Girl power: Three more Donegal boxers advance to Irish finals

Three more Donegal boxers have booked their place in Irish finals.

Aoife Gillespie of Twin Towns Boxing Club, Katelyn O’Donnell from Dungloe Boxing Club and Isla McShane from the St John Bosco BC have all sealed their places in finals.

Gillespie sealed a berth in the Girl 2 43kgs final when seeing off Edenmore’s Emelia Dunne. Gillespie came out on the right side of a narrow 3-2 split decision and she now goes up against Emma Crowley from St Martha’s BC.

O’Donnell, who won the Girl 2 49 kgs title in 2025, defeated Maria Mititean of Neilstown BC in Dublin to advance into the Girl 2 57kgs final.

There, the Dungloe puncher will meet Adriana Downes from Golden Gloves who was given a bye into the final.

The margins were tight, too, in a Girl 3 47kgs semi-final where McShane saw off Leah Bannon from Ballinamore. When the sums were totted, McShane took victory on a 3-2 split decision.

Amy Joyce of Olympic BC overcame Mitchelstown BC’s Winifred McDonagh on a unanimous decision in the other Girl 3 47kgs semi-final.

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There was no joy for Shay Devlin from St Bridget’s, Clonmany, who was on the wrong end of a 3-2 split in his Boy 2 54kgs semi-final against Reuben McMorrow (Ratoath), while Sara Tennyson from Derryveagh BC was stopped by Leah Cairns (Golden Gloves) in the second round of a Girl 3 49kgs semi.

Gillespie, O’Donnell and McShane join St Bridget’s, Clonmany boxer Leah McGonigle, who already won through to the Girl 1 37kgs final this week when defeated Shannon Kenny from Charlestown on Wednesday.