A team representing Ireland has competed at every Summer Paralympic Games. The country has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics. Irish athletes have won 238 Summer Paralympic medals. Paralympics Ireland (formerly the Paralympic Council of Ireland) is the National Paralympic Committee.
Northern Ireland-born athletes are entitled to represent either Ireland or Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as they are automatically entitled to the citizenship of both countries. As a result, athletes will tend to represent the National Olympic Committee of the nation to which their sport federation is aligned. The smaller competition pool will also see athletes choose to represent Ireland to ensure greater Olympic qualification chances, although athletes may also move in the opposite direction to increase medal chances, especially in team events. A number of athletes have represented both nations. This is on the same basis as at the Olympics.
At the first Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome Ireland were one of 23 nations to enter athletes. The team finished 12th in the medals table which to this day remains the highest Ireland has ranked on the medal table. Both of Ireland's gold medals were won by Joan Horan. Horan won her medals in two different sports, one in the women's St. Nicholas Round open archery and one in the women's 25 m Crawl complete class 2 swimming event. At the next games, hosted by Tokyo in 1964, two Irish athletes competed. This remains Ireland's only Summer Paralympics where no medals were earned.
The most medals won by Ireland at a Paralympic Games is 66. This was achieved at the 1984 Games hosted in New York and Stoke Mandeville. 20 of these medals were gold, 15 silver and 31 bronze. These are the most medals ever won at the games, making this the most successful Paralympic Games for Ireland. This was achieved with only 53 athletes on the Paralympic team that year.
The 1996 Summer Paralympics saw the biggest Paralympic team ever head to Atlanta. With 63 athletes competing in these games, Ireland was hoping for their biggest games yet. Disappointingly for the Irish, 10 medals were won at these games.
At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, held in Beijing, Ireland won five medals in total, three of them gold. There was controversy over the participation of Derek Malone in the 7-a-side cerebral palsy football tournament. Malone, who had competed in the 800 m event at the Athens Paralympics was ruled as ineligible to compete by Games classification authorities on the grounds that his disability was not severe enough.
Athletics is Ireland's highest achieving sport with more than 5x more medals won in Athletics than any other sport. Ireland have also been very successful in swimming with 31 medals won in the sport.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games GamesAthletesTotalRank 1960 Rome 5 2 0 0 2 12 1964 Tokyo 2 0 0 0 0 18 1968 Tel-Aviv 7 0 4 5 9 19 1972 Heidelberg 17 2 4 2 8 21 1976 Toronto 19 4 10 6 20 21 1980 Arnhem 24 4 2 11 17 25 1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York 53 20 15 31 66 14 1988 Seoul 53 13 11 18 42 19 1992 Barcelona/Madrid 58 0 3 4 7 47 1996 Atlanta 63 1 3 6 10 45 2000 Sydney 39 5 3 1 9 31 2004 Athens 42 0 3 1 4 61 2008 Beijing 45 3 1 1 5 36 2012 London 49 8 3 5 16 19 2016 Rio de Janeiro 44 4 4 3 11 28 2020 Tokyo 31 4 2 1 7 32 2024 Paris 35 1 3 2 6 55 2028 Los Angeles future events 2032 Brisbane Total 71 71 97 239 29
Medals by summer sport
List of medallists The following table contains all medals won by athletes representing Ireland in the Paralympics. All medals have been won at the Summer Games. Ireland have never had a Paralympic team compete in the Winter Games.
The table is organised in chronological order, then by medal type (Gold, silver and bronze) and then by sport.
