Donegal boxers follow in fathers' footsteps to win Irish titles

Like father, like daughter: Two Donegal boxers have followed in their fathers’ footsteps to win Irish titles.

Aoife Gillespie of Twin Towns Boxing Club and Dungloe Boxing Club’s Katelyn O’Donnell emulated their fathers, Barry Gillespie and Denis O’Donnell, when becoming Irish champions on Saturday at the National Stadium.

It was a first Irish crown for Gillespie while O’Donnell was back on top for the second year in a row having won a Girl 2 49kgs title last year.

Gillespie defeated Emma Crowley from St Martha’s Boxing Club in Cork to win the Girl 2 43kgs final.

The Twin Towns ace had beaten Emelia Dunne from Edenmore BC in her semi-final, coming out there on the right end of a 3-2 split decision to move into the decider,

Back down the South Circular Road on Saturday morning, Gillespie landed the title via a unanimous decision.

In having her hand raided, she joined a famous Twin Towns BC roster, now standing at 52 national champions, and a list that also includes her father, Barry, who won the Youth 1 51kgs title in March 2000.

In a bout noted as being “one of the best fights of the Championships”, Barry overcame Garret Dunne from Neilstown and later that summer he won a bronze medal at the Gaelic Games in Scotland.

O’Donnell was crowned the Girl 2 57kgs champion when seeing off Adriana Downes from St Michael’s Golden Gloves in Clare. O’Donnell was given the nod by all judges at ringside for a unanimous decision victory.

Earlier in the week, O’Donnell defeated defeated Maria Mititean of Neilstown BC in Dublin to advance to the final.

O’Donnell powered to the Girl 2 49kgs title last year and returned this year in style to continue Dungloe Boxing Club’s excellent sequences; this was their seventh title in just over a year.

In 2001, Katelyn’s father, Denis O’Donnell, won the Boy 1 crown in 2001, beating Kevin Cummins from Loughlynn BC in Roscommon in the final. He also went on to win a Youth 1 75kgs title in 2005 and an Intermediate 85kgs title in 2011.

In the Girl 1 37kgs final, Leah McGonigle from St Bridget’s, Clonmany lost out against Kilmyshall’s Priva Clifford, who won the contest with a first round stoppage. McGonagle booked her place in the final with a semi-final win over Shannon Kenny from Charlestown.

Isla McShane from St John Bosco Boxing Club will be in the Girl 3 47kgs final next weekend. McShane, who saw off Leah Bannon from Ballinamore in the semi-final, will clash with Amy Joyce from Olympic BC.

Hannah Lee Peoples from Raphoe Boxing Club lost to Sienna O’Herron from Rochfordbridge in a Girl 3 semi-final at 53kgs.

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.

Carndonagh Boxing Club’s Poppy Doherty, in a Girl 1 41kgs semi-final, lost out on a unanimous decision to Ceilidh May Cassidy from the St Mary’s BC in Dublin.

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Letterkenny BC’s Martin McCarthy fell on a narrow split decision to Ballymore’s Jack Cullen in a Boy 2 semi-final at 46kgs while his Letterkenny BC colleague Pearse McKinney lost out to Tadgh Browne Doyle (Top End) in a Boy 3 59kgs quarter-final.

Fionnan Breathnach (Annagry) and Conor Glackin (St Bridget’s, Clonmany) exited after defeats in Boy 1 35kgs and Boy 2 44.5kgs quarter-finals to Arthur Noonan (Charleville) and Martin Ward (Olympic).