Masters players and coaches recognised at 2026 International Caps Ceremony

Basketball Ireland welcomed players, staff, family and friends to the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel on Sunday 30th August for the 2026 International Caps Ceremony, as those who represented their country throughout the year were presented with their official caps, medals and pins.

Representatives from the Ireland F40, M40, F45, M45, F50, M50, F60 and M60 teams that competed at the FIBA Masters Open in July were present. Basketball Ireland CEO John Feeehan presented the caps, medals and pins to the players.

There was a keynote address from Basketball Ireland’s Hall of Fame inductee, Timmy McCarthy. McCarthy played 103 times for the senior national team (including 58 times as its captain), and despite sustaining a career-threatening leg injury in 1985, he’d win three leagues (1980, 1984 and 1989), three National Championships, a National Cup and in 1983 he captained the national team to a historical Federation Cup victory, a highly-prestigious competition at the time featuring teams from England, Wales and Scotland.

Speaking at the event, Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan, said: “I’d like take this opportunity to thank the coaches and staff of our international Masters teams and Mike Murray our Basketball Ireland Masters Lead. I know how much time and dedication went into preparing the teams, from open trials in September, all the way through to the FIBA Masters Open in July. Our players have also put so much work in to be in the best possible shape when representing our country and it certainly reaped rewards with the success we had on the court this summer.”

“Our Masters programme is thriving, illustrated by the achievements of our teams at this summer’s FIBA Masters Open in Greece. This in tandem with our Masters National Cup, along with the Galway, Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork and Malahide Masters events, highlights the huge appetite for Masters basketball in Ireland. Participation is a core objective, keeping people involved in the basketball through Masters basketball is a great avenue for players to play the sport they love, no matter their age,” added Feehan.

“Our international Masters sides have made huge strides strides since we began at the FIMBA European Championships in 2019 in Finland where we had one team representing Ireland at F40. We had two medals at the FIMBA Maxibasketball World Championship in Switzerland in 2025, but that was surpassed this summer when Ireland brought home four medals at the FIBA Masters Open and we had representation in eight age categories. It was gold for our F40 team, with Michelle Fahy claiming the final MVP, while our F45, F50 and M45 sides each won silver - it’s an incredible achievement. Not to mention our M50 and M60 teams just missing out on medals with fourth-placed finishes. Our M40 team reached the quarter-finals having topped their group, while our F60 team began with a win and were close in their remaining games too. All-in-all brilliant performances all round from our eight teams and congratulations to each of you, you’ve done your country proud.”

See full gallery here.