NEWSLETTER Christmas Edition VOLUME 2 ISSUE 6 : December 2014

2

ROWING IRELAND NEWLETTER

CONTENTS

The Rowing Ireland Newsletter is an official publication of Rowing Ireland.

The views expressed by the contributors within this publication are not

necessarily the views of Rowing Ireland.

Copyright © 2014

All rights reserved.

All feedback and contributions are welcome, please contact:

info@rowingireland.ie

3 CEO Message

4 High Performance

6 Administration

7 Safety

8 Latest News

11 Nutrition

14 2014 Season—Around the Country

28 Get Going...Get Rowing

32 Rowing for Everyone

36 Spotlight on…Clubs

42 Spotlight on…Rowers

44 Spotlight on…RI Staff

45 Spotlight on…Coaches

46 Social Media Posts

47 Sponsors

Photo on front cover: Garda Boat Club women's 8 with

Santa at Islandbridge, Dublin, December 2014

2

Rowing Ireland Office Opening Hours:

Tuesday 23rd Dec—Closing 1pm

Re-opening Monday 5th January 2015

For any urgent inquiries, contact CEO

Hamish Adams +353 86 350 2552

CEO MESSAGE

3

Hamish Adams

CEO

Rowing Ireland

What a year! 2014 has

been an exciting and

challenging year for

rowing in Ireland.

Some of the major

highlights include the

largest ever entry at

the Irish

Championships, Sanita

achieving Bronze at the

European

Championships and

then following up with

a 4th place in the World

Championships, Paul

O’Donovan’s 4th also at

the World

Championships, the

establishment of the

Get Going...Get Rowing

programme in Leinster

and also in Galway, the

huge number of

coaches integrating

with Coach Education,

and the awarding of the

Sports Capital Grant of

€180,000. Further

achievements include

the establishment of

Club Development

resources and the

introduction of this

expertise at our

Conference in October,

including the

motivational talk from

Joe Schmidt!

We still face many

challenges going

forward from financial

to athlete and

volunteer recruitment

and retention but I

know as a collective we

are prepared and well

placed to work through

any obstacles we may

face.

On behalf of the Board

and staff of Rowing

Ireland I wish you well

for the festive season

and we all look forward

to continuing our best

efforts into 2015 and

beyond as we reflect

and discuss your

feedback from the

recent Provincial

Forums.

Nollaig Shona Duit

Hamish

HIGH PERFORMANCE

4

HIG

H P

ERFO

RM

AN

CE

T he first assessment for

the 2015 season took place

in October with

approximately 85 seniors

taking part - a large

participation number

compared to last year. Both

heavyweight and

lightweight athletes raced

in either single sculls or

pairs. The lightweight

women’s group showed

good depth with Sinead

Jennings scoring best at the

trial. In the men’s

lightweight senior and U23

group, Paul O’Donovan was

the fastest single sculler

and Niall Kenny & Mark

O’Donovan were the fastest

pair. All the heavyweight

women raced in single

sculls where Sanita Puspure

took the lead over Lisa

Dilleen. In the men’s

heavyweight single scull

assessment, David Neale

and Turlough Hughes were

the fastest. The next

assessment, which is by

invitation, will take place

before Christmas. As part of

the selection pathway,

athletes participated in the

November Indoor Provincial

2k erg test and they will

participate in another erg

test at the Irish Indoor

Rowing Championships in

January.

Since the trials, the NRC

training group, consisting of

senior women, lightweight

women and men’s

lightweight double, has

worked hard and has made

good improvements in erg

scores. The men’s

lightweight sweep U23/

senior group has been

together every weekend in

fours and pairs and the

men’s heavyweight group

has had training sessions at

Blessington. Training

weekends and camps will

be held at the NRC in late

December and early

January.

I attended and participated

at the FISA World Coaches

Conference in Rio in

November. As part of the

FISA Competitive

Commission, I took part in

the overall planning of the

2015 season and beyond.

Interesting topics were

covered at the conference,

including the New Zealand

High Performance

programme and structure,

as well as the German

Youth programme. In

addition, presentations

were made on the use of

strength training. The

presentations can be

downloaded from the FISA

web site

www.worldrowing.com

Construction is well-

underway at the Olympic

Park and Village sites, while

construction has not yet

started fully at the rowing

course, but it is clear that

the course will house tents

and light buildings. The

course is a nice lake

situated in the city which is

already in operation. The

major obstacle regarding

racing with be the weeds

and afternoon crosswind.

