The 2026 Competition season kicked off last weekend with the British Bouldering Championship in the Depot Manchester. A total of 19 Irish athletes travelled to Manchester for this event, with five in the Junior U17 category and fifteen in the Senior Category. The team put on a stellar performance across the board, proving this emerging Irish team is on the up and becoming a force to be reckoned with. In the senior category Sean Henchion, Amy Rafferty and Sean O’Connor had impressive qualifications making it through to the semifinal round. Sean Henchion from Cork in particular putting on an incredible performance in qualifications, finishing just outside the Top 10 in a strong field of International Level climbers. Lucy Mc Clune from Belfast put on an equally impressive round in the Under 17 Girls, also with an 11th place finish in qualifications and a solid performance in semifinals also.
Congratulations to all the team who travelled to Manchester, and represented Irish climbing so well.
Find the full results here, and check out some action shots from the weekend on MI Flickr page