Irish Wolfhound Complete Montreal World Tour Double Header

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Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) have rounded out the second of two ISU Short Track World Tour events in Montreal, Canada this weekend.

On the opening day of the competition, the Irish Wolfhounds took on the 500 and 1500 metre distances. In Heat 8 of the 500 metre preliminaries O’Brien was drawn in starting position three and maintained third place from the gun to the line in a time of 42.841. Next up was McAnuff in Heat 9 who found himself in what turned out to be the fastest winning time of the preliminaries. He came home in 42.791 for second place.

In Heat 5 of the 1500 metre heats O’Brien took the lead with seven laps to go and was in contention the whole way through until the final lap where he was pipped into third in a time of 2:24.167. Immediately after in Heat 6 McAnuff kept himself in touch with the lead until he got dropped with two laps to go. He finished in sixth place with a time of 2:24.467.

The Irish Wolfhounds were back for the 500 metre repechage heats at the end of Day One. McAnuff appeared in Heat 4 and was racing well until the penultimate lap when a skater in front of him crashed out almost taking McAnuff with him and causing him to lose speed. He still managed to come second in a time of 42.311 which was unfortunately not enough to take him any further. In Heat 9 O’Brien slotted into fourth on the opening lap and held that position all the way to the end with a time of 42.498.

The second day of this World Tour event focused on the 1000 metres. McAnuff raced in Heat 3 of the preliminaries and kept in contact with the leader from the start until the final lap before he had to settle for second place in a time of 1:27.613. In Heat 4 O’Brien began to make moves with two laps to go and just missed out on making the top two as he placed third with a time of 1:34.991.

Both Irish Wolfhounds were drawn in Heat 1 of the 1000 metre repechage heats. McAnuff and O’Brien kept things in close quarters at the start of the race before both found they did not have the pace to end up in the top spots. McAnuff was third in a time of 1:28.549 with O’Brien fourth in 1:29.596.

The final throw of the dice for Team Ireland was the 1500 metre repechage quarterfinals. McAnuff lined up in Heat 5 in what proved to be a thrilling race with two skaters crashing out midway. McAnuff dropped off on the penultimate lap and finished fourth with a time of 2:25.797. In Heat 8 O’Brien darted to the front with seven laps to go and was in pole position when contact with another skater bumped him off course slightly. He never recovered and wound up in fifth place in a time of 2:30.025.

The Irish Wolfhounds will next compete at third ISU Short Track World Tour event in Gdansk, Poland (20-23 November).

Take Two For Irish Wolfhounds At Montreal Short Track World Tour

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Sean McAnuff (Co Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co Cavan) resume the chase for quota places at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games when they return to the Maurice-Richard Arena ice for the second ISU Short Track World Tour event of the season in Montreal, Canada (16-19 October).

The second consecutive week of racing in Montreal will once again witness the Irish Wolfhounds pit themselves against the best skaters in the world over the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances. There will be a further two legs next month in Gdansk, Poland (20-23 November) and Dordrecht, The Netherlands (27-30 November) where skaters can amass ranking points to secure spots for their nations in Milan.

“The first competition was a good start to the season,” O’Brien said. “There were lots of positives to build on in the 1500 and 1000 that I will take into World Tour Two and aim for a better result.”

“Last weekend was a great way to assess how I am progressing amongst my competitors,” McAnuff said. “In my last race, I lined up against four individuals ranked top 20 which was an incredible challenge. To come away with my highest result at an Olympic qualifying event shows that I’m continuing to close the gap.”

The ISU Short Track World Tour can be followed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and via the #ShortTrackWorldTour and #ShortTrackSkating hashtags on social media.

Competition Schedule (Montreal, Canada)

Thursday, 16 October – Qualification Rounds

Friday, 17 October – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 18 October – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 19 October – 1000m

Annual General Meeting 2025

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 5 November 2025 in person in Dublin. Current members will have received a notice via e-mail with the AGM Agenda attached.