Medallists (1960 - 1980) Medal Name Games Sport Event Joan Horan 1960 Rome Archery Women's St. Nicholas round open Joan Horan Swimming Women's 25m crawl complete class 2 Rosaleen Gallagher 1968 Tel-Aviv Archery Women's St. Nicholas round cervical Jimmy Gibson Snooker Men's open Frances O'Sullivan White Swimming Women's 25m backstroke class 1 Table Tennis Women's A1 singles Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's Slalom cervical class Swimming Women's 25m backstroke class 1 Table Tennis Women's A2 singles Rosaleen Gallagher Frances O'Sullivan White Table Tennis Women's A2 doubles Jimmy Gibson Table Tennis Men's C singles Rosaleen Gallagher 1972 Heidelberg Athletics Women's 60m wheelchair 1B Jimmy Gibson Eddie Lucas Lawn Bowls Men's pairs Kathleen Fagan Athletics Women's 60m m2 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's javelin 1B Jimmy Gibson Snooker Men's tournament paraplegic Ireland Team Table Tennis Women's Teams 2 Kathleen Fagan Athletics Women's discus throw 2 Frances O'Sullivan White Swimming Women's 25m backstroke 1B Michael Cunningham 1976 Toronto Athletics Men's javelin 4 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's pentathlon 1B Julia Cosgrove Frances O'Sullivan White Table Tennis Women's doubles 1B Julia Cosgrove Table Tennis Women's singles 1A Patrick McCool Athletics Men's club throw Patrick McCool Athletics Men's discus throw Clause Stephens Athletics Men's discus throw 2 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's 60m 1B Kathleen Fagan Athletics Women's 60m 2 Kathleen Fagan Athletics Women's discus throw 2 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's shot put 1B Christine Doprill Athletics Women's shot put 2 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's Slalom 1B Frances O'Sullivan White Table Tennis Women's singles 1B Clause Stephens Athletics Men's shot put 2 Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's club throw 1B Rosaleen Gallagher Athletics Women's discus throw 1B Christine Doprill Athletics Women's discus throw 2 Christine Doprill Athletics Women's javelin 2 Kathleen Fagan Athletics Women's slalom 2
Medallists (1984 - 2000) Medal Name Games Sport Event Ronan Tynan 1984 Stoke Mandeville / New York Athletics Long jump A3 David McNally Athletics Long jump C8 Brendan Crean Athletics Club throw C3 Ronan Tynan Athletics Discus throw A3 William Johnston Athletics Distance throw C1 Ronan Tynan Athletics Shot put A3 Tom Leahy Athletics Shot put C2 Dermot Walsh Athletics Slalom C2 Carol Carr Athletics 400m B2 Morna Cloonan Athletics 1000m Cross country C6 Cathy Dunne Athletics Discus throw 3 Rosaleen Galagher Athletics Shot put B1 Morna Cloonan Athletics Shot put C6 Gerard Dunne Swimming 100m backstroke 6 Gerard Dunne Swimming 100m butterfly 6 Morna Cloonan Swimming 25m backstroke C6 Jimmy Gibson Snooker Men's paraplegic Bill Ensor Paul Smyth Lawn Bowls Men's pairs A2/4 Paul Smyth Lawn Bowls Men's singles A2/4 Alice Bailey Angela Hendra Lawn Bowls Women's pairs paraplegic Gerry O'Rourke Athletics 400m A1–A3 Ronan Tynan Athletics High jump A3 William Johnston Athletics Precision throw C1 John Creedon Athletics Club throw L1 Tom Leahy Athletics Club throw C2 Theresa Ward Athletics 200m C7 Carol Carr Athletics 1500m B2 Kay McShane Athletics Marathon 4 Rosaleen Galagher Athletics Javelin B1 Theresa Ward Athletics Javelin C7 Morna Cloonan Athletics Club throw C6 Gerard Dunne Swimming 400m freestyle 6 Monica O'Kelly Swimming 25m freestyle with aids C2 Ireland men Football 7-a-side CP Ireland women Table tennis Teams 2 Gerry O'Rourke Athletics 100m A1–A3 Gerry O'Rourke Athletics 800m A1–A3 Patrick Kelly Athletics 800m B1 Fintan O'Donnell Athletics 800m B3 Patrick Kelly Athletics 1500m B1 Ronan Rooney Athletics Marathon 1B Ireland men Athletics 4x100m relay C7–C8 Joe Mulhall Athletics Club throw C3 Joe Mulhall Athletics Javelin C3 