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Soucisse And Firus Call Time On Competitive Career

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have announced their decision to retire from competition.

Soucisse and Firus teamed up in 2016 and took the first of their three Irish national titles in 2023. It was only the beginning of many milestones for Irish ice skating. Later that same year they became the first senior ice dance team to represent Ireland internationally. In January 2024, they made the first of their three appearances at the European Figure Skating Championships and were the first Irish ice dancers to compete at an ISU Championships. In 2024, they qualified and were selected for the World Figure Skating Championships making them the first Irish athletes to do so since 2012. They were also the first Irish figure skaters to qualify for the free segment of their event at an ISU Championship which they did three times at  Europeans and once at Worlds. In addition, they collected three international medals for Ireland since 2024. Their achievements and the attention they have brought to ice dance will act as an inspiration for the next generation of Irish ice skaters.

“The early morning practices and competitions have completely shaped who we are today. We could never have reached our goals without our amazing coaches teammates, friends, family and the ISAI,” Firus said. “To the fans and the entire skating community: your constant support means the absolute world to us. We are leaving competitive skating behind, but Caro and I are taking all the memories and lifelong friendships with us. Thank you for everything.”

“Carolane and Shane have been wonderful ambassadors for Irish ice skating,” Ice Skating Association of Ireland President Seán Gillis said. “It is always a difficult decision for any athlete to know when the time is right to call it a day. They can both be very proud of their legacy and hopefully they know how much it has meant to all us in Ireland to see them represent us. I wish them every success for the next stage of their lives together.”

Soucisse And Firus 19th At Sheffield Euros

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Irish ice dancers Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have finished in 19th place at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships earlier this evening in Sheffield.

In yesterday’s Rhythm Dance, Soucisse and Firus had a mishap on their opening sequential twizzle sequence that saw them on 62.71 points, just under six points off their season best for the segment qualifying 18th out of 20 teams that advanced. The duo performed third in the Free Dance and from the first strains of Bill Whelan’s iconic “Riverdance” score they had the Utilita Arena in the palm of their hands. After executing most of their difficult technical elements, Soucisse tumbled at the beginning of the choreographic step sequence. The couple closed out the routine to rapturous applause. They received a free dance score of 88.28 points for a total of 150.99 points and dropped one place to finish 19th overall.

“Up until the last 45 seconds, it felt great,” Soucisse said. “It’s not a mistake we make often. I feel better telling myself this happened because I gave it all. I gave everything I had. The crowd were amazing.”

“They were with us from the beginning,” Firus said. “It definitely helped us get all the way till the end. Maybe we let it envelop us too much towards the end, but we had a really good time and really enjoyed it.”

Soucisse And Firus Steel Themselves For Sheffield Europeans

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Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) make their third consecutive ISU European Figure Skating Championships appearance this week in Sheffield, United Kingdom (14-18 January).

The Irish ice dancers finished 18th at last year’s championships in Tallinn, Estonia and will be aiming to improve on that ranking this time round. This will be the fifth competition of what has been a hectic season which has included a silver medal at International Ice Dance Dordrecht in the Netherlands in August and representing Ireland at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier in Beijing, China back in September. The three-time Irish national champions train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs.

Soucisse and Firus take to competition ice for the 1990s themed rhythm dance starting at 12:30pm (Irish time) on Friday, 16 January. The Irish duo will skate to a New Kids On The Block medley. Thirty teams from 21 nations will battle for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 17 January where Soucisse and Firus hope to showcase their routine to music from “Riverdance” that evening.

“We are super excited to perform in Sheffield this week,” Soucisse said. “We really enjoy performing both our programmes this season and we hope we can bring the crowd in and give them a great show!”

“We are really looking forward to this event and want to take in the whole experience,” Firus said. “We made some small changes since our last competitions and are excited to showcase them here!”

Europeans are the oldest ISU championship event having first been contested in 1891. Ireland made its debut at the championships in 2009 when Clara Peters skated in the women’s event. Peters also participated in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions (the latter also in Sheffield). In 2018, Conor Stakelum became the first Irish male figure skater to perform at the championships and he subsequently made appearances in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Sam McAllister represented Ireland at the 2023 Europeans. In 2024 Soucisse and Firus became the first ice dance team from Ireland to compete at Europeans.

In order to earn entry to the championships, eligible skaters must attain a combined minimum technical element score of both their programmes during the current or preceding season. The championships are held annually and this is the second time Sheffield plays host.

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast 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 #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.

2025 A Year To Remember For Irish Ice Skating

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2025 got under way with two major ISU events for Team Ireland in January. Sean McAnuff representing Ireland at his fifth European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany with his best finish a 24th place in the 1500 metres. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus took on their second European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia where they ended up in 18th overall.

