Fencing is the sport of fighting with blades. Olympic or competitive fencing is divided into three weapon categories:
-Foil
-Sabre
-Epee
Fencing is one of only five activities which has been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games since its inaugural in 1896. The other four being Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Gymnastics.
Established in 2004.
2024:
Intermediates:
WF - Laoise Gillic placed 3rd
MS - Iias Faud placed 3rd
Schull:
MF - Seán Dunford placed 1st, Steven Taaffe placed 3rd
WF - Laoise Gillic placed 3rd
ME - Matthew Clarke placed 1st, Andrew Fahey placed 3rd
MS - Seán Dunford placed 1st, Joshua Boles placed 2nd
WS - Shukrat Rahim placed 3rd, Laoise Gillic placed 3rd,
Northern Irish Open:
MS - Seán Dunford placed 2nd
Intervarsities:
MS - 1st
Overall ranking: 3rd
National Championships:
MS - Seán Dunford placed 3rd
Belfield Sabre:
Team MS - Sean Dunford, Joshua Boles, and Luke Dowling placed Second
Derry Open:
MS - Nathan Boles placed 3rd
East of Ireland Open:
MS - Nathan Boles placed 3rd
National Club Championship:
Team MS - Sean Dunford, Joshua Boles, Tom Cronin, and Gavin Daly placed 2nd.
Maynooth Novice:
WS - Maria Pavlushkina placed 2nd and won best beginner
Student Individuals:
MS - Seán Dunford Placed 1st
2023:
Legendary Athletes:
Gráinne O’Connor finished as the No.1 Women's Sabreur in the Country 2023
Intervarsities 2023:
University of Galway placed 3rd overall
Maynooth Novice 2023:
WF - Rosanna NI Chulain placed 1st
MS - Josh Boles placed 2nd
Northern Irish Open:
WS – Gráinne O’Connor placed 3rd.
Easts:
WS - Gráinne O’Connor placed 3rd.
Wests:
Gráinne O’Connor placed 2nd.
2022:
Schull Novice 2022:
WS- Rosanna Ni Chulain placed 3rdWF - Rosanna NI Chulain placed First
WF - Laoise 3rd
MS - Sean Dunford 1st
MS - Darragh Gallivan 3rd
MS - Culann 3rd
Derry Northern Ireland Open
WS – Gráinne O’Connor placed 2nd at NI Open in Derry.
MS – Nathan Boles placed 3rd at NI Open in Derry.
Belfast Open:
ME – Danny Burke placed 1st at Belfast Open.
Easts:
ME – Danny Burke placed 1st at Easts.
WS – Gráinne O’Connor placed 1st at Easts.
Season Rankings 2022:
WS – Gráinne O'Connor is #1 in Ireland with a total of 2 first places, 2 second places, and 2 third places.
ME – Alumni Danny Burke joint #1 with a total of 4 first places and 1 second place.
2021:
Schull Novice 2021:
ME – Seán Fahey placed 1st at Schull Novice in Cork.
ME – Aaron Bertagnolli placed 2nd at Schull Novice in Cork.
MF – Fionn McGrath placed 2nd at Schull Novice in Cork.
WF – Sorcha Commins placed 3rd at Schull Novice in Cork.
WS – Lee Daniel placed 1st at Schull Novice in Cork.
WS – Trinh Ton Nu Ngoc placed 2nd at Schull Novice in Cork.
WS – Johanna Möller placed 3rd at Schull Novice in Cork.
MS – Luke Fitzgerald placed 2nd at Schull Novice in Cork.
Dublin Epee:
ME – Danny Burke placed 1st at Dublin Epee in Trinity.
2020:
Maynooth Student Individuals:
ME – Callum Baldrick placed 3rd at Maynooth Student Individuals.
WE – Alumni Jen Quirke placed 2nd at Maynooth Student Individuals.
WS – Gráinne O’Connor placed 3rd at Maynooth Student Individuals.
WS – Niamh Keogh placed 3rd at Maynooth Student Individuals.
WF – Gráinne O’Connor placed 3rd at Maynooth Student Individuals
2018:
- UU hosted intervarsities this year with Galway placing 5th.
- Kirsten Siig Pallesen (WF) places 2nd at Easts and 1st at Student Individuals. She also represnted Ireland at the Student 4 Nations competition in Leeds.
