The Paralympic Games get underway on Wednesday 28 August, and Ireland has a squad of 35 representing the country in Paris.
Here are the Team Ireland members set to compete in the French capital.
Para archery
Kerrie Leonard
Competing at her second Paralympic Games this summer, Kerrie first represented Ireland in 2012, before taking a break and returning to the sport in 2014. Leonard finished ninth at the 2015 World Championships and took silver a year later at the Europeans. She finished ninth overall at the Tokyo Games.
Para athletics
Orla Comerford
Just 18 when she made her Paralympics debut in Rio, Comerford finished eighth in her T13 100m final. In 2017 she was sixth in the final of the World Championships in London and a year later, won two bronze medals (100/200m) at the European Championships in Berlin.
The Raheny Shamrock athlete qualified an automatic slot for Paris 2024 with a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Para Athletics World Championships, just 0.06 of a second away from the podium. In June she ran her first legal sub 12 second race, a PB of 11.90 in the 100m final at the national senior track and field championships in Morton Stadium.
Greta Streimikyte
Having moved to Ireland from Lithuania when she was 15, Streimikyte made her international debut for the Irish Para-Athletics team at the 2016 European Para Athletics Championships where she took home a bronze medal. She is among a select band of athletes set to compete in their third Paralympic Games.
Mary Fitzgerald
Competing as a para athlete since 2010, the Kilkenny woman made her international debut in 2014 and won three gold medals at the IWAS U23 World Junior Games in 2016. Fitzgerald also competed at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships and won bronze in February's European Para Athletics Championships. On her Paralympic debut in Tokyo, Fitzgerald finished sixth in her final.
Shauna Bocquet
Bocquet will compete in three events in Paris, the T54 100m, 1500m and 5000m. The Galway woman has set multiple personal bests over the last 12 months and has been invited to compete at various Diamond Leagues in Europe. In last year's World Championships in Paris Bocquet reached the final of the T54 1500m and also took part in the 100m and 400m events.
Aaron Shorten
Carlow native Aaron Shorten is the sole male athlete on the athletics team and will compete in the T20 1500m. The St Laurene O'Toole's man made his major championships debut last summer at the Para Athletics World Championships in Paris and has been training with renowned running coach Feidhlim Kelly's group since the start of the year in the lead-up to the Games.
Para cycling
Katie-George Dunlevy
Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal have been dominant in tandem para cycling with their greatest success coming at the Tokyo Games where they enjoyed double gold and silver medal performances.
Dunlevy has partnered with Linda Kelly on the road in 2023 and dominated at international events, picking up overall victory at the UCI Para-cycling World Cup before double gold at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. A broken collar bone in May hampered her Paralympic training programme. Paris will mark her fourth Paralympic Games.
Josephine Healion
A vision impaired athlete, Josephine Healion competes in the women's tandem events on both track and road. Since 2023, Healion has combined with pilots Eve McCrystal in international road competitions and Linda Kelly in international track competitions. Healion and Kelly won a bronze medal in the women's tandem road race at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Richael Timothy
Rachael Timothy, an accomplished footballer with Roscommon and underage international soccer player with Ireland, has been part of the cycling squad since 2018. Riding in the women's C3 category on both track and road, Timothy has won three bronze medals at the para-cycling Track World Championships and also represented Ireland at the Tokyo Games.
Ronan Grimes
One of the most decorated members of the Ireland Para-cycling national team, Grimes has won several medals at both the Para-cycling Track and Road World Championships in recent years as well as representing Ireland at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
The Galway native was crowned Men's C4 World Champion after victory in the 2022 road race as well as European time trial champion that same year. He was nominated for the 2022 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year.
Damien Vereker
One of the more experienced members of the Ireland Para-cycling team, Vereker represented Ireland at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Currently partnered with Mitchell McLaughlin, the pair compete in both track and road events and picked up a ninth-place finish in the time trial at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Martin Gordon
A barrister by profession, Gordon first represented Ireland at the Para-cycling World Championships in 2017. Previously riding with pilot Eamonn Byrne, he finished fifth in the 1km time trial in Tokyo and tasted success at the 2018 UCI Track World Cup event in London when they claimed the silver medal in the 200m sprint event whilst setting a new national record in the process.
Gordon is now paired with Galway native Eoin Mullen.
Eoin Mullen (pilot)
A former track cyclist, the Aran Islands native has piloted Martin Gordon in the men's tandem events on track, the duo having represented Ireland at UCI Para-cycling World Championships.
Eve McCrystal (pilot)
Pilot Eve McCrystal and Katie-George Dunlevy have been dominant in tandem para cycling with their greatest success coming at the Tokyo Games where they enjoyed double gold and silver medal performances. This will mark McCrystal's fourth Paralympic Games.
Mitchell McLaughlin (pilot)
The Donegal man is one of four pilots in the Paralympic squad and joined the programme in 2023. McLaughlin has worked alongside the experienced rider Damien Vereker, with the pair competing in both track and road events, picking up a ninth-place finish in the time trial at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Linda Kelly (pilot)
Working as a pilot alongside Katie-George Dunlevy, the reigning world champions have proven to be a force over the past 12 months, and barring injury, will be aiming for medals in Paris. The pair were nominated for RTÉ Sports 2023 Team of the Year after they secured road race and TT gold at the UCI Paracycling World Championships in Scotland.
Para equestrian
Kate Kerr-Horan
Horan returns to the Paralympic Games having made her debut at Tokyo 2020. The Wicklow native will travel with her horse Serafina to compete at the Paris Games.