The FISA Pre-Competition

Health Screening will be put

in place for 2015. All

participants in FISA events

will have to have it done

prior to the competitions.

The stages in this

compulsory procedure

include a questionnaire

about the athlete and

family history related to

heart health, a medical

examination, and an ECG

tracking. The Irish Institute

of Sport and our medical

officer, Dr. George Fuller,

are part of the team doing

the screenings.

Physiotherapist Sinead

Murphy is attending the

NRC half a day per week

thanks to the Irish Institute

of Sport’s service provision.

This has been running for

two months now with a

solid education and practice

platform.

The Irish Sports Council has

launched #BlackMark, a

new anti-doping awareness

campaign. The campaign

aims to raise awareness of

the Anti-Doping programme

and promote the message

of clean sport. This

campaign comes in advance

of changes to the 2015

Irish Anti-Doping Rules to

be in compliance with World

Anti-Doping Agency

(WADA) 2015 World Code

and the WADA International

Standards, which come into

effect from January 1st

2015. If you have any

questions on this matter,

Denis O’Regan is the

Rowing Ireland liaison

person.

The Irish Provincial Indoor

Rowing Competition was

well attended, especially by

Rowing Ireland clubs. The

Irish Indoor Rowing

Championships in January

will get great attention also

as it has been established

as a major event for para,

junior, U23 and senior

athletes.

Rowing Ireland has

received a grant from the

Irish Sports Council to be

spent on preparation for

qualification for the 2016

Olympics in the form of

trainings camps, as well as

a para rowing grant from

Paralympic Ireland for

equipment. A capital grant

has also been allocated for

equipment. The support

from these allocations will

make the coming season

better and stronger,

especially as 2015 is the

Olympic qualification year.

If you would like more

information about any

aspect of the High

Performance section of

Rowing Ireland, email morten.espersen@rowingireland.ie

5

Important Dates:

20th-21st Dec—Assessment by

invitation for U23/Seniors at NRC

24th Jan—2k Concept2 compulsory

race at Irish Indoor Rowing

Championships in UL

By: Morten Espersen, High

Performance Director,

Rowing Ireland

GARDA VETTING

6

AD

MIN

ISTR

ATI

ON

The National Vetting Bureau

(Children and Vulnerable

Persons) Act 2012 was

enacted in December 2012

and is scheduled to be

signed into Law in early

2015. The Act provides a

legislative basis for the

mandatory vetting of

persons who wish to

undertake certain work or

activities relating to

children (under 18) and

vulnerable persons, or who

provide certain services to

children or vulnerable

adults.

Any individual who is a

member of a club affiliated

to Rowing Ireland can apply

to be vetted by completing

the current version of the

Garda Vetting Application

Form which can be

downloaded from the

Rowing Ireland website.

Once this form is

completed, a SIGNED HARD

COPY (ONLY) can be

returned to Rowing Ireland

for processing. This process

takes two to three weeks to

complete. The time period

may change from time to

time.

Once this Act is signed into

Law it is envisaged that

there will be an increase in

applications thus resulting

in a backlog and a time

delay in having applications

completed.

Going forward it is also

envisaged that there will be

an expiry on your vetting

(every 3 years is being

suggested). There is also a

proposal that there will be a

fee for each vetting

application going forward.

There is no amount being

suggested at present.

Be pro-active, beat the rush

and backlog, and submit

your application NOW!

Any individual from NI

wising to be vetted should

complete the ACCESS NI

Application form.

NOTE: Completed Access NI forms must be verified in

person using items from the validation list. Verification

can be arranged by contacting Gordon Reid or Brenda Ewing. Do not

send forms directly to Access NI!

This is a free service for

voluntary coaches.

Any questions/queries on

Garda Vetting, please

contact Denis O Regan,

Rowing Ireland Garda

Vetting Officer, at denis.oregan@rowingireland.ie

By: Denis O’Regan, National Rowing Centre Administration Officer

7

WHAT’S GOING ON

IN YOUR BOAT? By Joe Cantillon, Chairperson, Safety Committee

SAFETY

As coaches we are usually

very interested in other boats

on the water with us, but how

much attention do we take

with our own boat before or

even during a spin?

What’s your club record for

how far a coach got before

they discovered they had no

petrol? How long did it take

them to row back – if indeed

they even had oars in the

boat!

