From Katie Taylor’s farewell at Croke Park to the Walker Cup at Lahinch, a World Championship beginning on Dublin Bay and knockout football in Dublin and Derry, here are eight events worth the attention of Sport for Business members this weekend.
Katie Taylor’s Croke Park Farewell – Saturday
There can only be one place to start. Katie Taylor against Flora Pili at Croke Park will be one of the defining Irish sporting occasions of the year and the final contest of Taylor’s extraordinary career.
More than 80,000 are expected as Taylor defends her WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine super-lightweight titles and fights for the vacant WBC belt, with the opportunity to finish as undisputed champion. It will also be the first professional boxing event at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali fought Alvin Lewis in 1972.
The occasion is significant from a sports-business perspective as well. Lidl Ireland is Title Event Partner, extending its long association with women’s sport into arguably the biggest individual sporting event staged in Ireland this year. RTÉ has also agreed a multi-platform commercial partnership with Lidl around its free-to-air coverage on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and radio, brokered by EssenceMediacom.
RTÉ2 coverage begins at 8 pm, with Taylor expected to make her ring walk at around 10 pm. DAZN carries the wider card internationally.
The Walker Cup Comes to Lahinch – Saturday and Sunday
At almost the opposite end of the sporting spectrum, Lahinch Golf Club hosts the 51st Walker Cup, with Great Britain and Ireland taking on the United States over two days of foursomes and singles.
This is the first Walker Cup staged at Lahinch and the first on the island of Ireland since 2007. The USA have won the past five matches and lead the historic series 40-9 with one tie. Irish interest in the GB&I side includes reigning Amateur Champion Stuart Grehan.
Saturday has four foursomes from 8.30 am followed by eight singles from 2 pm. Sunday begins at 8 am, with ten afternoon singles to decide the winner. Sky Sports and R&A TV carry live coverage, with Sunday’s play also available through The R&A’s YouTube channel in Great Britain and Ireland.
For Clare, golf and Irish tourism, this is a significant international showcase ahead of the Amgen Irish Open arriving down the coast at Doonbeg next week.
BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Finals – Saturday
Shelbourne Park moves to the sharp end of the 2026 BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby on Saturday night, with the two semi-finals determining the six contenders who will return for next weekend’s final.
The first semi-final is due off at approximately 9.06 pm, with Croydon Avenger, Waitingforastar, Coloursaregreen, Hackney Dancer, Bockos Gold and Im Here chasing three qualifying places. The second follows at approximately 9.24 pm, featuring Wi Can James, Sleight Of Hand, Low Profile, Bouncing Monarch, Glengar Phantom and Priceless Romeo.
It is the penultimate night of a six-week Derby programme which began in early August and concludes with the final at Shelbourne Park on Saturday, September 12th. BoyleSports’ title sponsorship remains one of the longest-running major commercial relationships in Irish greyhound racing, with the bookmaker having backed the Derby for more than a decade.
For Greyhound Racing Ireland, Derby semi-final night is one of the biggest attendance and hospitality occasions of the season, with the added tension of the final draw taking place once the racing is completed.
Women’s Sailing Worlds Open in Dún Laoghaire – Saturday and Sunday
Another global event arrives in Ireland this weekend as the 2026 ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship opens in Dún Laoghaire.
There are 110 sailors entered from 44 countries, with Eve McMahon, Annalise Murphy, Lucy Ives and Sienna Wright representing Ireland. It is the first time an ILCA Women’s World Championship has been staged in Ireland and follows immediately after the men’s championship on Dublin Bay.
A useful distinction for anyone planning to attend: this weekend is the formal opening rather than the beginning of championship racing. Saturday is registration and equipment inspection, while Sunday includes the practice race at 2 pm and opening ceremony at 6 pm. The first championship races are scheduled for noon on Monday.
It adds another chapter to what has been an exceptional summer for Ireland as a host of world-level sailing.
Club Orange FAI Cup Quarter-Finals – Friday to Sunday
The Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup reaches the last eight, with four all-Premier Division ties spread across the weekend.
Waterford host Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United welcome Galway United on Friday night. The television games are the two big weekend fixtures: St Patrick’s Athletic against Bohemians at Richmond Park at 4 pm on Saturday, followed by Derry City against Dundalk at the Brandywell at 4 pm on Sunday. Both are live on RTÉ2.
The semi-final draw follows on Sunday evening.
With the competition now carrying Club Orange’s name and RTÉ giving both Saturday and Sunday quarter-finals free-to-air prominence, this is also a good weekend to assess how the refreshed commercial identity of the Cup is bedding in.
Dingle Marathon – Saturday
Around 2,000 years of scenery and 26.2 miles of running combine on Saturday for one of the country’s most distinctive participation events.
The Dingle Marathon and Half Marathon start in Dingle town before heading through Ventry, Slea Head and Dún Chaoin, with views across to the Blasket Islands.
Both distances are sold out, demonstrating again the pulling power of destination running and the value that mass-participation sport can create for towns and regions well beyond the traditional stadium economy.
RedClick IWA Run’n’Roll – Sunday
One of the strongest examples this weekend of sport being used deliberately to promote inclusion takes place in St Anne’s Park, Raheny, from 1 pm on Sunday.
The Irish Wheelchair Association’s Run’n’Roll, supported by RedClick, offers accessible 2.5km and 5km routes and encourages participants to run, walk or roll.
Crucially, 100 per cent of registration fees go directly to Irish Wheelchair Association’s North Dublin services, with RedClick’s backing enabling the fundraising model.
It is a relatively small event beside Croke Park, but an excellent illustration of sponsorship used to drive participation and social impact rather than simply visibility.
Waterside Half Marathon – Sunday
Finally, the 43rd Waterside Half Marathon gets underway from Ebrington Square in Derry at 9.30 am on Sunday.
The sold-out event takes runners across the River Foyle and through the city’s parks, greenways and bridges before returning to Ebrington Square. The runner, wheelchair, and three-person relay categories are all included.
Together with the Walker Cup, Dingle and Run’n’Roll, it underlines just how much of this weekend’s sporting activity exists outside the major professional arena.
Lidl Ireland, Croke Park Stadium, Boxing Ireland, Golf Ireland, Greyhound Racing Ireland, BoyleSports, Athletics Ireland, the FAI, Irish Sailing and the Irish Wheelchair Association are full members of Sport for Business. Lidl are partners of our Women in Sport coverage.
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