About Us

Maître Mike Westgate started his coaching career under the guidance of Prof A T Simmonds at the Latista Club in London. Later he worked with the Junior Girls Foil Squad at the fencing headquarters in London under the direct of the National Coach, Prof R Anderson.

Mike developed épée and sabre at Salle Boston (London) under the guidance of Prof. S Boston and Prof. R Emery. Qualified as a Level 5 British Fencing coach in all weapons in 1990, he developed foil coaching working with the British senior squad under the direction of Prof. Z Wojciechowski. He was the British Under 20 Boys Épée coach in the 1970's. Mike has attended most Cadet, Junior as well as a number of Senior World and European Championships with Ireland or Great Britain since 1981.

Mike attended the 1980 Olympics as a Modern Pentathlon coach.

Inducted into the Irish Academy of Arms in May 2010, Mike Westgate is the National Coach and Performance Director for Northern Ireland Fencing and was awarded the British Fencing Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Mike is the Northern Representative of the Academy.

You can contact Mike at president@irishacademyofarms.org

Maître Fionbarr Farrell, OLY,was a student of Prof. PJ Duffy and has had an illustrious career in RTE and an enviable record of achievement in fencing. Between 1965 and 1978, he fenced for Ireland at the World Championships and won most Irish titles several times.

In 1968 he represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Mexico City and reigned as National Foil Champion in 1992/3.

In 1991 he became a Level 5 Maître d'Armes and is Treasurer of the Irish Academy of Arms and is a Vice-President of the International Academy of Arms.

Fionbarr was fencing master to Salle d'Armes Duffy, Sandymount in 1999, St. Killian's German School and Wesley College, St. Conleth's School & Belvedere College . He is a former Master at Arms to the University of Dublin, Trinity College.

Fionbarr is Emeritus Maître de Salle at Salle Dublin and is the Leinster Representative of the Academy.

You can contact Fionbarr at fionbarr.farrell@irishacademyofarms.org

Prévôt d'Épée Shane Whelan is an accredited Level 3 coach. He was classified by Fencing Ireland as a senior elite international fencer for many years, maintaining a world ranking between the years 2008 and 2018.

Shane was also member/captain of the Irish Veteran Team for a decade, competing in the Home 4 Nations and European Team Veteran Championship.

Individually, he won the Celtic Championship and competed in the individual Veteran World Championship.

He is a qualified referee in all weapons (Fencing Ireland) and remains an active fencer as well as an enthusiastic coach. He is a Board Member of Fencing Ireland.

Shane is Treasurer of the Academy.

You can contact Shane at treasurer@irishacademyofarms.org

Stephen Concannon is a Prévôt de Sabre. He discovered fencing later than most, joining the UCD Fencing Club in his first year at UCD in 2004. While he spent his first few years competing across all 3 weapons, he eventually specialised in sabre.

Stephen went on to win many competitions on the Irish circuit and was on many occasions the Irish Open and Irish National Sabre Champion. He also represented the Irish Men's Sabre team for over a decade, competing in 11 consecutive 5 Nations tournaments from 2007 to 2019 and across continents on the FIE circuit, including competing at the European and Olympic Qualifiers in 2015-16.

Stephen is a member of the Irish Academy of Arms and is a member of the International Academy of Arms.

Stephen's primary aim as a coach is to share his passion for sabre and its adrenaline inducing speed with everyone from beginners to elite athletes in order to grow the number of sabreurs across the country.