Donnelly destined for European Chmpionships
Saoirse Donnelly, of Setanta Boxing Club, celebrating after winning an Irish title last month
A young Kildare boxer is set to represent Ireland on the international stage, with 16-year-old Saoirse Donnelly earning her place onto the Ireland team for the U17 European Championships in Budva, Montenegro, from October 1st to 10th.
Newbridge native, Donnelly, will compete in the 54kg weight class at the championships, where she will be one of 18 boxers representing Ireland.
Donnelly qualified for the team by virtue of a unanimous decision victory over her Mayo opponent at the Irish National U17 Cadet Championships at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin.
Despite her young age, the Newbridge boxer has had tremendous success in her already nine-year career, capturing four Leinster titles and two national titles.
The European Championships now presents a major opportunity to further bolster her remarkable resumé.
The scale of the prospect is not lost on Donnelly, who, having returned home from an important training camp in Galway late on Sunday evening, took time to speak to The Kildare Nationalist.
“I'm so excited to be able to go over to Montenegro and represent Ireland, my club, my family - it's such an achievement,” she said.
Donnelly boxes out of Setanta Boxing Academy in her home town, first entering the doors nine years ago at the tender age of just seven years old.
The club has been a home away from home over the past decade, telling us, “There's such a tight community and the coaches are lovely. We all get on very well.”
Boxing has been part of Saoirse’s life from long before she joined Setanta. Her mother, Alison Donnelly, remembers how it all started in the kitchen at home.
“Her Grandad, my father, Johnny Donnelly, he won two All-Ireland titles and he got her into boxing,” Alison told The Nationalist.
“From the time Saoirse was small, he used to kind of spar with her in the kitchen, and she took to it and we got her into the club; so that's where she got her love of boxing from.
"Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, so he didn't get to see her to achieve this, but he would have been massively proud of her.”
Alison also praised the coaching her daughter has received over the years that has been such an integral part of Saoirse’s continued success.
“Her coach in Stanta, Mick Lambe, he's absolutely amazing. He puts everything into Saoirse; he's outstanding. And only for him believing in her as well, she probably wouldn't have gotten this far,” Ms Donnelly said.