Irish Wolfhounds Wrap Up Opening World Tour Leg

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Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien duked it out with best skaters in the world as they got their campaign for Milano Cortina under way at the first ISU Short Track World Tour event of the season in Montreal, Canada.

The opening day saw qualification races in the 500 and 1500 metre distances. O’Brien lined up in Heat 2 of the 500 metre preliminaries and when the gun went off, he got jostled causing him to lose momentum. He was never in the hunt to advance after that and came home in fourth place with a time of 42.930. McAnuff appeared in Heat 7 and by contrast was in the mix throughout his race. After making a nice pass to move up from third to second on the penultimate lap, he did not quite have enough to claim an automatic spot in the next round. Unfortunately, his second-place time of 42.830 was not enough to progress.

O’Brien found himself drawn again in Heat 2 of the 1500 metre heats. Always in contention he bided his time and made his move just before the penultimate lap to move into second. He finished in second with a time of 2:17.324 which took him to the quarterfinals as the fastest non-automatic qualifier. McAnuff was back out on the ice in Heat 10. While he maintained contact throughout the race, a sudden injection of pace on the third last lap saw him drop back and cross the line in fifth place in 2:27.530 ending his participation in the day’s races. O’Brien returned in Heat 4 of the 1500 metre quarterfinals. In a hard-fought race, he just could not get into his groove and placed sixth albeit with a slightly swifter time of 2:17.170 than what he recorded in the previous round.

All that remained after a long day of racing were the 500 metre repechage heats. In Heat 3, McAnuff was fourth after the opening corner and was playing catch up throughout the race. He finished in third place with a time of 43.137. O’Brien rounded out his opening salvo of races in Heat 12. A few moments of contact on the opening lap sapped his speed from which it proved difficult to recover. He came fourth in a time of 45.949.

The second day of qualification consisted of just the 1000 metres. In Heat 3 of the preliminaries O’Brien contested the lead at the start of his race, but got bumped at the start of lap four and struggled to recover his position. He wound up in fifth place in a time of 1:28.853. McAnuff drew Heat 8 and was there or thereabouts until two laps to go when he got nudged as he was attempting to move into second. He finished in fourth with a time of 1:30.549.

The Wolfhounds returned later in the day for the repechage heats. McAnuff was involved in a thrilling Heat 9 maintaining contact with leaders. He managed to side step a crash on the final lap that took out a number of his competitors and crossed the line in second. His time of 1:28.076 was good enough to see him advance to the 1000 metre repechage quarterfinals two days later. Immediately after in Heat 10 O’Brien was holding his own. However, as he went into the lead with five laps to go he was bounced off course and ultimately finished third with a time of 1:32.718.

On the third day of the event the Wolfhounds were focused on the 1500 metre repechage quarterfinals. Another Heat 2 draw for O’Brien and he took the race out at a leisurely pace. He fronted the affair for a number of laps before he was passed by others in the field. He came home in a time of 2:29.692 for fifth place. McAnuff was in the thick of things throughout Heat 9. However, he did not have enough on the final lap and wound up in sixth with a time of 2:24.977.

McAnuff was the last Wolfhound standing on the fourth day of competition taking on the 1000 repechage quarterfinals in Heat 2. He wrapped up the season opener for Team Ireland with a fifth place and a time of 1:28.615.

The ISU Short Track World Tour remains in Montreal, Canada for the second leg from 16-19 October.

Irish Wolfhounds Ready To Start Hunt For Olympic Quota Places In Montreal

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Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) embark on their quest to secure Ireland a spot at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games when the Irish Wolfhounds line up for the first ISU Short Track World Tour event of the season in Montreal, Canada this week (9-12 October).

The two Irish skaters race across three distances (500, 1000 and 1500 metres) on the four stops of this season’s tour. There is a second round in Montreal next week (16-19 October) before the final two legs in Gdansk, Poland (20-23 November) and Dordrecht, The Netherlands (27-30 November). The goal for McAnuff and O’Brien will be to advance as far through the rounds as they can accumulating ranking points that count towards the standings in each of the three distances. There are 32 individual Olympic quota places available in the 500 and 1000 and 36 in the 1500.

