From a local player for the Nevada Union Miners lacrosse team to playing at a high level with competitors from around the world, Ethan Holmes is now set to represent Ireland on the U20 men’s team in the European Championships in Wroclaw, Poland, on July 19-27.
Holmes, who will be a senior at Nevada Union this upcoming school year, first tried out for the team in November in New York and was later invited to the second tryout in Dublin, Ireland, in January.
“Since learning that my Irish heritage would allow me to represent Ireland, playing lacrosse for Ireland has been a goal,” Holmes said. “Being selected and having the opportunity to represent the country where my family came from is a huge honor and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to play lacrosse at such a high level and meet new people from all around the world.”
Men’s lacrosse in Ireland emerged in 1872 and died out in the early 1900s, with women’s lacrosse emerging in the 1920s and subsequently dying out around 1970.
The Irish Men’s National Lacrosse Team was re-established to compete in the 2001 European Championships tournament in Penarth, Wales. The men’s senior team has continued participating in major tournaments since then. The Irish Men’s Box National Team was added in 2007, the Irish Men’s Under-19 National Team was added in 2016, and the Irish Men’s 6s National Team is currently being formed.
In 2005, the Irish Women’s National Lacrosse Team was re-established and entered the 2005 European Newcomers Tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark, finishing in 1st place. The women’s senior team has continued participating in major tournaments since then. In 2019, the Irish Women’s Under-19 National Team and the Irish Women’s Box National Team was started, and the Irish Women’s 6s National Team is currently being formed.
By 2024, there will be eight national teams, four for women and four for men.
Ireland Lacrosse also operates the Éire program, for men and women for multiple age levels. The Éire program provides a platform to enable players who may not be eligible to play for the Irish national teams, but who wish to represent and connect with their Irish heritage by being part of the Ireland Lacrosse family. The Éire teams compete in multiple events and tournaments, including in Ireland, the UK, Europe, USA and elsewhere.
Ethan first became involved with Ireland Lacrosse in 2022. He traveled to Limerick, Ireland, for the Men’s World Championships and played on a mixed-age Irish heritage team, Team Eire, during the festival in conjunction with the championship tournament. He was subsequently invited to apply as an intern for the Irish men’s team for the 2023 world championships in San Diego. He was selected and joined the team for the duration of the tournament and loved every minute of it.
“Watching Ethan set his sights on this goal and put in the hard work required to get there has been incredible,” Holmes’s mom, Laura Sloan said. “He has pushed through many obstacles to get to where he is. Putting lacrosse above almost everything else in his life has been a big sacrifice. We are all thrilled to see it pay off and are so very proud of his determination. We can’t wait to see what he does next!”
Ireland will be the second seed in the championships, and 13 teams will be divided into three groups. Almost 700 players and staff, nearly 1000 people involved.