Personally I tend to perform a

checklist when I get into any

launch to coach or drive, plus

I take my bag along with all

sorts of goodies – rowlocks,

gloves, a hat, a whistle,

shades, first aid kit,

sunscreen, along with the

spacers, top nuts and ten-mils

that we all stuff into our

pockets (don’t we?). This

checklist evolved from

mistakes made and

observations over the years:

Petrol – is there enough

for the planned trip

duration.

Oars/Paddles – are they

there and do they work.

Rope – is there enough

to throw, be used for

tying or towing.

Drainage bung/plug – bit

of a no-brainer.

Tighten transom clamps

– those engines will fall

off.

Stow extra life-jackets –

handy for sitting on and

for saving lives.

Have own life-jacket!

Of course you’ll need different

items for different locations

(an anchor for example) but

this is where you improve on a

baseline and make safety your

own.

Some time ago Rowing Ireland

compiled guidelines to help

anyone and everyone get to

grips with club safety

requirements: http://

www.rowingireland.ie/rowing-

ireland-water-safety-code/

A recommended list of what to

keep in your coaching launch

goes something like this:

A bailer and, for

inflatable rubber

dinghies, a suitable

pump and a spare valve.

A klaxon horn or similar

warning device, capable

of attracting attention

over a distance of at

least 200 metres.

A grab line at least 15

metres (50 feet) long

with a large knot tied in

one end to assist

throwing. Ideally a

purpose made rescue/

heaving line throw-bag.

Thermal/exposure

blankets to reduce wind-

chill and counteract

hypothermia. Make use

of proprietary items but

not woollen blankets

which only absorb

moisture and do not

then retain heat. In the

absence of recognised

equipment, polythene

sheet cut to the size of a

commercially available

exposure bag will

provide the necessary

level of heat retention

until proper treatment

can begin.

Life buoys/life jackets.

These are essential when

several people are in the

water and the launch can

attend to only one at a

time.

A basic first aid kit (list

contents and check

regularly as before).

A sharp knife with

carrying sheath.

A paddle.

Simple handholds fixed

to the side of a launch to

give help to any person

being rescued, and

provide self-help should

the driver fall overboard.

Engine, cut-out lanyard

device.

An anchor and line.

Please bear in mind that some

of these items may never be

required whereas others might

just make the difference to

you this coming winter, so

have a think – how much

would you spend to have that

item when you REALLY need

it?

Rowing Ireland has a safety

committee that are there to

assist you with any of your

queries. Drop us a line if you

have any questions or wish to

see other areas of interest

discussed.

joe_cantillon@hotmail.com

8

LATE

ST N

EWS

The Irish Rowing Archives

have just celebrated their

first birthday. During that

time we have had a

phenomenal response to

our request for material.

We have now uploaded

almost 1,400 items

including regatta

programmes dating back to

the late 1800’s. In recent

weeks we uploaded Michael

Johnston’s Associate

Reports from 1967 – 2007.

These give an incredible

account of the Irish

domestic and international

activity during the period

and Irish rowing is indebted

to Michael for preserving

some information for future

generations to pore over.

The other recent addition is

a gallery featuring pictures

from clubs which are sadly

no longer with us. These

include Carrickfergus

Amateur, Dolphin RC,

Dublin RC and St Munchin’s

RC to mention some of the

clubs for which we have

photographs.

We would ask that readers

spend a few minutes over

the Christmas holidays to

see if they have any

material to contribute. You

can either scan the material

and e-mail it to us or we

will arrange to collect and

scan it. Everything gets

returned to its owner once

scanned. The website is

Irishrowingarchives.com

and you can contact us at

irishrowingarchives@gmail.com

Kieran Kerr

IRISH ROWING

ARCHIVES—1ST BIRTHDAY

9

2014/15 CALENDAR December Event Location

20th-21st High Performance Trials National Rowing Centre, Cork

January

24th Irish Indoor Rowing Championships University of Limerick

31st Sligo Head Garavogue River, Sligo

31st University Time Trial (Hosted by

Queens University)

River Lagan, Belfast

February

7th Lagan Head of River River Lagan, Belfast

7th Cork Head of River Marina, Cork

14th-15th High Performance Assessment

(Invitation only)

National Rowing Centre, Cork

21st St. Michael’s Head of River O’Briens Bridge, Clare

28th Erne Head Enniskillen, Fermanagh

UMPIRES EXAMS At every Rowing Ireland

regatta you will see umpires. These are needed

to ensure that the competitors have a fair, but more importantly, safe

race. Without a large number of these volunteers

it would not be possible for most events on the Rowing Ireland calendar to take

place.

