THERE were celebrations tonight as Belfast boxer Brendan Irvine returned home after he qualified for this year's Rio Olympics.
He booked his place at the games at a qualifying tournament in Turkey on Saturday - becoming one of at least six Irish boxers who are heading to Rio.
Irvine joins Joe Ward, Ballymena boxer Steven Donnelly, David Oliver Joyce and fellow Belfast boxers Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes.
Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor, Michael O’Reilly and Darren O’Neill can qualify for the games at next month's world championships in Kazakhstan.
Irvine is pictured with, from left, Tommy Corr, who boxed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Davy Larmour, who boxed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Paddy Maguire, who boxed in the 1966 Commonwealth Games, and Jim McCourt, who boxed in both the 1964 Tokyo Olympics (where he won a bronze medal) and the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
