At the Federations 2026 AGM, Clare McGrath concluded her term as Chairperson of the Federation of Irish Sport Board following six years of outstanding service. Clare’s leadership, commitment, and contribution to Irish sport have been greatly valued, and we are deeply appreciative of the impact she has made during her tenure. Clare is a lifelong leader in Irish water saftey and former President of Swim Ireland, where she served as Board Chairman from 2014 to 2019 to embed exemplary governance. An International ‘A’ Referee, she regularly leads World and European Championships, including directing the 2018 European Juniors in Ireland. Clare sits on the board of Water Safety Ireland as Chair of Lifesaving Sport and protects local coastlines as Clare County Council’s Water Safety Development Officer. On behalf of the Board of the Federation we wish her continued success in her contribution to Irish Sport.
We are delighted to welcome Enda Lynch CEO of Badminton Ireland to the role following his election as the new Chairperson at the AGM. We look forward to working with Enda as the Federation continues to support and strengthen Irish sport across the country. Prior to taking up the helm at Badminton Ireland over three years ago Enda was Head of Commercial & Marketing with Munster Rugby and a seasoned sponsorship manager, working across a number of sponsorships for brands both domestically and internationally for over 12 years. Under his tenure Badminton Ireland were awarded the National Governing Body of the Year award at the 2025 Irish Sport Industry Awards and in 2026 took home the award for Best Use of Communications Platform in Sport.
In addition to the appointment of a new Chair, the Federation Board of Directors also saw three new members appointed following the completion of terms by Peter O’Brien formerly of Special Olympics Ireland and David Courell CEO FAI. We would like to thank them for the time, expertise and contribution to the Federation of Irish Sport. We are delighted to welcome on board the following new appointees:
Christina Kenny
Louise joined Basketball Ireland in 2010 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2015. She has overseen the delivery of a number of international events, and leads operations for Basketball Ireland’s premier domestic competitions.
Adam Cox
Director of Aquatic Sports
Adam brings over 14 years of experience in Irish sport, having played a key leadership role in the development and growth of aquatic disciplines nationwide. In his current position with Swim Ireland he has been instrumental in advancing competitions, club governance, pathways, and strategic collaboration across the sector.