Each year the Umpires

Committee hold exams for new umpires throughout the country. The locations

are based on demand. If there are a half dozen or

more candidates in a particular location the

Committee will generally hold an exam. As the

concept of an umpires

exam can be daunting for new candidates, the

Umpires Committee are in the process of putting in place two trainers in each

province. These will provide training to candidates in

advance so they are prepared for the exams. The next set of exams will

take place in early 2015. Details of the exams and

training sessions will be posted on the Rowing Ireland website in the next

month or so.

As part of the exam, there

is a seminar for candidates and any renewing umpires.

The Umpires Committee would like to advise that

this free seminar is open to

all coaches or other interested parties who

would like to attend without

having to take the exam.

Further details of the

Rowing Ireland Umpires Exams may be found here:

http://www.rowingireland.ie/umpires/

If you have any queries

please contact umpires@rowingireland.ie

Kieran Kerr

Chair – Umpires

Committee

1ST BIRTHDAY

10

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE THIS

CHRISTMAS #MARROWMATCH Thirty-one year old Paul

Giblin has 17 Irish Rowing

Championships under his

belt, as well a podium finish

at the 2003 World Rowing

U23 Championships. Not

only is he one of Ireland’s

most decorated oarsmen, he

is also a champion cyclist

and an Army Officer. In

2012, at just 28 years old,

Paul was diagnosed with

refractory Hodgkin’s

Lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a cancer of

the white blood cells

(lymphocytes). There are

two main types of

lymphoma and Hodgkin

lymphoma is one such type.

This is a rare cancer and is

most commonly diagnosed

in young adults aged 15-35

and in older adults over the

age of 50. Paul has been

diagnosed with refractory

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which

means that the lymphoma is

resistant to primary

treatment. Secondary

therapies are often

successful in providing a

remission and may even

cure the Hodgkin

lymphoma.

Paul needs a blood stem cell

donation. This type of

therapy involves replacing

the cancerous blood cells

through a donation of new

stem cells from a healthy

matching donor. Paul is yet

to find a match but needs to

find one before January. He

is undergoing chemotherapy

but this treatment can not

cure him, it will only buy

him time.

Currently there are no

matches available for Paul

on the Global Registry – the

worldwide pool from which

all donations are drawn. His

transplant is going to go

ahead in January, but with a

mismatch donor. The

prognosis would be a lot

better for Paul if he had a

perfect match.

Paul’s friends and family

have come together to

promote the message of

#MarrowMatch and this

Christmas they are hoping

to save his life, and the lives

of others, by increasing the

number of people on the

bone marrow global

registry. The Irish Blood

Transfusion Service looks

after registrations here in

Ireland.

Paul is just one of thousands

of people worldwide who

need your help. Currently

only 50% of patients in need

of treatment match with a

donor but the more people

that donate, the better the

chance that those suffering

from this cancer will find a

match.

Bone marrow registry is an

unrelated registry facilitating

transplants for both Irish

and International patients.

This means that although

you may want to join the

registry to help Paul

specifically, you may be

selected to help any patient

anywhere in the world.

Please do not let this put

you off. The more people

that sign up, the more lives

that can be saved.

On December 6th, Paul

married his finance Cate,

whom he proposed to last

December. Please help him

enjoy a long and healthy life

with his new wife.

If you are interested in

signing up to the global

registry, please log onto

www.giveblood.ie/

Become_a_Donor/

Bone_Marrow_Registry/

LATE

ST N

EWS WINTER NUTRITION

11

By Laura Mahony & Lorna Cooke, Performance Nutritionists, SINI (Sports Institute Northern Ireland)

There are a number of factors that can have an impact on your immune function

(see diagram below). If your immune system is compromised this can lead to an

increased risk of infection and potentially time out of training.

Sleep

Hand and food hygiene

Vaccinations / immunisations

Stress

Overtraining

Diet and hydration

Post exercise immune function depression is most pronounced when exercise is

continuous, prolonged (>1.5hrs), of moderate-high intensity (55-75% aerobic capacity), and performed without food intake (Gleeson, 1996). The cause of this

immune depression is due to a combination of an increase in circulating stress hormones (adrenaline & cortisol), alterations in the pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance, and increased free radicals. The ‘J’ curve is often spoken about

when talking about the immune system (see figure below). What this reflects is that research has shown that immune function is improved (less Upper

Respiratory Infections (URIs)) in athletes when compared to sedentary people. However too much, or over training (and under recovering), can lead to a large

increase in URIs.

