List of flag bearers for Ireland at the Olympics

Ireland at the Olympics
IOC code	IRL
NOC	Olympic Federation of Ireland
Website	www.olympicsport.ie
Medals	Gold 15 Silver 10 Bronze 17 Total 42
Summer appearances
1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winter appearances
1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Other related appearances
Great Britain (1896–1920)

This is a list of flag bearers who have represented Ireland at the Olympics. Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Men and women from across the country and from a variety of sports have carried the flag at both the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games.

Firsts

Athletes from Ireland competed alongside Great Britain for the first Olympic Games, entering their own team for the first time in 1924. Many Irish Americans competed for the United States, achieving significant success particularly in athletics. ^[1] Pat McDonald, who had moved to the United States at a young age, won the shot put at the 1912 Games and was chosen to carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony of the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium. ^{[2] [3]}

John O'Grady was the first athlete to bear the Irish tricolour in 1924. Ireland did not compete in the Winter Olympics until 1992, with Pat McDonagh, a former Summer Olympic rower turned bobsledder, leading out the team. ^[4]

Boycotts

The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet–Afghan War, saw many countries pull out of the Games and only 16 nations appeared at the opening ceremony. Taoiseach Charles Haughey declared his support for the boycott but the Olympic Council of Ireland still chose to send their team to Moscow. Ken Ryan, manager of the Olympic team, said that they supported the government but wanted to participate in the games "purely from the sporting point of view". At the opening ceremony Ryan was the sole representative of the team and marched under a white flag with bearing the Olympic rings. ^[5] The Soviet cameramen avoided the protesting marchers and few Soviet commentators mentioned it. Only one comment was recorded: "There is the clumsy plot that you all can see, against the traditions of the Olympic movement." ^[6]

Other notes

The McGarry sisters, Tamsen and Kirsten, both carried the flag for Ireland. Tamsen was the elder sister, born in 1982 in Bolton, England, and was selected as the flag bearer for the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. It was the only time that she would compete at the Olympics. Kirsten was chosen for the 2006 Games in Turin. Both sisters were alpine skiers. ^{[4] [7] [8]}

List of flag bearers

Sonia O'Sullivan, flag bearer at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Pat O'Callaghan, flag bearer at the 1932 Summer Olympics

List of flag bearers: ^[4]

#	Event year	Season	Flag bearer	Sport
1	1924	Summer	John O'Grady	Athletics
2	1928	Summer	Matt Flanagan	Boxing
3	1932	Summer	Pat O'Callaghan	Athletics
4	1948	Summer	Paddy Carroll	Team official	[9]
5	1952	Summer	Paddy Carroll	Team official	[10]
6	1956	Summer	Kevin Barry	Equestrianism
7	1956	Summer	Tony Byrne	Boxing
8	1960	Summer	Ron Delany	Athletics
9	1964	Summer	John Lawlor	Athletics
10	1968	Summer	Jim McCourt	Boxing
11	1972	Summer	Ronnie McMahon	Equestrianism
12	1976	Summer	Frank Moore	Rowing
13	1980	Summer	Ken Ryan	Team manager	[5]
14	1984	Summer	Gerry Mullins	Equestrianism
15	1988	Summer	Wayne McCullough	Boxing
16	1992	Winter	Pat McDonagh	Bobsleigh
17	1992	Summer	Michelle Smith	Swimming
18	1996	Summer	Francie Barrett	Boxing
19	1998	Winter	Terry McHugh	Bobsleigh
20	2000	Summer	Sonia O'Sullivan	Athletics
21	2002	Winter	Tamsen McGarry	Alpine skiing
22	2004	Summer	Niall Griffin	Equestrianism
23	2006	Winter	Kirsten McGarry	Alpine skiing
24	2008	Summer	Ciara Peelo	Sailing
25	2010	Winter	Aoife Hoey	Bobsleigh
26	2012	Summer	Katie Taylor	Boxing
27	2014	Winter	Conor Lyne	Alpine skiing
28	2016	Summer	Paddy Barnes	Boxing
29	2018	Winter	Seamus O'Connor	Snowboarding	[11]
30	2020	Summer	Kellie Harrington	Boxing	[12]
31			Brendan Irvine
32	2022	Winter	Elsa Desmond	Luge	[13]
33			Brendan Newby	Freestyle skiing
34	2024	Summer	Sarah Lavin	Athletics	[14]
35			Shane Lowry	Golf

See also

• Ireland at the Olympics

References

1. Dwyer, Ryle. Flying the flag: Reliving Ireland's golden days of Olympic glory. 13 February 2010. Irish Examiner . Accessed 30 October 2011.
2. Pat McDonald. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed October 26, 2011.
3. United States. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed 30 October 2011.
4. Ireland. Olympics at Sport-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed 21 January 2016.
5. Olympics chief feared protests. 30 December 2010. Belfast Telegraph . Accessed 29 October 2011.
6. Fimrite, Ron. Only The Bears Were Bullish. 28 July 1980. Sports Illustrated . Accessed 26 October 2011.
7. Tamsen McGarry. Olympics at Sport-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed 29 October 2011.
8. Kirsty McGarry. Olympics at Sport-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed 29 October 2011.
9. President of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, "I.A.B.A. President criticises Olympics", Irish Times, 4 October 1942, page 2
10. Honorary Secretary of Irish Olympic Council, "Unhappy situation at Helsinki", Irish Times, 2 September 1952, page 3; died 6 December 1975 when President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, see obituary "Death of former Garda Commissioner", Irish Times, 8 December 1975, page 13
11. "The Flagbearers for the PyeongChang 2018 Opening Ceremony" (PDF). olympics.com. IOC . Retrieved 4 May 2022.
12. "The flagbearers for the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony" (PDF). olympics.com. IOC . Retrieved 4 May 2022.
13. "The flagbearers for the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony" (PDF). olympics.com. IOC . Retrieved 4 May 2022.
14. "Paris 2024: Opening ceremony flagbearers information" (PDF). olympics.com. IOC . Retrieved 27 July 2024.