Search
17 Jan 2026
Search
17 Jan 2026
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Isabella Hawkins receives a bouquet of flowers from St Nicholas Boxing Club coach Anthony Benesch, treasurer Patsy Hahessy and coach Tommy Finn at the celebration
European Under 17 Boxing Championship bronze medallist Isabelle Hawkins received a hero’s welcome on her return to Carrick-on-Suir from Germany after her international success.
The town’s St Nicholas Boxing Club rolled out the red carpet for its star young female boxer who was a member of Team Ireland that competed at the European U-17 Championships in Kienbaum in Germany between December 8 and 17.
The large crowd of St Nicholas Boxing Club members, family and friends who turned out at the club's gym in Carrick-on-Suir to welcome European Under 17 Boxing bronze medallist Isabelle Hawkins home. Isabelle is pictured in the boxing ring at the back. Picture Anne Marie Magorrian
St Nicholas BC members along with family and friends of Isabelle gathered in the club’s gym at Greenside in Carrick on December 18 to welcome home the club’s first ever European boxing medallist.
Isabella won her bronze medal in the 75kg category. She received a walkover and confidently went on to win her quarter-final fight against Marisol Rivetti of Italy.
Isabelle then met Vasylyna Olasiuk of Ukraine in the semi-final.
The Carrick boxer won the first round but not the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Her victorious opponent went on to win the gold medal.
Isabelle is now officially ranked third in Europe in her age and weight category which is a huge achievement.
The Irish team brought home 10 medals overall from the European Under 17 Boxing Championships.
The Irish Athletic Boxing Association said the team’s members did themselves, their clubs and families proud in Berlin.
St Nicholas Boxing Club has now up to 50 members and has welcomed two newly qualified coaches Dane Finn and Scott Stewart.
The club’s boys and girls are now in preparation for county championships in different categories.
These competitions will begin in the third week of January.
The club’s coaches Anthony Benesch and Tommy Finn congratulated Isabelle and said her performance in Germany was a ‘fantastic achievement’ bringing great pride to the club and to Carrick-on-Suir.
Isabelle is already back training and thoroughly enjoyed competing in the European Championships.
She thanked St Nicholas Boxing Club, her family and friends for a wonderful welcome home to Carrick and praised her coaches, fellow boxers and family for their constant support and encouragement, which has helped keep her focused on her sport.
European Under 17 Boxing bronze medallist Isabelle Hawkins with her brothers Tristan and Jackson, sister Genevieve and her parents Laura and James.
Check out more photos from the welcome home celebration for Carrick-on-Suir boxer Isabelle Hawkins on page 55 of this week's edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops.
READ NEXT: Call for action to rid 'atrocious' road in Carrick-on-Suir of potholes
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
