Kirsty McGarry
Snowsports
BIOGRAPHY
Kirsty McGarry represented Ireland in alpine skiing at two Winter Olympics, carrying the Irish flag at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Turin Games – where she finished 32nd in the giant slalom and 42nd in the slalom – and competing again at Vancouver 2010, where she finished 50th in the giant slalom.
McGarry grew up in Dalkey, Co. Dublin but spent every winter from birth in Châtel in the French Alps, where her parents Ian and Jane ran a ski school; she has no memory of learning to ski. She attended Rathdown School in Dublin and went full-time as a ski racer at 17.
Her older sister Tamsen was Ireland’s first female Winter Olympian, competing at Salt Lake City 2002 and serving as Ireland’s flag bearer there. In winning the flag-bearer role for Turin, Kirsty described it as the greatest experience of her life. She retired from competitive skiing after Vancouver and studied physiotherapy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, graduating in 2012. In 2015 she won the Giant Slalom at the Inferno race in Mürren, Switzerland – the longest downhill race in the world – becoming the first non-Swiss or non-German winner in nearly 50 years.
WINTER OLYMPICS NEWS
WINTER OLYMPICS DEBUTANT BEN LYNCH REFLECTS ON HIS HISTORIC HALFPIPE PERFORMANCE
As he said himself it was as if the stars aligned under the Friday night lights in Livigno when Ben Lynch became the first Irish skier ever to make an Olympic final (Halfpipe) taking 8th place overall; his lucky number! Overcoming the natural nerves of his first Olympic run (which Lynch landed safely), meant [...]
Highlights from Team Ireland at Milano Cortina
Relive the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games with highlights of Team Ireland’s four athletes in action. From historic milestones to determined debuts, Ben Lynch, Cormac Comerford, Anabelle Zurbay and Thomas Maloney Westgård showcased the very best of Irish winter sport on the Olympic stage. More from Milano Cortina WINTER OLYMPICS DEBUTANT BEN LYNCH REFLECTS ON [...]
Ireland’s Winter Olympians Celebrated at Homecoming Ceremony
Ireland’s four Olympians from the Milano Cortina Games have been formally welcomed home with a reception in Dublin city centre. Freestyle skier Ben Lynch, alpine skiers Cormac Comerford and Anabelle Zurbay, and cross-country skier Thomas Maloney Westgård were recognised for their performances and their contribution to Team Ireland’s Winter Olympic campaign at the Department of [...]
BEN LYNCH IS NAMED AS TEAM IRELAND FLAGBEARER
The Olympic Federation of Ireland is delighted to announce that Ben Lynch, Irish freestyle skier, will serve as Team Ireland’s flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Verona tonight. Lynch capped off a standout Games for Ireland with a historic performance that saw him become the first Irish [...]
MALONEY WESTGÅRD SHOWS GRIT IN GRUELLING 50KM FINALE
Day Fifteen – Team Ireland at Milano Cortina ‘26 Thomas Maloney Westgård rounded out Team Ireland’s performance at the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina 2026, finishing 23rd in a brutally competitive race in Predazzo, competing in the Cross-Country Men’s 50km Mass Classic. Norway dominated what is one of the most prestigious events in Cross-Country [...]
BEN LYNCH EIGHTH IN OLYMPIC FINAL
Day Fourteen Finals – Team Ireland at Milano Cortina ‘26 History maker Ben Lynch has finished a brilliant eighth place in the Finals of the Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno tonight, posting an impressive score of 75.00 in the final run of the event. Lynch’s result marks [...]