Martin Costello Athletics Javelin C4 John Twomey Athletics Discus throw 2 Joe Mulhall Athletics Shot put C3 Francis Genockey Athletics Shot put L2 David Boland Athletics Medicine ball thrust C2 Theresa Ward Athletics 100m C7 Rosaleen Galagher Athletics Slalom B1 Alison Barnes Athletics Slalom C1 Monica O'Kelly Athletics Slalom (leg) C2 Jennifer Kiely Athletics Slalom C3 Rosaleen Galagher Athletics Discus B1 Monica O'Kelly Athletics Club throw C2 Christina Dodrill Athletics Shot put 2 Monica O'Kelly Athletics Shot put C2 Jennifer Kiely Athletics Shot put C3 Gerard Dunne Swimming 100m freestyle 6 Brendan Crean Swimming 25m backstroke C3 O. Rourke Table tennis Singles L2 Morna Cloonan Table tennis Singles C4–C5 Angela Hendra Lawn Bowls Women's singles paraplegic Alice BaileyAngela Hendra Lawn Bowls Mixed pairs paraplegic David BolandMartin CostelloLorraine GallagherDarrin Jordan 1988 SeoulAthleticsMixed 4 x 100m C2-3Paul CassinAthleticsMen's Discus Throw C3Martin CostelloAthleticsMen's Shot Put C3Darrin JordanAthleticsMen's Slalom C2Michael McCormackAthleticsMen's Kick Ball C2Alma RockAthleticsWomen's 100m C8John TwomeyAthleticsMen's Discus Throw 2Ronan TynanAthleticsMen's Discus Throw A3A9Theresa WardAthleticsWomen's 100m C7Thomas LeahyBocciaMixed Individual C2Teresa MullenLawn BowlsWomen's Singles 2-6Gerard DunneSwimmingMen's 100m Backstroke 6Gerard DunneSwimmingMen's 100m Butterfly 6Christina DodrillAthleticsWomen's Shot Put 2Cathy Dunne FitzpatrickAthleticsWomen's Discus Throw 3Lorraine GallagherAthleticsWomen's Club Throw C3Lorraine GallagherAthleticsWomen's Discus Throw C3Darrin JordanAthleticsMen's 200m C2Thomas LeahyAthleticsMen's Shot Put C2John McGuinnessAthleticsMen's 1500m C8Ronan TynanAthleticsMen's Shot Put A3A9Theresa WardAthleticsWomen's Javelin C7William BehanFrancis BellLawn BowlsMen's Pairs 2-6Michael WhiteSnookerMen's Tournament OpenDavid BolandAthleticsMen's Kick Ball C2Christina DodrillAthleticsWomen's Discus Throw 2Cathy Dunne FitzpatrickAthleticsWomen's PentathlonDarrin JordanAthleticsMen's 100m C2Darrin JordanAthleticsMen's 400m C2Thomas LeahyAthleticsMen's Club Throw C2John McGuinnessAthleticsMen's Cross Country 5000m C8Camilla McMahonAthleticsWomen's 100m C8Kay McShaneAthleticsWomen's 800m 4Kay McShaneAthleticsWomen's Marathon 4Gerard NaughtonAthleticsMen's Shot Put C4Ronan TynanAthleticsMen's Javelin A3A9Team IrelandFootballMen's TournamentGerard DunneSwimmingMen's 100m Freestyle 6Gerard DunneSwimmingMen's 400m Freestyle 6Gerard DunneSwimmingMen's 200m Individual Medley 6Sean McGrathSwimmingMen's 100m Breaststroke A4Team IrelandTableTennisMen's Teams C5-C8Bridie Lynch 1992 BarcelonaAthleticsWomen's Discus Throw B3Bridie LynchAthleticsWomen's Pentathlon B3Mairead BerrySwimmingWomen's 50m Backstroke S2Alma RockAthleticsWomen's 400m C7-8William Johnston Jason Kearney Thomas Leahy Martin McDonagh BocciaMixed C1-C3Team IrelandFootballMen's TournamentSiobhan Callanan Esther Stynes TableTennisWomen's Teams 3 Bridie Lynch 1996 Atlanta Athletics Women's discus F12 Thomas Leahy Boccia Men's individual C2 David Malone Swimming Men's 100m backstroke S9 Mairead Berry Swimming Women's 50m backstroke S2 Sean O'Grady Athletics Men's discus F54 Mary Rice Athletics Women's 200m T32-33 Bridie Lynch Athletics Women's shot put F12 Sharon Rice Athletics Women's shot put F32-33 Grainne Barrett-Condron Athletics Women's shot put F41 Joan Salmon Equestrian Women's kur canter grade III Tom Leahy 2000 Sydney Athletics Men's discus F51 Gabriel Shelly Boccia Mixed individual BC1 Margaret Grant John Cronin Boccia Mixed pairs BC3 David Malone Swimming Men's 100m backstroke S8 Mairead Berry Swimming Women's 100m freestyle S2 Mary Rice Athletics Women's 400m T34 Mairead Berry Swimming Women's 50m backstroke S2 Mairead Berry Swimming Women's 50m freestyle S2 Catherine Walsh Athletics Women's pentathlon P13
Medallists (2004 - 2024)