February saw our Irish skaters get an opportunity to try out 2026 Olympic ice in Milan. Prior to arriving in the Italian city, Irish Wolfhounds Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien competed at the fifth stage of the inaugural ISU Short Track World Tour in Tilburg, The Netherlands. McAnuff advanced to the 500 metres quarterfinals where he dipped under 42 seconds to set a new Irish record. The following week the Irish Wolfhounds got a taste of the Olympic atmosphere at the test event at the Unipol Forum to close out the Short Track World Tour. The following week Dillon Judge was in the same venue for the Road To 26 Trophy figure skating Olympic test event where he placed 12th in the men’s category. It was a busy period for Olympic related competitions as Allie Peterson was in Bakuriani, Georgia where she became only the second Irish skater to participate in a European Youth Olympic Festival coming 19th. Judge and Sophia Tkacheva also took part in the Merano Ice Trophy placing 14th and 23rd in their respective disciplines.

The World was a stage for our athletes in March. Sean McAnuff travelled to Beijing, China for the Short Track World Championships and he broke his own 500 metre Irish record twice during the course of the event. Later on in the month, Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus were in Boston, United States of America for the World Figure Skating Championships finishing in 28th place.

In May Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien attended an Olympic Federation of Ireland Milano Cortina Camp in Dublin for athletes targeting qualification for the 2o26 Olympics.

For the fourth consecutive year the Irish Figure Skating Championships were held at the Dundee Ice Arena with medals contested in four categories.

Ryan McAnuff, the first speed skater to represent Ireland at Europeans and Worlds, announced his retirement from elite competition in July.

Newly crowned Irish Junior Women’s champion Juliana Farrell opened the 2025-2026 season in August for the national team with 18th at the Cranberry Cup International in Norwood, United States of America. Later on in the month Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus bagged a silver medal at International Ice Dance Dordrecht in the Netherlands.

Dillon Judge and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus made their way to Beijing, China in September for the ISU Skate To Milano Olympic Qualifier. Judge finished 24th and Soucisse and Firus ninth at the event and were outside the quota places for figure skating at the 2026 Olympics.

Juliana Farrell was the sole representative for Ireland on this season’s ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating and she came 32nd at the Solidarity Cup in Gdansk, Poland in October. Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien got their quest for Olympic quota places started at back-to-back ISU Short Track World Tour events in Montreal, Canada. Dillon Judge placed 11th at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, Scotland.

It was a hectic November for Dillon Judge as he competed at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Cup of Innsbruck in Austria and the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. He placed 9th, 8th and 7th respectively. Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien concluded this season’s ISU Short Track World Tour with events in Gdansk, Poland and Dordrecht, The Netherlands that saw the Irish Wolfhounds fall short on obtaining quota places in short track speed skating at the 2026 Olympics. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus took on two ISU Challenger Series events in a row finishing 10th at Warsaw Cup in Poland and eighth at Tallinn Trophy in Estonia.

December began with Dillon Judge placing 22nd at the ISU Challenger Series Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. Long track speed skater Thomas Steele made his international debut for Ireland at the European Youth Countrymatch in Heerenveen, The Netherlands setting a new Irish Junior record for the 1500 metres.

Here’s hoping for an even more spectacular year for Irish ice skating in 2026!

 

Soucisse And Firus Eighth At Tallinn Trophy

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Co. Wexford) have secured an eighth place finish at this weekend’s Tallinn Trophy.

The three-time Irish champions began the event at the Tondiraba Ice Hall with their New Kids On The Block rhythm dance. Their sequential twizzles were graded Level 3 for Soucisse and Level 4 for Firus. Their pattern type step sequence was called Level 1. A minor wobble by Soucisse during the midline step sequence saw her receive Level 1 for the element as opposed to the Level 2 for Firus. They rounded things out with a Level 4 rotational lift and a choreographic rhythm sequence. They scored 64.56 points for eighth place at the midway stage of the competition.

This afternoon Soucisse and Firus skated their “Riverdance” free dance. They started with a Level 4 dance spin from which they moved seamlessly into a choreographic sliding movement. Their one foot turns earned them a Level 2, while Soucisse received Level 4 for her synchronised twizzles with Firus awarded Level 2. Their straight line and rotational lifts were each a Level 4. Soucisse was judged to be  Level 1 for their serpentine step sequence and Firus Level 2. They completed the routine with a Level 4 stationary lift and two choreographic elements. A score of 102.99 points left them with a total of 167.55 points.

Soucisse and Firus 10th At Warsaw Cup

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Co. Wexford) have finished in 10th place in the Warsaw Cup ice dance event earlier this evening.

The three-time Irish champions began the competition in Poland’s capital yesterday with their New Kids On The Block rhythm dance. They put down Level 3 sequential twizzles and a Level 2 pattern type step sequence to get themselves under way. Their midline step sequence was graded Level 2 and they closed out with a Level 4 rotational lift and an engaging choreographic rhythm sequence. They earned a new season best score of 68.46 points to put themselves in eighth place overnight.