“I’m excited to race again after not racing since the Olympic test event last season,” O’Brien said. “I’ve made a big change over the off-season to train in China and hope to show off everything I’ve learnt and been working on during this time. The ultimate goal is to help towards qualifying Ireland a quota spot for Milan 2026.”

“This season isn’t just about chasing my Olympic dream,” McAnuff said. “It’s about continuing the story my family started with short track speed skating in Ireland. After a decade of pursuing growth in the sport, I get the chance to honour where this dream began and who I skate for.”

The ISU Short Track World Tour can be followed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and via the #ShortTrackWorldTour and #ShortTrackSkating hashtags on social media.

Competition Schedule (Montreal, Canada)

Thursday, 9 October – Qualification Rounds

 Friday, 10 October – Qualification Rounds

 Saturday, 11 October – 500m/1500m

 Sunday, 12 October – 1000m

2025/2026 National Team Members Named

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland has selected the following athletes to represent Ireland in international competitions during the 2025/2026 season:

Figure Skating

Senior Men – Dillon Judge (County Antrim)

Senior Ice Dance – Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus (County Wexford)

Junior Women – Julianna Farrell (County Cork), Eeva O’Brien (County Wicklow)

 

Short Track Speed Skating

Senior Men – Sean McAnuff (County Antrim), Liam O’Brien (County Cavan)

 

Speed Skating

Junior Men – Thomas Steele (County Dublin)

Ryan McAnuff Calls Time On Competitive Career

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Short track speed skater Ryan McAnuff (30) has decided to hang up his skates and retire from elite competition.

McAnuff has been a trailblazer for Irish short track speed skating. Along with his brother Sean McAnuff, he began representing Ireland internationally in August 2016. He made his debut on the ISU World Cup circuit that autumn and that season was selected for 2017 ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Turin, Italy and the 2017 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It was the first time an Irish short track skater raced at either of those events. He subsequently competed at two further Europeans and one Worlds, as well as in other international events. He was a member of the original Irish Wolfhounds pack that suited up for the inaugural ISU Short Track World Tour in October 2024.

Equally impressive to his skating career, he also managed to graduate from the University of Limerick with a degree in medicine as well as run a fitness business (Elite Performance Training) with his brother Sean. He currently works as a doctor in Ontario, Canada.

“It has been an honour and privilege to represent Ireland on the international stage and to have the opportunity to race in European and World Championships as well as Olympic Qualifiers, sharing many unforgettable moments with my teammates, coaches and other team members and competitors,” McAnuff said.

“Ryan has been a fantastic ambassador for short track skating and, along with his brother Sean, has been there right from the genesis of the sport in Ireland,” ISAI President Seán Gillis said. “On behalf of everyone at the Ice Skating Association of Ireland, I would like to thank Ryan on a groundbreaking career and his amazing contribution to to Irish short track. Even though he may be transitioning to life on the other side of the boards, we look forward to having his continued involvement in the sport.”

McAnuff And O’Brien Attend OFI Milano Cortina Camp

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This week Team Ireland short track speed skaters Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien touched down in Dublin to participate in a Milano Cortina Olympic Games team camp hosted by the Olympic Federation of Ireland for athletes targeting qualification for the Games that will take place from 6-22 February 2026.

Ireland first competed at the Winter Olympics at Albertville 1992 and since then 33 athletes have proudly flown the Irish flag on the world stage. However, no Irish athlete in any ice skating discipline has yet qualified or competed at a Winter Olympics and our skaters will be gunning to make history this time round for Milano Cortina.

Over the course of the two-day camp, athletes took part in a range of sessions including Games planning, psychology and performance support, and media training. They also heard from two-time Olympic boxing champion Kellie Harrington, who delivered an inspiring talk on managing the pressures of elite competition, drawing on her own Olympic experiences.

