This list represents a selection of distinguished black belts who have played pivotal roles in their respective martial arts disciplines within Ireland. For a more comprehensive directory, you may refer to the Who is Who in Martial Arts Ireland website, which celebrates individuals who have established and advanced martial arts across the country.
🥋 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belts
John Kavanagh
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Ireland’s first BJJ black belt, awarded by Matt Thornton in 2007
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Founder of Straight Blast Gym (SBG) Ireland
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Coach to UFC star Conor McGregor
Darragh O’Conaill
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Black belt under Saulo and Alexandre Ribeiro
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Founder of East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy (ECJJA) in Dublin
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Multiple-time European No-Gi champion
Tom Halpin
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Black belt under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu
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First Irishman to qualify and compete at the ADCC World Championship
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Combat Jiu-Jitsu World Champion (2020)
Chris Leddy
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Prominent competitor in the Irish BJJ scene
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Ranked among top black belts in Ireland
Marcus Phelan
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Active competitor and coach within the Irish BJJ community
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Associated with East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Peter Mamaev
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Ranked #1 in the Adult Black Belt Male division for the 2024–2025 season Smoothcomp+1Wikipedia+1
Martin McClenaghan
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Ranked #2 in the Adult Black Belt Male division for the 2024–2025 season Irish Taekwon-Do Association+6Smoothcomp+6Wikipedia+6
Steven Devenney
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Ranked #3 in the Adult Black Belt Male division for the 2024–2025 season
🥋 Karate Black Belts
Brendan Donnelly
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Pioneer of Freestyle Karate in Ireland
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Instrumental in introducing structured kickboxing formats
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Founder of Red Dragon Martial Arts Club
Jimmy Harte
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Senior instructor in JKF Wadokai Karate
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Key figure in promoting traditional Karate in Ireland
Michael Sherlock & David Royle
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Founders of the United Shotokan Karate Federation Ireland (USKFI)
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Prominent Shotokan Karate instructors with international affiliations
Itosu-Kai Ireland Black Belts (2018)
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Evan Donelan (Nidan)
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Aoife O’Grady (Nidan)
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Eimear Porter (Nidan)
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April Curran (Nidan)
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Faye Mulvany (Nidan)
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Sean Power (Shodan)
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Martin Coen (Shodan)
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Niall Costello (Nidan)
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Nathan Donelan (Nidan) itosuryu-karatedo
🥋 Taekwon-Do Black Belts
Master Robert Howard
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8th Degree Black Belt
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President of the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association (RITA)
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Senior ITF Master with decades of experience itosuryu-karatedo+6rita-itf.org+6Smoothcomp+6
Walter McGuinness
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3rd Degree Black Belt
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Founder of RITA Taekwon-Do School in Templeogue College
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Active instructor since 1995
Valerie Keane
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5th Degree Black Belt
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Instructor at St. Mark’s Taekwon-Do School
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Noted for contributions to Taekwon-Do education in Ireland
John Paul Nestor
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3rd Degree Black Belt
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Senior instructor at St. Mark’s Taekwon-Do School
Floyd Keane
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6th Degree Black Belt
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Senior instructor at St. Mark’s Taekwon-Do School
🥋 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Other Disciplines
Kieran McGeeney
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GAA legend and Armagh manager
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Earned a black belt in martial arts under John Kavanagh
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Incorporated MMA training into GAA coaching The Irish SunSBG+1The Irish Sun+1