Kate O’Connor, a Dundalk athlete, recently made history by securing Ireland’s first medal at the World Indoor Championship last month. She previously became Ireland’s first Olympic heptathlete and Louth’s first female track and field Olympian, representing the country at the Paris Olympics. Kate has also claimed medals at the European U20 Championships, Commonwealth Games, and, most recently, the World Indoor Championship in Nanjing, China.

Prior to the civic reception, Kate visited her old primary school, CBS Primary School, in Dulmark. Michel O’Connor, both her father and coach, is a teacher at the school. They officially opened the school’s new autism classroom yesterday.

Eve McCrystal was also celebrated for her outstanding contributions to para-cycling. As a pilot in the Women’s Tandem events, she claimed multiple gold medals at both Paralympic Games and World Championships. Throughout her decade-long tandem partnership with Katie-George Dunlevy, Eve has earned five medals across three Paralympic Games in Rio, Tokyo, and Paris, along with multiple World Championship titles. Both women were inducted to the Cycling Ireland Hall of Fame for 2024.

Chief Executive of Louth County Council, David Conway, has said that besides excelling in their respective sports, both women have "brought immense pride to Louh”.

The civic reception in honour of Kate and Eve took place at County Hall in Dundalk and was an invitation-only event.