Darragh Greene bowed out of the 100m breaststroke semi-final finishing eighth in 61.39 seconds.
Greene, swimming his first international meet since the Tokyo Olympics, clocked 60.75 seconds for third in this mornings heat. After a strong opening 50 metres of his semi-final, Greene faded in the final 30 metres to finish eighth.
Greene will be back in the pool for Saturday's 200m breaststroke heats.
While Max McCusker got Ireland’s European Championships campaign off to a flying start in Rome this morning progressing in the 50m butterfly semi-final. McCusker was just off his best time of 23.44 touching fifth in his heat in 23.61 and progresses in 14th place overall.
McCusker clocked 23.75 in his semi to finish as the 15th faster competitor overall.
Elsewhere, Danielle Hill and Victoria Catterson both competed in heat four of the 100m freestyle where the duo touched in 56.39 seconds for 22nd overall.
Sundays Wells Liam Custer and Trojans Grace Hodgins both made their senior international debuts this morning. The pair had already competed at the European junior championships earlier this Summer. Custer, swimming the 400m individual medley was home in 4:31.43. Hodgins won her 800m Freestyle heat in 8:57.87.
Also competing this morning, Brendan Hyland was just a tenth of a second off his best time in the 50m Butterfly in 24.19. Hyland's main event comes later in the week. Corby clocked 1:01.47 in the 100m Breaststroke Heats.
