September 2026 was yet another month when Irish sportswomen excelled on the international stage. Among them, Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly won their fourth consecutive time-trial at the World Para Cycling Championships. Sisters Lisa and Aoife O'Rourke both won gold at the European Boxing Championships. Róisín Ní Ríain collected three medals at the European Para-Swimming Championships, including gold in the 100m backstroke. Rugby player Béibhinn Parsons became Ireland's all-time leading try scorer.

But it is impossible to overlook that historic night in Croke Park when Katie Taylor ended her remarkable career in front of a crowd of 82,000, the largest attendance ever recorded for a sporting event headlined by an individual sportswoman.
Taylor’s final fight, against Flora Pili, drew an audience of 1.6 million on RTÉ - bigger even than the 2026 World Cup final. It was a fitting end to a career like no other.

Congratulations to the woman who has already secured records by being a five-time recipient of our Sportswoman of the Year Award and a very worthy winner of the September title.