-captains Byrne and Kelly to lead by example in the ring and help bring home medals for their country — and their county. Team Ireland 48kg Chloe Cox, Setanta BC, Co. Kildare 50kg Kurt Kinsella, Monkstown BC Dublin 51kg Kayleigh Byrne, Gorey BC, Co. Wexford 55kg Michael Reilly. St. Paul’s BC, Co. Waterford 57kg Grace Conway, Tredagh BC, Co. Louth 60kg Sean McCusker, Dealgan BC, Co. Louth 65kg John Donoghue, Olympic BC, Co. Westmeath 70kg Katelyn Butler, St. Colman’s BC Co. Cork 70kg Patrick Kelly, St. Abban’s/Kilmyshall BC Co. Wexford 75kg Nessa Tabachuk, Celtic Eagles BC, Co. Galway 75kg Jason Whelan, Dublin Docklands BC 85kg Chulainn McDonnell, Whitechurch BC, Dublin 90kg Shay O’Dowd, Swords BC Dublin Support staff: Team Manager: Jennifer O’Sullivan, Sliabh Luachra BC, Kerry Coaches: Liam Cunningham, Saints ABC, Belfast; Ralph McKay, St. Paul’s BC, Belfast; Aoife Hennigan. Swinford BC, Co. Mayo; Garry Keogh, Marble City BC, Co. Kilkenny