The 1994 Commonwealths in Victoria set a new Northern Ireland record for the number of gold medals at a single competition with five, as Johnston claimed a singles title, Neil Sinclair and Jimmy Webb won gold in the ring, while David Calvert and the duo of Tom Hewitt and Samuel Allen were successful in shooting.
Calvert would strike again four years later with two golds, one of which came in the pairs event with Martin Millar, and another individual double followed in 2002 in Manchester.
The 2010 Games in Dehli are remembered for a hat-trick of boxing golds as Michael Conlan, Paddy Barnes and Eamonn O’Kane all won, and the former pair became double Commonwealth champions in Glasgow four years later.
Rhys McClenaghan’s triumph on the Gold Coast in 2018 was a first gymnastics medal for Northern Ireland and seven silver medals plus four bronze matched the tally of 12 medals from Glasgow.
But it was in 2022 in Birmingham when Northern Ireland had, by some distance, their most successful Games to date with seven gold medals, seven silvers and four bronze.
Aidan and Michaela Walsh, Jude Gallagher, Dylan Eagleson and Amy Broadhurst all won golds in boxing, while Bethany Firth came out on top in the women’s 200m S14 and the men’s four quartet of Martin McHugh, Ian McClure, Sam Barkley and Adam McKeown were triumphant in bowls.
There were also notable silvers for Daniel Wiffen and McClenaghan, who both would go on to become Olympic champions two years later, while Ciara Mageean and O’Connor, who won NI’s first gold in 2026, finished second in the 1500m and heptathlon respectively.
Jon McConnell added to O’Connor’s success in Glasgow with a gold in the ring, and the duo of Kelly and McKeown ended NI’s Games on a high with victory in the men’s pairs final.
