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!”

McAnuff Eyes Up Short Track Worlds

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Sean McAnuff (27) will make his third appearance at an ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships when he takes to the ice this weekend (14-16 March) in Beijing, China.

McAnuff has enjoyed the best season of his career so far and just last month brought the Irish 500 metres record under the 42 second barrier and set a new personal lifetime best in the 1000 metres. He will be hoping the luck of the Irish will be with him this St. Patrick’s weekend as he will Ireland’s sole representative racing inside the Capital Indoor Stadium. Short Track Worlds were first held back in 1976. Ireland has been represented at every edition since 2017.

McAnuff starts racing on Friday, 14 March with the qualification rounds of the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances. Subsequent rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will take place on Saturday, 15 March and Sunday, 16 March.

“It is so exciting to be back in Beijing for the World Championships,” McAnuff said. “I think so far this season, more than any other, I have demonstrated a realistic understanding of my skills and growth capabilities as an athlete. I set many goals this season and I have been able to push myself to new lengths in order to achieve them. This weekend is no different, but as it marks the end of my season, I hope to display several of the various areas I have grown in. Perhaps I’ll manage to achieve one or all of the following: break another Irish record, finish with my best overall ranking in a distance, and skate as tactically as possible in order to make the afternoon session.”

The ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships will be broadcast online on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #WorldShortTrack and #ShortTrackSkating hashtags.

Membership Renewal

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Annual memberships are now up for renewal!

As per ISAI Communication 11, there will be an extended term of 16 month membership for 2025/2026 running from 1 March 2025 till 30 June 2026.

Reflecting the longer membership year, the 2025/2026 membership fee will be €130. Membership can be renewed via the Sportlomo website registration portal.

Irish Wolfhounds Wrap Up World Tour At Olympic Test Event

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After six events in five different countries across three continents, this weekend the Irish Wolfhounds closed out the ISU Short Track World Tour in Milan, Italy at the Unipol Forum, the short track speed skating and figure skating venue for next year’s Winter Olympic Games.

As always. the Wolfhounds got things under way with qualification day where they raced across three distances. Liam O’Brien was first up in Heat 6 where he was deemed by the referee to have impeded another skater and received a penalty. Sean McAnuff raced immediately after in Heat 7 crossing the line in fourth place with a time of 2:26.259.

The 500m preliminaries were next. The Wolfhounds were again drawn in back to back heats with O’Brien once again the first to take to the track in Heat 8 where he came fourth in a time of 42.363. McAnuff has been on fire in the 500 this season and was looking on course to another swift result when there was contact from another skater on the final lap. He took second place with a time of 42.525 and was eventually advanced to the Heats later on in the afternoon.

Last up for the first morning session were the 1000m preliminaries. McAnuff came third in Heat 4 with a time of 1:28.004. O’Brien was having an unlucky day as he and another skater collided in Heat 9 sending him crashing into the barriers. He got back up and came home in fourth in 1:51.916.

McAnuff returned for the opening afternoon session lining up in Heat 8. It was a swift and competitive race and he had to be content with sixth, but he did improve on his time from the morning recording 42.142.

The Wolfhounds were back on the second day for the 500m repechage quarterfinals. O’Brien was in Heat 5 where he wound up finishing in fifth place in a time of 42.633. In Heat 7, McAnuff lowered his time from the previous day to 42.043, but it placed him in fourth and was not enough to advance any further. He did rank 33rd in the final World Tour standing for the distance.

The final day of competition had McAnuff representing the Wolfhounds in the 1000m repechage quarterfinals. Drawn in Heat 3, he was in contention from the start and it was just the final lap where he lost ground to his competitors finishing in fourth. Nevertheless, his time of 1:26.283 was a new personal best and it closed out the Short Track World Tour for the Wolfhounds on a high note.

“It’s been a great season with the new identity and it definitely supports a bigger fanbase,” O’Brien said. “It’s great representing Ireland as always and the Irish Wolfhounds so I really enjoyed on the World Tour.

“It’s been great here,” O’Brien said about trying out the ice for the Olympic test event. “The venue is brilliant and the volunteers have been very helpful along the whole event. Hopefully I’ll be back here in a year’s time and competing for Ireland once again.”

“It went by super quick all the way to here in Milan,” McAnuff said reflecting on the World Tour. “We started out in Montreal, Canada and it has been a whirlwind. I would say personally I am very happy with my progression over the World Tours. Also with the new team identities it’s been really exciting for friends and family to follow along and cheer on the Irish Wolfhounds specifically. Honestly, it’s been a really quick, but great season and I’m excited to finish it here in Milan on World Tour Six.

