by RTÉ's Niall O'Flynn in Moscow
It's been 19 years since Ireland won gold at the European Championships.
It's been 12 years since we won a silver.
But here in Moscow, a new generation of Irish boxers have the opportunity to write themselves into the record books.
Three medals, and three more up for grabs - that's the incredible situation facing Ireland's fighters, as they sit atop the medals table at the European Championships.
Ken Egan, Darren O'Neill and Tyrone McCullagh on Tuesday guaranteed that the team will leave Moscow with at least three bronze medals after a pulsating day of quarter-finals.
Three more Irish pugilists will attempt to join them in the semi-finals this afternoon.
Belfast's Paddy Barnes, Mullingar's John Joe Nevin and Kildare's Eric Donovan will attempt to make it six of the best, which would be Ireland's best performance at the tournament this century.
Paddy Barnes will be first into the ring at around 1pm Irish time. John Joe Nevin will fight at 1.45pm, while Eric Donovan faces his date with destiny at 2pm.
Highlights of all the Irish quarter-finals, including Tuesday’s bouts, can be seen in a special OB Sport on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie at 7pm.