The camp also included a special event attended by the OFI President, Lochlann Walsh, OFI CEO Peter Sherrard, Italian Ambassador to Ireland Nicola Faganello, Sport Ireland CEO Dr. Una May, and OFI sponsors and partners.

Team Ireland Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina Olympics, Nancy Chillingworth, said,

“This was a hugely valuable team-building camp. We rarely get the chance to bring our winter athletes together, as they’re usually competing across the globe. Over the past two days, we were delighted that six of the Milano Cortina potential athletes were able to attend the camp in person. They made the most of their time here, taking full advantage of the world-class facilities at the Sport Ireland Institute, who ran a range of workshops covering everything from anti-doping and performance management to psychology and a boxing-based team-building session. They also attended a storytelling workshop, which was followed by a media day.

“A standout moment was the talk with Kellie, who generously shared her time, answered questions, and offered invaluable advice on handling the pressures of high-level performance.”

Having narrowly missed out on Beijing 2022 by one spot, the magnitude of the Olympics is not lost on O’Brien.

“Getting together here, at the Irish Olympic headquarters, has been very special. We got to get to know the other athletes but also, to see the Olympic rings here and the Irish crest on our jerseys, it really hits home to you that you are representing Ireland and are so proud to do it.”

McAnuff agreed that it was inspiring and motivating to come together with Irish athletes from other sports who are also pursuing their dreams to be part of Team Ireland at Milano Cortina 2026.

“I didn’t think this was even hyped up enough because I honestly didn’t think it was going to be this exciting or informative. It was also great to meet the other athletes. It’s a real eye opener to see how many other athletes are trying to achieve the same as me in Ireland in winter sports.”

 

ISAI Communication 13

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland announces measures to ensure the eligibility of individuals applying for ISAI membership.

ISAI Communication 13

McAnuff Wraps Up Season In Style At Short Track Worlds

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Sean McAnuff (27) concluded his season this weekend at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Beijing, China

McAnuff got his Worlds under way in Heat 7 of the 1500m quarterfinals. He was in the hunt to advance right up until two laps to go when he found himself unable to go with the pace. He came home in a time of 2:25.402 for fifth place. In Heat 6 of the 500m preliminaries he continued his fine form in the distance with a new Irish record of 41.928 which him in fourth place. By the time Heat 10 of the 1000m preliminaries rolled around, he was firing on all cylinders. He placed third in a time of 1:29.737 and missed out by just one place going through to the Heats later in the day.

McAnuff began the second day of racing in Heat 4 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals. He kept in contact with the leaders until the final few laps and crossed the line in seventh place with a time of 2:21.571. He ranked 48th for the distance. Next up was the 500m repechage quarterfinals and he was drawn in Heat 6. He showed some great strategic racing making a pass on the final lap that propelled him into second at the finish and lowering the Irish record once more to 41.836. He came 33rd in the overall distance classification.

On the final day of racing for the season McAnuff lined up in Heat 2 of the 1000m repechage quarterfinals. He kept himself in the thick of things until the penultimate lap when two athletes ahead of him collided. He took the opportunity to avoid getting caught up and swerved around to come home in first place with a time of  1:26.853. He advanced to the repechage semifinals and raced in Heat 1 where he finished fourth in a time of 1:27.252.

“Finishing in the 1000m with my best ever ranking in an ISU World Championships is a great feeling,” McAnuff said. “To finish strongly in the 1000m and set another new Irish record in the 500m is the culmination of this season’s dedication, sacrifice and of course the support from my wife, training partners, family and friends, as well as the Irish federation. I have felt my understanding and confidence grow this season more than ever before. I took away from this competition that I have more work to do on my starts and the set up of my first half lap strategy. Overall, I must say this weekend’s experience has been an absolute motivation for me to keep pushing my limits going into this off season and into the Olympic season to come!”