Castlerea Boxing Club ‘heartbroken’ at events that unfolded on Friday night and withdraws from hosting future All-Ireland Championships

Castlerea Boxing Club has this morning withdrawn from hosting future All-Ireland Championships after a man was attacked at an event being hosted by the club on Friday night.

In a statement this morning Castlerea Boxing Club said that “these thugs, from another province, chose to travel to our town to destroy what should have been a fantastic day for our club and town - all to settle a personal dispute”.

Apologising to “all of the wonderful people that attended” the club said: “We are unable to go ahead with hosting future All-Ireland Championships. This is a decision we must make for the safety of our boxers, their families, and our community. We are horrified that such events would take place at any sporting event, let alone a children's event.” 

Day one of the quarter finals of the 2024 National Boy/Girl 4 Championships were underway at The Hub in Castlerea on Friday evening when the incident broke out between a number men at the back of the venue as two young people were about to enter the ring.

Video footage, which has emerged on social media, shows a number of men, some in balaclavas, engaged in the incident as spectators and young people ran for cover. One man was "seriously injured" in the incident and was taken to hospital.

The IABA has described the incident as “abhorrent” and a full Garda investigation is underway.

In a statement Castlerea Boxing Club said: “We are truly heartbroken. We were so proud to be asked to host this year’s All-Ireland Championships, and we thought that it would be a great historical moment for our club and town, but instead, it has brought great shock and sadness.

“We can only apologise to all of the wonderful people that attended, to the children who trained all year for this weekend and to the people of Castlerea for the hurt that this has caused. These thugs, from another province, chose to travel to our town to destroy what should have been a fantastic day for our club and town - all to settle a personal dispute.

“We would also like to apologise to the IABA. We are unable to go ahead with hosting future All-Ireland Championships. This is a decision we must make for the safety of our boxers, their families, and our community. We are horrified that such events would take place at any sporting event, let alone a children's event.”