NU

TRITIO

N

WINTER NUTRITION

12

NU

TRIT

ION

Remember good nutrition can not only lead to better training adaptations, but

also can lead to more time being available for training as you will be reducing your risk of illness. By following the guidelines below you will be helping to

maintain your body’s natural defences and maximising your immune health.

Eat enough food to meet the energy demands of your training – an inadequate

intake can depress the immune system. Recovery nutrition is essential as the effectiveness of the immune system can be significantly reduced if you delay

getting your recovery food into you by more than one hour post training.

Include a variety of different foods in your diet to help avoid nutrient

deficiencies – a restricted intake can result in decreases in immune defences

against invading pathogens.

Eat plenty of carbohydrates throughout the day – carbohydrates can help to reduce the stress hormone response to intensive training, it also supplies

glucose to fuel the immune system (see last edition of Rowing Ireland’s E-Zine

for guidelines on how much carbohydrate you need).

Stay hydrated - Saliva contains several proteins with antimicrobial properties. Sip on water regularly throughout the day and during training to keep the

mouth and throat moist.

Take a daily probiotic if your are prone to illness, during heavy training periods

or if you are travelling (take 14 days out) – these ‘friendly’ bacteria can improve

immune function and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections.

The recipes I have included can be particularly useful during these cold winter

months as soup can provide you with a source of carbohydrates, protein and a range of minerals and vitamins depending on the ingredients you use. Fill up a

flask and bring it with you to your next training session and see if you don’t enjoy

the warmth it can provide when you come in off the water, cold and wet!

Versatile Veg Soup

This carbohydrate rich soup can make part of a perfect post-exercise refuelling plan. It’s a basic recipe that can be adapted to use up whatever vegetables you

have in your fridge.

Ingredients:

200g chopped raw vegetables, such as onions, celery

and carrots

300g potatoes

1 tbsp oil

700ml stock

crème fraîche and fresh herbs, to serve

10 mins prep; 15 mins cooking

Method:

Fry the chopped raw vegetables with the potatoes, peeled and cubed, in a little oil for a few mins until beginning to soften. Cover with the stock and simmer for 10-

15 mins until the veg is tender. Blend until smooth, then season.

Lentil and Tomato Soup:

Ingredients:

1 onion finely chopped

2 medium carrots chopped

100g red lentils

1 bay leaf

1 ½ pt of chicken or veg stock

2 tbsp veg oil

1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp of dried thyme

Salt and pepper

Method:

Rinse lentils under running water.

Heat oil in saucepan and fry the onion and carrot until softened

Add lentils, tomatoes, stock and bay leaf and thyme to onions and carrots

Bring to boil and simmer for 45-55 mins

Cool slightly, remove bay leaf and liquidise, adding extra stock if required.

13

THE CORK VS COPENHAGEN

JUNIOR 16 REGATTA 2014

14

20

14

SEA

SON

I n July 2014 the inaugural

Cork vs Copenhagen Junior 16

regatta took place on the

Marina in Cork. The idea for

the regatta was developed by

Rowing Ireland High

Performance Director, Morten

Espersen, and Frank Coghlan,

Secretary of Rowing Ireland

and Shandon Boat Club in

Cork. Morten, as a native of

Copenhagen, and Frank, as a

proud Corconian (is there any

other kind?), thought that it

would be a great idea to

develop rowing links between

the two cities while at the

same time giving our youngest

rowers something exciting to

target during the season.

The Cork city clubs - Shandon,

Lee, Cork and Presentation

College - responded to the

idea with enthusiasm and a co-

ordinating committee was set

up. Mikeal Espersen, a brother

of Morten's, visited the

committee to discuss plans in

early March 2014. It was

agreed that, if successful, the

event would be held annually,

alternatively in Cork and

Copenhagen, starting in Cork

in 2014.

The date was set for Saturday

the 5th July, the weekend

before the Irish Rowing

Championships. Races were to

be run for men and women

over 1000 metres as follows:

J15 1X, J16 1X, J16 2X, J16

4X+, J16 8+. Each Cork club

would enter a crew in the 1X,

2X and 4X+ events with a

single Cork crew comprising

rowers from each club rowing

in the 8+. Copenhagen

entered one crew made up of

representatives from three

Copenhagen clubs in each

event.

The event was sponsored by

the Port of Cork and Maersk

Shipping. This helped to pay

for two very attractive trophies

for the eights races as well as

medals for the winners of the

small boat races and t-shirts

for all.

