Deirdre Duke
Hockey
BIOGRAPHY
Deirdre Duke represented Ireland in the women’s hockey tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where Ireland finished 10th.
Duke came to hockey relatively late, having grown up primarily in Gaelic football and association football – she won an All-Ireland Under-14 Ladies Football Championship with Dublin in 2005 and represented the Republic of Ireland in soccer at underage level – but the prospect of representing Ireland at the Olympics drew her to hockey at 16. She attended Alexandra College and subsequently studied at University College Dublin, graduating with a BCL degree from the UCD Sutherland School of Law in 2017 and going on to work as a solicitor.
She won multiple Irish Hockey League and Irish Senior Cup titles captaining UCD, and was a prominent member of the Ireland team that reached the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup final in London, scoring twice in the pool stage win over the United States. She spent the 2018-19 season playing for Düsseldorfer Hockey Club in Germany. She earned 173 senior caps for Ireland and retired from international hockey in 2024.
OTHER HOCKEY ATHLETES
HOCKEY NEWS
LA28 Qualification Dates in 2026
ROAD TO LA ALREADY UNDERWAY! 2026 marks the beginning of the qualification journey for many sports as they look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. Qualifying for the Games, which take place from 14–30 July 2028, is challenging across all disciplines. Most sports require either direct qualification through specific events, qualification via [...]
Turning Pain into Progress: Ireland Hockey Captain Sarah Hawkshaw Reflects on Olympic Setback and World Cup Qualification Success
It is easy, sometimes, to presume that every high performance athlete who is heartbroken not to make a global tournament will be super motivated once their next goal is writ large on a white board. Yet even someone as experienced and driven as Tokyo Olympian Sarah Hawkshaw struggled when the Irish women’s hockey team didn't [...]
In the News – 9 March 2026
Hockey The Irish Men’s and women’s hockey teams qualify for the FIH World Cup, after competing in the Qualifiers tournament in Santiago, Chile. The Ireland Men’s Hockey Team closed out their FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers with a win over France to take top spot in the tournament. Having trailed by a goal, Ireland fought [...]
Sport Events Coming up in July
We are at the start of a jam packed July, check here for information on the upcoming events? DATES EVENT (SPORT) 27 June – 6 July EQUESTRIAN Team Ireland – World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen – Aachen, Germany LINK 28-29 June ATHLETICS Team Ireland – European Athletics Team Championships Division 2 – Maribor, Slovenia LINK [...]
In The News – June 16th
Men’s Hockey | Ireland Edge Belgium in FIH Pro League Thriller Ireland secured a stunning 3–2 victory over world-ranked #2 Belgium in Antwerp - their first win of the 2024/25 FIH Pro League season. Louis Rowe opened the scoring; Lee Cole struck twice with penalty corners. Jaime Carr delivered a Player of the Match performance, [...]
Olympic Champion Rhys McClenaghan Inspires Students on Return to His Old School
Olympic Champion and Dare to Believe ambassador Rhys McClenaghan revisits his school Olympic Champion on the pommel horse (gymnastics), Rhys McClenaghan, returned to his former school this week, bringing with him not only his Olympic gold medal but also an inspiring message of resilience and perseverance. As an ambassador for the Dare to Believe Olympic [...]