This evening Soucisse and Firus performed in the free dance to a selection of music from “Riverdance” by Bill Whelan. They commenced with a Level 4 dance spin which flowed into a choreographic sliding movement. Their one foot turns were both credited with a Level 1, while Soucisse garnered Level 4 for her synchronised twizzles with Firus getting Level 2. Their combination of straight line and rotational lifts came in at Level 4 for both elements while Soucisse was awarded Level 1 for their serpentine step sequence and Firus Level 2. They wound the routine up with a Level 4 stationary lift and two choreographic movements. They picked up an ISU season best score of 103.45 points and a total of 171.91 points.

Irish Figure Skaters Seeking First Ever Olympic Quota Place

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Dillon Judge (Men’s Singles – Co. Down) and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Ice Dance – Co. Wexford) have arrived in Beijing, China ahead of this weekend’s ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025, the final opportunity for figure skaters to secure quota places for their nations at next February’s Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Soucisse and Firus are the first of the Irish in action when they take to the ice on Friday, 19 September for the Rhythm Dance and again on Sunday, 21 September for the Free Dance along with teams from 18 other countries vying for the four quota places on offer at Milano-Cortina. The three-time Irish champions made a promising start to the season last month at the International Ice Dance Dordrecht event in The Netherlands where they picked up a silver medal. They train with Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Toronto, Canada.

“We are feeling the most prepared we’ve ever been at this time of the season,” Soucisse said. “We have worked very hard and are proud of the training we’ve put in. We’re really looking forward to showing our new programmes!”

“We are super excited for this event and fully prepared,” Firus said. “We look forward to performing both programmes to the best of our abilities and to making history!”

Judge is making his season debut at China’s National Indoor Stadium on Saturday, 20 September in the Short Programme with the Free Skating on 21 September. The two-time Senior Irish champion is going up against 26 other athletes who will all be competing for one of the remaining five quota places for their countries. He is coached by Barbara Luoni in Bergamo, Italy.

“My goal is just to learn and take in the environment,” Judge said. “I go into this event with no pressure as it is my first competition of the season. I know if I’m calm and collected, I will do my best and that’s all I can hope for. I’ve trained better than ever and found a new level of motivation so I’m ready for this season to start.”

ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025 will be streamed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel.

Team Ireland Competition Schedule (Irish Time)

Friday, 19 September

05:15-07:55 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance

 Saturday, 20 September

03:00-06:55 Men Short Programme

 Sunday, 21 September

03:00-06:10 Ice Dance Free Dance

06:45-11:20 Men Free Skating

Three Irish Skaters Beijing Bound For Final Olympic Qualifier

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The final opportunity for figure skaters to earn quota places for their countries at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games is the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025 – Beijing to be held at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China on 19-21 September 2025. Ireland will be represented by Dillon Judge (Men’s Singles) and Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Ice Dance).
Dillon Judge is a two-time Irish senior national champion. He is currently coached by Barbara Luoni at Ice Lab in Bergamo, Italy, an ISU Centre of Excellence.
Married couple Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus were the first Irish ice dance partnership to compete at European and World Championships in 2024. They are three-time Irish senior national champions and are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Toronto, Canada.
At the Beijing qualifier, countries seeking to earn quota places will have one entry in each event. There will be five quota places up for grabs in men’s singles and four in ice dance.
Provisional Schedule (Irish time – Subject to change)
Friday, 19 September
ICE DANCE – Rhythm Dance (Begins 04:30am)
Saturday, 20 September
MEN – Short Programme (Begins 03:00am)
Sunday, 21 September
ICE DANCE – Free Dance (Begins 03:00am)
MEN – Free Skating (Follows above)

Silver Season Start for Soucisse and Firus

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Co. Wexford) have opened the 2025/2026 season by taking a silver medal in the Senior Ice Dance event at the International Ice Dance Dordrecht in the Netherlands this weekend.

The three-time Irish champions performed two new routines for the first time internationally and it was a valuable opportunity to compete them for the first time and get feedback from the technical and judging panels. First up was the 1990s themed rhythm dance and Soucisse and Firus choice for the season is a New Kids on the Block medley. Their opening sequential twizzles were graded Level 3,  a pattern type step sequence Level 1, as was their midline steps. They closed out with a Level 4 rotational lift and a choreographic rhythm sequence. Their score of 65.27 points put them in second place overnight.

The Irish ice dancers had debuted their “Riverdance” free dance at the end of last season at the Irish Championships. They commenced with a Level 3 dance spin, a choreographic slide and Level 1 one foot turns. Soucisse garnered Level 2 for the synchronised twizzles, while Firus obtained a Level 1 for the same element. Both parts of the straightline lift and rotational lift combination were Level 4, while a serpentine step sequence was Level 1 and a stationary lift Level 4. They wrapped things up with choreographic steps and assisted jump. They scored 94.81 points for the free which gave them a total of 160.08 points keeping them in second place in the final standings.

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)