Michael Murphy
Competing for Ireland in the Hartpury three star in 2018 was a pivotal moment for Michael Murphy as he was returning to the sport for the first time in three years, after struggling with motivation after the loss of his eldest brother James in a kayaking accident in New Zealand in 2015. Murphy qualified for Tokyo on his previous horse, Skjoldsgaard Hipp-vo, but has partnered Cleverboy since before those Games and will aim to maintain some outstanding recent form at Paris.
Jessica McKenna
Jessica McKenna will be making her first appearance at the Paralympics and will be looking to make a big impact with her horse, Davidoff.
Sarah Slattery
Part of a Para equestrian team of four that will represent Ireland at Versailles, Slattery, with her horse Savona, will be making her debut at the Paralympic Games.
Para powerlifting
Britney Arendse
Arendse began her para powerlifting career at the age of 16 after she was recruited to the sport during a wheelchair basketball match. She her Paralympic debut in Tokyo and qualified for the Paris Games in June with a lift of 128kg, which placed her sixth in her category.
Para rowing
Katie O'Brien
The Galway rower won gold at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, setting a new world record in the PR2 W1x. A year later, O'Brien placed fifth in the PR2 Mix2x alongside Steven McGowan, qualifying the boat for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games where she will row with former wheelchair basketballer Tiarnán O'Donnell.
Paris 2024 represents her first Paralympic Games and the first time an Irish boat will be competing at the Paralympic Games since 2012.
Tiarnán O’Donnell
Another Paralympic debutant, the University of Limerick graduate only made his international debut in May at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II. O'Donnell placed fourth in his single sculls heat to advance to the final, before taking more than 20 seconds off his time to take silver.
The former wheelchair basketball player will compete alongside Katie O'Brien in the PR2 mixed double sculls.
Para swimming
Dearbhaile Brady
Just 17 years of age, Dearbhaile Brady has already banked serious championship experience in her short career. Having competed at the Para Swimming Championships last August, the Limavady Swim Club member competed in three events at this year's European Championships in Portugal.
Brady claimed bronze in the 50m freestyle final in Madeira, a race that went down to the wire with Irish team-mate Nicole Turner claiming joint-gold alongside her Swiss competitor, with Brady right behind.
Ellen Keane
Paris will be Ellen Keane's fifth and final Paralympic Games. She was Ireland's youngest ever athlete at 13 when she competed at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. She competed impressively, placing sixth in the 100m breaststroke.
In Rio she claimed the podium with bronze in the SB8 100m breaststroke, while in Tokyo she improved further to take gold in the same event. Keane recently won European silver in Madeira and will be hoping to add to her tally in Paris.
Barry McClements
Tokyo Paralympian, Commonwealth and European medallist Barry McClements will travel to his second Games in Paris. Clements joined the Irish panel shortly after the Rio Games and claimed gold in the 400m freestyle at the 2017 Para Swimming World Series held in Copenhagen. At just 15, he won in impressive style, taking four seconds off his personal best in the process. His path to the Paralympic Games this time around has not been easy having suffered a fractured femur in September 2023.
Róisín Ní Ríain
Róisín Ní Riain will be looking to impress at her second Paralympic Games. The Tokyo Paralympian and double World Champion, who is currently studying at the University of Limerick, had an outstanding European Championships winning five medals, including two gold. A serious medal contender for Team Ireland.
Deaten Registe
Competing in his first Paralympic Games, Deaten Registe only made his international debut at the recent European Championships. The newest member of the para swimming team, the Lisburn swimmer competed in the 100m breaststroke (SB14) in Madeira.
Nicole Turner
Nicole Turner, flag bearer in Rio as the youngest member of the team, is set for her third Paralympic Games. In 2016 Turner competed in five events, qualifying for the final in every one, with her best placing fifth in the 50m butterfly. The Tokyo silver medallist goes into the Games with great confidence having won gold, silver and two bronze European medals this year.
Para table tennis
Colin Judge
Having narrowly missed out on Rio 2016, this will be Colin Judge's second Paralympic Games and has will be Team Ireland's flag bearer for the opening ceremony alongside Orla Comerford. He won bronze medals at the European Championships and the French Open in 2023 and continued that form into 2024 by winning silver at the Czech Open. Judge was born with the absence of both legs and part of the right arm.
Para triathlon
Cassie Cava
Cava competed for Great Britain until 2017 before switching allegiance to Ireland, going on to win bronze at the 2018 and 2019 World Triathlon Grand Finals. It will mark her first appearance at the Paralympic Games for Team Ireland.
Judith MacCombe
Judith MacCombe will be making her Paralympic debut in Paris alongside her twin sister Chloe in the same event.The sisters have a form of albinism which affects their vision. MacCombe qualified for Paris 2024 ninth in the world rankings and will be alongside her guide Eimear Nicholls for the event.
Chloe MacCombe
Chloe MacCombe, accompanied by her guide Catherine Sands, is looking forward to her Paralympic Games debut. The Derry native, who will have twin sister Judith for company in the event, is currently ranked number three in the world. MacCombe is a silver medallist from the Commonwealth Games.
Catherine Sands (guide)
Catherine Sands will compete with Chloe MacCombe as her sighted guide, with Paris a Paralympic Games debut for the 32-year-old Down native.
Eimear Nicholls (guide)
Eimear Nicholls will compete with Judith MacCombe as her sighted guide, with Paris her first Paralympic Games.An acomplished sportswoman, she began her professional triathlon career in 2011 and a year later won Ironman UK in Bolton and the Ironman 70.3 in Somerset.
She became the first Irish winner on Ironman and is the current Irish Ironman record holder with a time of 8.56.51 (Ironman Barcelona 2015). Named Irish triathlete of the year in 2014 following a host of victories.
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