Yet another Irish Open wrapped up in style.

Once again, the Open took place in the fine ranges of Fermoy Rifle & Pistol Club, and the club turned out in force to deliver a superb event. Those who were there will agree the ranges were in fantastic shape, with big credit to everyone at Fermoy for keeping the place running smoothly — it takes a village, and they had no shortage of willing volunteers. As always, the Open drew competitors from all corners of Ireland, and plenty from further afield. The standard of shooting was nothing short of spectacular this year, with new faces, returning champions, and even some historic moments and record scores to keep the crowds buzzing.

IGRF International Series – Smallbore and Centrefire Team Matches

The IGRF team events brought plenty of drama. In the GRSB1500, Great Britain came out on top with a huge team total of 5925.377, beating Germany by 33 points and Ireland by 74. Big performances from Daniel Eggers of Germany, who shot 1488.107, and GB’s Andy Summers with 1486.099 and Rob Wheeler’s 1485.099, proved decisive. In the GRCF1500, Germany snatched the honours with a brilliant 5950.419. Daniel Eggers again starred with a 1496.117, with Jessica Eggers was right there too with a score of 1488.111 — this shooting couple making a formidable duo! Ireland, despite a very respectable 5895.332, had to settle for third, but put up a strong fight.

Benchrest and Sporting Rifle

Benchrest events saw local heroes shine: Fermoy’s John Goggin put in a stunning 494.028 to take gold in the 50m Heavy Varmint, setting a new personal best. Noel Kennedy wasn’t far behind, storming to gold in the Factory Sporter with 484.020 — another PB. In Sporting Rifle, Declan Fitzgerald was again unstoppable — his 399.030 in Field Sporting Rifle (A Class) is one for the record books, a personal best and nearly a perfect score. He followed that up with gold in the Open Field Sporting Rifle as well. Liam McAvoy (Fermoy) also impressed, topping Class C in Sporting Rifle with 340.004.

Women shining in Field Sporting and Benchrest Rifle

Three standout women left a huge mark on this year’s Field Sporting and Benchrest Rifle events. First up, Sarah Kavanagh from Lough Bo Shooting Centre delivered an outstanding performance in Field Sporting Rifle 50m Prone Class C, shooting a tremendous 385.018 — a personal best that saw her promoted to A Class next season. Sarah’s steady rise through the ranks has been impressive to watch, and this latest success shows she’s ready to take on the top Classes in the sport.

Marie Fagan was unstoppable across multiple rifle disciplines. In Field Sporting Rifle 50m Prone Class B, she fired a blistering 388.014, setting a personal best and earning a promotion to A Class. She didn’t stop there — Marie also took bronze in the Open Field Sporting Rifle A Class with another PB, and followed up with silver in Benchrest Rifle Semi-Auto. Her consistency across so many different events was remarkable, proving she is one of the most versatile shooters on the circuit. Gemma Culhane from Munster Target Shooting Club made her own piece of history, grabbing gold in Field Sporting Rifle 50m Prone Class D with a score of 386.009 — another personal best. Her strong and confident performance means she’ll move up to A Class as well, demonstrating that determination and training truly pay off.

It was brilliant to see these three talented women standing on the podium — not just breaking ground, but raising the standard for everyone. Their successes show that women are carving out a real place for themselves at every level of this sport, and inspiring the next generation to do the same.

Gallery Rifle & Pistol

Gallery Rifle, both Smallbore and Centrefire, was fierce this year — higher scores, tighter margins, and historic moments. The standard is being pushed year after year, and 2025 looks to have set the bar even higher again.

In Smallbore Gallery Rifle, the 25m and 50m Precision matches drew fierce competition, demanding perfect control and focus from shooters. Andy Summers from the Welsh Gallery Rifle Club topped the board in the 25m Precision with an impressive 273.02, taking gold in his Class, with BRC’s Frank Feeney taking gold in his Class with a score of 269.03. Keith Kilvington (GB Gallery Rifle) took gold in the 50m Precision with a score and PB of 289.005 followed closely by Lough Bo’s Andy McGowan with 286.004 and Gary Newman from the IPA Pistol Club with 285.007.

The Timed & Precision 1 and 2 events added another layer of pressure, testing both speed and accuracy, while Multi Target rewarded versatility under tight time limits. Both Robert Wheeler and Amiel Gardiner from GB Gallery Rifle took golds in their Class in the T&P1 with a score of 300.021 and 300.018 respectively—PBs for both of them too! The competition was tough in the T&P2, which is a discipline we don’t shoot as much, but Fermoy’s own Julie Moran topped in her Class with a score of 577.018. This was a PB for her and puts her in A Class next time. The GRSB1020 and GRSB1500 events were as tough as ever. Athletes showed off their stamina and mental toughness in the marathon-like 1500, with tight margins all around — highlighting just how deep the field has become.

Centrefire Gallery Rifle was no less competitive. Fermoy’s Declan Fitzgerald took gold in the 25m Precision with a score of 290.008 and Germany’s Daniel Eggers pipped Stephen Wall from Harbour House by only two Xs in the 50m Precision with a score of 278.005 and 278.003 each. Smallbore Pistol 25m Precision X Class was a thriller, with Nick Gregg (Wexford Bullseye) putting up a 281.003 to secure gold, just ahead of Brian Brophy, who also did well across several events. In A Class, Richard Gregg (another of the Wexford crew) posted 269.004 to take gold.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Con Dunleavy of Munster Target Shooting Club absolutely cleaned up at this year’s medals ceremony — walking away with an incredible 11 golds, 4 silvers, and 2 bronzes. If he hasn’t already, it might be time for Con to reinforce the trophy shelf — or better yet, build an extension.

Women’s Sporting History Being Made!

Germany’s Jessica Eggers stunned the field by posting a perfect 1500 in the GRCF1500 — a performance that will live in the folklore of Irish Opens for years to come and a truly historic result as she is the third person we know of to do so in this discipline during a competition and the first woman! She was simply flawless. She deserves the loudest of applause from the entire shooting community. Jessica’s 1500 will be talked about for many years — it sets a new standard that others will surely aim for, but it will take something special to match it.

Alongside Jessica Eggers’ heroics, there was another impressive female performance. Blazing a trail for other women in Gallery Rifle shooting in Ireland was our very own NASRPC Secretary, Julie Moran. After her landmark bronze medal at last year’s IGRF World Championships in Germany, Julie broke new ground once more in Fermoy by becoming the first woman to shoot for Team Ireland in the 1500. Joining her four male teammates, Julie secured bronze for Ireland in the International GRSB1500 event, marking another historic milestone as the first Irish woman to medal in this discipline. Julie’s achievement is more than personal success; it’s a shining statement that shooting sports in Ireland are open to everyone with the drive, passion, and dedication to succeed.

Results

You can find the full list of results from the NASRPC Irish Open 2025 here.

Check out all our photos from the three days of the Irish Open on our Facebook Page here!

What’s next?

Next up is the Kingdom, An Ríocht National in Kerry at the end of the month — no rest for the wicked! If you want to keep up with notices, photos, and future match reports, check our Facebook page, and be sure to join us in An Ríocht on 26 and 27 July.