The first Laser or ILCA Ireland Championships were held in 1975 in Kinsale, just four years after the design was launched in New York. Now, after half a century, the single-hander, which originally was called a Laser, is still as popular as ever, and this 50th Anniversary event hosted by Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough attracted 129 sailors to what turned out to be a standout event with competitors from as far as Japan and Croatia.

ILCA 7 1st Place - Milan Vujasinovic (Croatia) - ILCA Ireland National Championships 2025 Photo: Wavelength 

The 49-strong ILCA 7 fleet was won by Milan Vujasinovic from Croatia, but the Irish title went to second-placed Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal Irish, and runner-up to the Irish champion was East Antrim Boat Club's Tom Coulter.

Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal Irish Yacht Club

ILCA 7 racing at the Irish National Championship at Ballyholme YC Photo: Wavelength 

Only two points separated first and second in the largest fleet (54), the ILCA 6. Sienna Wright from Howth YC beat the local second-placed Daniel Palmer, and in the ILCA 4 fleet, the top two places went to Royal St George YC's Max O'Hare and Abigail Murphy.

Royal St George YC's Max O'Hare

The sun shone on the whole three-day event, starting on the Friday with a Northerly averaging 12 knots with gusts up to 15, producing a moderate sea in the wide open waters of Belfast Lough. The breeze dropped to about 8 knots on Saturday, and the final day presented the most challenging conditions. Initially, the breeze was 8 knots, becoming shifty as the sun rose, but it finally settled by the time the ILCA 4s began.

In that ILCA 4 class, current Western Championship title holder Max O'Hare was dominant, winning six out of eight races to secure the national ILCA 4 title. Abigail Murphy and Siún Ní Choistealbha (Malahide Yacht Club) finished in second and third places, respectively, after consistently performing to secure a narrow lead.

A start line at the BYC ILCA Ireland Nationals Photo: Wavelength

ILCA 6 class youth sailors Sienna Wright (Howth Yacht Club), who recently placed 6th in the ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in Los Angeles, and current Ulster Championships ILCA 6 title holder Daniel Palmer (Ballyholme Yacht Club) showed their strength from the outset and after eight challenging races, finished just two points apart in first and second places respectively. Third-place title holder Zoe Whitford (East Antrim Boat Club) finished outside the top 10 after the first day of racing but put on a spectacular comeback, placing first in two of the remaining six races, rising to claim her third-place title on day three.

Zoe Whitford of East Antrim Boat Club

The ILCA 7 class put the spotlight on international sailors with Croatian sailor Milan Vujasinovic (JK Šibenik) winning the event after a close-fought battle with former national Champion and current Leinster, Munster and Ulster ILCA 7 title holder Royal Irish's Fiachra McDonnell, who placed second, just three points behind.

Tom Coulter from East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough started the competition strongly, finishing in third place after day one, but the Japanese competitor Narimitsu Toyozumi from Fukyoka, ultimately took third place with Tom securing fourth. Former ILCA 7 Ireland title holder Liam Glynn from the host club completed the top five in this highly competitive field.

As Milan and Narimitsu are international competitors, the Irish national title went to Fiachra McDonnell, with Tom Coulter taking second and Liam Glynn completing the Irish podium.

In this 50th Anniversary year, the championships showcased not only Ireland's rising youth talent but also the depth of its senior fleet, as local and international sailors celebrated five decades of top-class competition in the ILCA class in Ireland. Performance sailing in Ireland is enjoying a period of exceptional success. Irish sailors have made their mark on the international stage, delivering strong performances at World and European championships, as illustrated by Howth Yacht Club's huge poster on the Club wall congratulating Eve McMahon on her U23 Bronze medal at the ILCA 6 European Championships in Sweden.

On the back of these successes, Dun Laoghaire will be the venue for the full ILCA World Championships in 2026.