Shirley Armstrong made history as the first Irish woman to compete in Olympic fencing when she took to the piste at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, winning her opening bout against Pilar Tosat of Spain before being eliminated in the first round.

A central figure at Salle Duffy, one of the most significant clubs in Irish fencing history, Armstrong combined competing at the highest level with making the fencing jackets and trousers from sailcloth for her fellow club members – a practical contribution that helped sustain the club’s participation at a time when equipment was difficult to source.

After Rome, she continued as a leading figure within the Irish Amateur Fencing Federation, shaping the sport from within long after her competitive career had ended. She later married Paddy Duffy, the club’s founder and one of the most influential figures Irish fencing has produced, and the two remained a driving force in the development of fencing in Ireland together.