“I hope to be back here in twelve months,” McAnuff continued. “I’m going to be working really hard over this off season and I want to be back here representing the Irish Wolfhounds and representing Ireland on the Olympic stage in under twelve months now, I guess.”

 

 

 

 

Irish Wolfhounds Look To Close Out World Tour With A Bang In Milan

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The ISU Short Track World Tour reaches its climax this weekend and eyes begin to look ahead to next season as the Irish Wolfhounds take on the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic test event in Milan, Italy.

Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) are coming off the back of some great racing last weekend in Tilburg, The Netherlands. McAnuff brought the 500m Irish record under 42 seconds for the first time ever and O’Brien set a new season best for the 1500m. They will contest the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances over three days inside the Unipol Forum vying against the best skaters from in the world at the arena that will host the short track speed skating and figure skating events at next year’s Olympics. It will present an opportunity for the Wolfhounds to get a taste of Olympic ice and act as a motivation to try and secure spots for Ireland later this year in the designated qualifying competitions.

“I hope to take away all the positives from last week and correct the smaller details,” O’Brien said. “It’s a great venue here and I will soak it all up before Olympic qualifiers next season.”

“It’s really exciting to be racing in the Olympic test event here in Milan,” McAnuff said. “The venue is huge and the Olympic atmosphere is here! I look forward to breaking new barriers this weekend by lowering my personal best times and furthering my defensive skating tactics. And to be honest, I have to say I’m really looking forward to enjoying a big pizza on Sunday evening!”

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 (Milan, Italy)

Friday, 14 February – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 15 February – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 16 February – 1000m

Irish Wolfhounds Break New Ice In Tilburg

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The penultimate stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Tilburg, The Netherlands this weekend saw the Irish Wolfhounds move into new territory.

Qualification Day began with the 500m preliminaries. In Heat 1, Sean McAnuff fought hard throughout the race to cross the line in third in a time of 42.264 which was enough to put him through to the next round as just one of two fastest finishers. Liam O’Brien drew Heat 9 and raced hard ultimately having to settle for fourth place in a time of 42.804. In the 1000m prelimaries, McAnuff was again the first of the Wolfhounds in action in Heat 7. He was in contention for most of the race before finishing in fourth with a time of 1:30.852. O’Brien was up immediately after in Heat 8 and was holding his own until he had an unfortunate trip with four laps to go and placed fifth. The afternoon session began with the 1500m quarterfinals. In a highly competitive and swift Heat 1 O’Brien raced to a new season best time of 2:16.692 which left him in fifth place. For the 500m heats, McAnuff found himself in Heat 8 which turned out to be a dramatic and exciting affair. While others around him lost their heads, he kept his cool and was rewarded with first place in a time of 42.780 and spot in the quarterfinals the following day.

O’Brien was the first of Irish Wolfhounds to race on the second day of the competition in Heat 6 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals. It was a cagey race and with five laps to go O’Brien crashed out to come fifth and 51st overall for the distance. His next shot was the 500m repechage quarterfinals to see if he could join McAnuff in the afternoon’s quarterfinals. The race had to be stopped and restarted twice due to collisions on the first corner. When the heat did get under way at the third time of asking, O’Brien slotted into third and remained there until the end in a time of 42.573 narrowly off his season best for 39th place in the overall distance classification. In his only race of the day, McAnuff was the first Irish Wolfhound this season to advance to a World Tour main session and the history making did not end there. In a high paced Heat 1, McAnuff gave it everything he had and came fifth with a new Irish record of 41.989, the first Irish skater to break 42 seconds for the 500m. He finished 16th in the distance.

The Irish Wolfhounds took on the 1000m repechage on the final day of the competition. O’Brien got things started for the Irish in Heat 2 of the repechage quarterfinals and returned home fifth in a time of 1:28.755 for 49th place overall in the distance. McAnuff appeared in Heat 5 and finished third in a time of 1:28.932 giving him a distance classification of 38th.

“I am very proud of this my racing this weekend in Tilburg,” McAnuff said. “I skated confidently in every race and kept skating until well over the line. It definitely paid off and I am pleased with my new 500m personal best time as well as a 16th overall finish in the 500m. I was able to put to the test my defence capabilities this weekend. This was significant to me as it was a prominent weakness I identified over the course of the season thus far and I have worked hard to improve it.”

There is no rest for the Irish Wolfhounds as they are back on the ice for the final stage of the ISU Short Track World Tour next weekend in Milan, Italy which will also serve as the test event for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.