Pat McDonagh
Bobsleigh & Skeleton, Rowing
BIOGRAPHY
Pat McDonagh holds a unique place in Irish Olympic history as one of only three Irish athletes to have competed at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
He competed in rowing at Moscow 1980 and Seoul 1988 and in the bobsleigh at Albertville 1992 – where he and Terry McHugh formed one of two Irish two-man bobs that made Ireland’s historic Winter Olympic debut, finishing 32nd of 46 teams.
A member of Commercial Rowing Club at the time of his first Olympics, McDonagh competed in the men’s coxed four at Moscow 1980, finishing 11th alongside Iain Kennedy, David Gray, Ted Ryan and cox Noel Graham – a crew he later recalled as “a four that never really gelled.”
At Seoul 1988 he competed in the coxed pair with Frank Moore. It was in Seoul that McDonagh first approached javelin thrower Terry McHugh about joining the Irish bobsleigh programme. He had begun his bobsleigh career in 1986 after being recruited at Henley Regatta by London-Irish businessman Larry Tracey, who established the Irish Bobsleigh Association.
The team qualified for Calgary 1988 but the OCI withdrew their entry without explanation ten days before the Games. At Albertville, McDonagh drove the two-man sled with McHugh as brakeman, competing alongside a second Irish bob piloted by Gerry Macken and Malachy Sheridan (38th).
From Inchicore in Dublin, McDonagh spent his career teaching art at Mourne Road Secondary School in Drimnagh.
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
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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 [...]