- At Maynooth Novice Grainne O'Connor placed 1st in WF, Nathan Boles placed 2nd in MS and Odile Van Deventer placed 2nd in WS.
- NUIG hosted the Galway Novice competition. Grainne O'Connor placed 1st in WF and 3rd in WE while Odile Van Deventer placed 3rd in WE and Callum Baldrick placed 3rd in ME.
2017:
- NUIG placed 5th this year at the Intervarsities in UCC.
- Kirsten Siig Pallesen (WF) places 2nd at Souths and 1st at Wests.
- At Galway Novice Emilia Mleczko placed 2nd in WF.
- At Schull novice Grainne O'Connor placed 1st in WF and Sadhbh Skehan placed 2nd in WS.
- At Intermediates Niamh Keogh came 3rd in WS.
2016:
- Intervarsities held in Maynooth with NUIG coming in 5th place.
- At Schull in ME Patrick Kennedy placed 2nd and Callum Baldrick placed 3rd, Liz Friel placed 3rd in WE while Emilia Mleczko placed 3rd in WF.
2015:
- Both Fiadhnait McDonough and Marie Carkill placed 3rd in WS at the West of Ireland Open this year.
- Zilvinas Zukauskas came 3rd in MF in the Galway Novice while Ciara Keighron also came 3rd in WF.
- NUIG placed 5th in the 2015 Intervarsities held in Queen's University Belfast. It was also the first time the club was able to field all 6 teams.
- NUIG hosted a new competition, the Galway Open.
2014:
-Both Fiadhnait McDonough and Marie Carkill placed 3rd in WS at the West of Ireland Open this year.
-NUIG finished 5thof 10 Universities in the 2014 Intervarsities held in UCD.
-Fiadhnait McDonough captained the WF Irish team at the Student 5 Nations which took place in Birmingham, England.
-Fiadhnait McDonough came 2nd in WF and 3rd in WE at Student Individuals. Also awarded All-Weapons Champion.
-Fiadhnait McDonough finished in the last 8 at the Northern Ireland Open and is currently ranked the highest student fencer in WF.
-Successes in Maynooth novice cup including:
1st Mens Foil: Ronan Cranny
1st Mens Sabre: Deiric Ó Floinn
2nd Womens Sabre: Marie Carkill
3rd Mens Epee: John Noel Masterson
3rd Mens Sabre: Paul McGowan
-NUIG hosted the first Galway Novice Cup in which Seán Clarke, Deiric Ó Floinn and Marie Carkill took 3rd place in foil.
2013:
- Men's Epee finished 13th in the Duffy Memorial Cup in January.
- Fiadhnait McDonough finished 10th in the Women's Foil Event and 9th in Women's Sabre at the East of Ireland Open.
- NUIG came 6th of 12 Universities in the 2013 Intervarsities held in UL.
- Women's foil came 3rd in the rankings also @ UL, defeating 4 of 6 Universities that they faced.
- Men's Foil Team: Tim O'Callaghan, Finn Krewer, Christoper Thong and Brendan Masterson medaled Bronze in the Irish Team National's Evens.
2012:
- Fiadhnait McDonough won silver in Women's Sabre at our own hosted West of Ireland Open.
- Former club member Mark Loughnane claimed silver in Men's Epee at the West of Ireland Open.
- Fiadhnait McDonough won Gold in the novice competition Schull in 2012, with Ciara Flannery winning Silver.
Prior 2012:
- Numerous top ten finishes from members in national competitions.
- Two members represented Ireland in 5 nations.
- Zoya Syomina was ranked no.1 in womens foil.
- Marianne van Dyke represented Ireland in 2010 for the Student 5 nations and the Quad match.
Tuesdays 7am-9am (Advanced, Hall 1 Kingfisher)
Tuesdays 5pm-6.45pm (Beginners, Hall 2 Kingfisher)
Thursdays 7am-9am (Advanced, Hall 1 Kingfisher)
Thursdays 5pm-6.45pm (Advanced, Hall 3 Kingfisher, Coached Lesson)
Thursdays 8pm-10pm (Advanced, Raquetball Court, Kingfisher)
Sundays 2pm-4pm (Advanced, Raquetball Court, Kingfisher)
Email: fencing@clubs.universityofgalway.ie
