Longford County Council Sport Bursary 2025 recipients announced
Recognising local sporting talent and potential for national and international achievement
Press Release: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2025 recipients have been announced at a special celebratory event in Áras an Chontae buildings which took place on Tuesday, 23 September.
This bursary recognises the achievements of sportspeople who have the ability and potential to achieve success at a national and an international level. Recipients share in a bursary of €10,000, which will be used to help them in their sporting career.
Recipients of the Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2025
Jake Bermingham is a freestyle kayaker from Colehill, Ballymahon. Jake placed 15th in European Freestyle Kayak Championships in Austria 2024 and was also proud to become the Canoeing Ireland Junior Male Freestyle Kayaker of the Year 2024. Various other achievements include 1st place in the junior Liffey descent 2023 and 2024, 1st place Irish Freestyle league 2024, and 3rd place in European Open Championship, Nottingham 2024.
Cian McPhillips is a middle-distance athlete from Ardagh. A member of Longford AC since he was nine years old, Cian has won several national and international titles, including the European Under 20 1500m Champion 2021. He reached the semi-final both times he competed in the European Indoor Championships and broke the European Under 20 Indoor 800m record in 2021. Cian is currently ranked 14th in world on time in indoor 800m, and 5th in Europe indoor 800m. During the Senior World Championships 2025 in Tokyo Cian won his heat and the semi-final and finished an incredible 4th place in the final. During this event he broke the 800m national record in the semi and then again in the final, making him the current national 800m record holder.
Darragh Greene is a swimmer from Newtownforbes. He proudly represented Ireland at the 2024 Paris and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Darragh is an Irish Champion and National record holder in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, and holds the record for the first Irish swimmer to break 60 seconds in the 100m breaststroke. He was a finalist in multiple European/World Championships and was a World University Games Finalist in 2017.
Robin Óg Murphy is a track and field athlete from Kenagh. Representing both school and club, Robin has won gold in the SIAB Schools International Track and Field 2024, the National Juvenile Championships 2024, and the English Indoor Championships U20 2025. All of this has resulted in Robin being selected by Athletics Ireland to be part of the National Performance Pathway Squad for 2025. Recently, she secured gold in the U18’s World Athletics Race Walking Tour in Warsaw.
Joe Shannon is a snooker player from Kilmore. Joe is the current National U14 Champion and National U16 Champion. After receiving a wild card for his snooker achievements, he was the youngest ever Irish player to compete in the world Snooker Tour shoot out in Leicester. Joe has won more than 20 national titles and has proudly represented Ireland at multiple European and international competitions.
Emma Brennan is an athletics champion from Drumlish. As part of the Schools International Cross Country mixed relay team, Emma won Bronze in 2023 and Silver in 2025 in the SIAB. In 2024, Emma won gold as part of the Irish U17 team in 1500m steeplechase. As well as winning multiple other medals in the last few years, she broke the Connacht record for the 2km U17 Steeplechase. Emma has now been selected for the Athletics Ireland performance pathway programme 2024/2025.
Shane McGuigan is a rugby player from Granard. Shane was chosen for the Midlands region team of Leinster and played number 7 and 8 in the Shane Horgan competition Summer 2023. With the Leinster U18 club, he played two tests V Italy, went on tour to Wales, and won the inter pro V Ulster, Connaught, and Munster in August. Shane captained the Longford U18 rugby team that won the Leinster plate in May 2025. After trials, he joined the Leinster U19 combined schools and club side for summer 2025.
Jakub Pasieczny is a basketball player from Longford Town. Jakub has represented Ireland on the International stage multiple times for the U18 panel and played in the Czech Republic for Get Better Academy Europe. After receiving the American Junior College Men's Basketball Scholarship in Kansas in August 2024, he had been playing for Neosho County Community College in Kansas this past academic year. Jakub is currently on the panel for U20 Irish National team.
John Nevin is an amateur boxer from Longford Town. John is currently training with the Olympic Boxing Club in Galway and has remained undefeated in all bouts since he began at age 11. He won three consecutive All Ireland titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025, also becoming the 2024 U17 Denmark International Box Champion. John has won several Leinster and Connacht provincial titles over the last three years. As well as boxing, he an active member of Slasher GAA Club in Longford.
Speaking at the event, Longford County Council Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr Niall Gannon paid tribute to all awardees. “These young athletes represent the beating heart of our county’s sporting spirit, and it is only fitting that their unique talents are recognised here this evening. This council recognises that behind every medal or award lies countless hours of training, sacrifice, and unwavering belief. The athletes do all the hard work- we are simply delighted to play a small part in their success stories.”
Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon added, “Our sports bursary scheme exists to remove barriers and it is an investment in the future of our county’s talented sports men and women.
Through Longford Sports Partnership, the council is delighted to award these bursaries to support local sportspeople. May this support propel them towards even greater heights.”
