Sharlene Mawdsley and Mikey Breen went public with their romance last summer, but what do we know about her ‘new’ man?
Over the last 12 months, they’ve gone from strength to strength, moving in together and celebrating each other’s successes
The 27-year-old’s new beau is just as mad about sport as Sharlene, but what do we know about this Tipperary hurler? Here’s what we found out…
He picked up North and County Intermediate Hurling medals with his club in 2013. Three years later, he was awarded an InterProvincial medal with Munster. Furthermore, he was nominated for All-Star awards at midfield in 2016 and 2020.
However, it was in 2016 and 2019 that the hurler lifted the ‘Holy Grail’ of hurling, the Liam McCarthy Cup, taking on Kilkenny in both finals.
Life outside sport
Michael is a teacher of Business and Geography at CBS High School in Clonmel but has several qualifications.
In 2016, he received a Liberal Arts and Science/Liberal Studies degree from Cork University. Following this, he remained at the same college, graduating with a Master’s degree in Food Business in 2019.
Posting a picture, he said, ‘Out the gap… Next year. One more to the collection.’ He also obtained a Diploma of Education from DCU in 2021.
Off the pitch and out of the classroom
Judging by his social media, Michael also knows how to have fun, surfing and travelling the world with friends, exploring San Francisco, Nevada, Miami, and Malta, to mention just a few.
But sport is never too far away, and it looks like the Tipperary man is a Liverpool supporter.
Romance
Sharlene Mawdsley and Michael kept their love life out of the spotlight since her Olympics debut in Paris 2024, but went public with their romance in 2025.
In April 2026, Sharlene shared how they met in a Q&A with her fans, revealing that they first crossed paths at an awards ceremony in Tipperary in 2017.
‘We’ve had a number of interactions between now and then,’ she added.
When Sharlene and Mikey announced they were a couple, fans flocked to the comments to share their delight at the two Tipperary sports stars coming together.
One person wrote: ‘Tipps Finest Couple. Up Tipp!’ and another added: ‘Two of Tipp’s finest athletes. Magic.’
Fans in the comment section seemed more excited about the pairing than they did about Tipperary’s 1-30 to 1-21 win over Waterford at their home grounds at Semple Stadium in Thurles.
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