Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2026 recipients announced
Recognising local sporting talent and potential for national and international achievement
Press Release: Monday, 29 June 2026
Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2026 recipients have been announced at a special celebratory event in Áras an Chontae buildings which took place on Wednesday, 24 June.
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 2026
Fionn McCormack Crowe is a rising football star from Drumlish who has earned call ups to the Republic of Ireland U15 squad for international fixtures in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. He has scored two international goals and sits top of the League of Ireland goal scoring charts for his age group for 2025 scoring 43 goals in 23 games.
Jake Bermingham is a freestyle kayaker from Colehill, Ballymahon. Jake placed 7th in the World Championships in Germany in 2025 and also took first place in the Irish National Championship in Limerick in 2025.
He was 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 and 2025. 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.
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 took 7th place in the European Championships in 2024. 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. She won Gold in the U19 National indoor 1,500m walk in 2026, Gold in the Irish School Senior Title 3,000m walk, Gold in the U18’s World Athletics Race Walking Tour in Warsaw and Gold in the U20 English Indoor Championships 3,000m walk in 2025.
Joe Shannon is a snooker player from Kilmore. Joe was the National U14 Champion and National U16 Champion in 2025. He is the Irish snooker 900 champion which was held in Goffs in April 2026. He is a finalist in the U16 and U18 National Championships for 2026.
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 Silver in 2025 and was in 4th place in the 1,500m Steeplechase in 2025. Emma won Gold in the National U18 2,000m Steeplechase, Bronze in the National U-18 3,000m and Silver in the National U-20 3,000m Steeplechase. 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 was selected for the Athletics Ireland performance pathway programme 2024/2025.
Calum Duignan from Ardagh is a rising star in the world of showjumping and equestrian sports. He took 4th place in the National Championship 2025 for 148 6/7 year old ponies at the 2025 Dublin Horse Show and qualified for 2026 class for August 2026. Calum was a Champion of Equijump Pony Spring tour national league for Children on Horses /Junior 2025 and he took 4th place in the All Ireland Interschools Team 2024 at Balmoral Royal Ulster Agriculture Show.
Shane Smith, from Melview is a talented pool player who was a runner up in the IPA All Ireland 2025, a semi-finalist in IEPF World championship 2025 and he also took 3rd place in Blackball European Championship 2025.
Emma Murray is a talented golfer from Abbeycartron. Emma took 9th place in the prestigious Champions of Champions (World Championships) in 2025. She was the Irish Junior open ping major winner in 2024 and she was also the Irish Junior open tour winner (one day events) in 2024.
Luke Bermingham is a kayaker from Ballymahon who won Silver in the U15 category at the Cadet World Championships in Germany in 2025 ranking him 2nd in the world. Luke won Gold in the U15 and Silver in the U18 category at the Irish Freestyle Championships in 2025 and he won Gold in the freestyle U15 at the Euro Open in Nottingham, UK in 2024.
Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Gerry Hagan said, “These athletes show what is possible through hard work, focus and belief. We are proud to honour their achievements. Our sportspeople bring pride to County Longford in so many ways and it is terrific to see such a broad range of sports represented from kayaking to snooker, athletics, swimming and golf. 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 said, “Our sports bursary scheme is about giving practical support at the right time. It helps ease the cost of training and competition, and it gives athletes a better chance to progress. Through Longford Sports Partnership, the council is delighted to award these bursaries to support local sportspeople. We hope it helps these athletes to keep moving forward in their chosen sport.”
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