County Roscommon to host Ireland's boxing stars in special pre-Olympic event
Jack Marley, Michaela Walsh, Kellie Harrington, Aoife O’Rourke and Dean Clancy will be among a host of boxing stars at the Castlerea event. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
Castlerea is set to stage one of its biggest sporting events in decades when it plays host to a week-long international tournament and training camp for Ireland’s Olympic boxing stars.
Announced live on Friday evening on Castlerea.ie, the event at the local boxing club will take place from March 30th to April 7th, and feature some of the biggest names in the sport.
Household names like Kellie Harrington, Michaela Walsh, Jude Gallagher, Dean Clancy and Jack Marley, who have qualified for the Paris Olympics, will join local boxer and Olympic-bound Aoife O’Rourke for what is set to be a very special occasion for the town.
Aoife’s sister, Lisa, who is still bidding for a place in next summer’s Paris Olympics, will also be centrally involved when the action gets underway at the local club’s base in The Hub.
The opportunity to attract some of the sport’s biggest stars to the town arose when the High Performance Unit invited Castlerea Boxing Club to host a round-robin IABA tournament. The international tournament will feature two Irish teams, comprising members of the Olympic boxing squad, along with teams from the Kazakhstan and Ukrainian Boxing Federations.
The boxing action will take place in Castlerea from April 2nd-6th and will be preceded by a training camp for the teams from March 30th to April 1st.
During that week, a public training session will take place, providing local people with the opportunity to watch the boxers train, and to meet members of the Irish Olympic squad.
The week-long activity in and out of the ring is set to provide plenty of preparation for the Irish boxers ahead of the Olympic games in Paris.
“We hope the event will build a lasting legacy in the area, and also promote two Castlerea boxers, Aoife O’Rourke, Paris qualifier, and Lisa O’Rourke, Paris hopeful, and truly inspire the next generation,” said the High Performance Unit.
The announcement of the star-studded event on Castlerea.ie coincided with the launch of a related iDonate fundraiser to assist with the costs of running the event.
Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice, who is actively seeking additional funding for the boxing spectacular, said it is set to be a very exciting time for the West Roscommon town.
“It will certainly be the biggest high profile non-football sporting event that was ever held in Castlerea.
"It's fantastic to think that Kellie Harrington will be training with the team. It's fantastic that at this event we will have a World champion in Lisa O'Rourke, a European champion and Olympian in Aoife O'Rourke, and an Olympic gold medallist in Kellie.
“It will also provide an economic boost for the town and Roscommon, and all the boxers are staying in accommodation within the county. I hope it will also attract plenty of attention from the national media,” said Cllr Fitzmaurice.