The organising committee

worked hard to ensure that all

would be ready for the arrival

of the Copenhagen rowers in

Cork, and Teresita O'Callaghan

of Lee Rowing Club in

particular did Trojan work in

ensuring that all aspects of

their visit. and of the regatta

itself. would run like

clockwork. Accommodation for

the young Danes was provided

by the families of the

participating Cork rowers.

Eighteen young rowers and

their coaches duly arrived in

Cork at 3am on the morning of

Friday the 4th July. After a

morning rest in a city centre

hostel, the Danish rowers took

to the water in the afternoon

and familiarised themselves

with the challenges of rowing

in borrowed boats on the River

Lee.

Later that evening, a welcome

reception, hosted by the Lord

Mayor of Cork, was held in the

ornate Port of Cork Chamber

Room and was attended by all

the rowers, local host families,

coaches, representatives of the

Cork rowing clubs and the

Danish consul. To cap a very

successful first day of the visit,

an excellent spread of

refreshments was laid on for

all attendees by the ladies of

Lee Rowing Club.

Much to everyone's relief,

Saturday the 5th July dawned

bright, sunny and calm. The

crowds gathered for the

regatta at a brightly decorated

Shandon Boat Club with Cork,

Irish and Danish flags flying

high.

15

The balcony at Shandon

provided a perfect viewing spot

at the finish line for the races

which started 1000 metres

away up river towards the city.

When the uniformly tall young

Danes assembled in their red

and black kit on the Shandon

slip they certainly looked a

crack squad and the local

supporters hearts sank a little.

Promptly at midday the first

race - the MJ15 1X - left the

starting line and to the delight

of the local crowd was won by

the sculler from Cork Boat

Club. This settled the Cork

nerves - at least there would

be no clean sweep by the

visitors! It got even better for

the Irish as immediately

following the first win, young

scullers from Lee RC won both

the WJ15 1X and the WJ16 1X,

and Presentation College won

the MJ16 1X. When Shandon

joined the party by winning the

fifth race - the MJ16 2X - fears

of a clean sweep were now on

the other foot and the coaches

and parents who had travelled

with the Danish rowers were

looking very glum indeed.

However the sequence was

broken when a Copenhagen

double won the WJ16 2x and

all involved were relieved that

our visitors had at least one

win to their name. However,

for the moment the pattern of

Cork wins continued with wins

for Cork BC in the MJ16 4x+

and for Shandon BC in the

WJ16 4X+.

We now arrived at the two

principal events of the day -

the junior eights. These were

the races for the Port of Cork/

Maersk Shipping Trophies. Two

crews of boys and girls chosen

from all the Cork clubs lined

out to compete in separate

races against the Copenhagen

selections.

The junior men's race went off

first and it was apparent from

the beginning that the bigger

and stronger Danish crew had

an edge. Leading by half a

length at 500 meters, they

went on to win reasonably

comfortably by about two

lengths.

The Cork supporters felt more

confident about their crew in

the ladies race and indeed this

was a closer affair. Both crews

started level and there was

little between them at half

way. However, over the last

500 meters the Copenhagen

crew began to pull away and in

the end won by half a length.

So both of the prized main

trophies were on their way to

Copenhagen. It would have

been nice to have managed to

have kept at least one by the

Lee but it was not to be.

The presentation ceremony

was held in Lee Rowing Club

and it was appropriate that all

participating clubs were in

receipt of winners medals for

at least one event. The

Copenhagen rowers and their

supporters revelled in their

victories as they took

possession of the two "Port of

Cork/ Maersk Shipping"

trophies with much cheering

and celebration.

To the relief of the organising

committee both the visit and

the regatta had turned out to

be a great success. The young

Danes were very appreciative

of the hospitality they received

and they enjoyed their brief

visit to Cork city and the

competitiveness of the rowing.

The Cork rowing clubs are

looking forward to the return

event in Copenhagen in May

2015 and are determined to

recover the trophies on loan

for a year to Copenhagen.

A final word of thanks to the

Port of Cork and Maersk

Shipping without whose

generous sponsorship the

event could not have taken

place.

By: Frank Coghlan, Secretary of Rowing Ireland & Shandon Boat Club

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TULLAMORE

TIME TRIAL Winners:

Category Name Club Time

MS Neale Old Collegians BC 00:08:20

MJ18 Munnelly Athlone 00:08:47

MJ16 McCabe Carrick 00:09:04.07

MJ15 Clune Three Castles 00:09:24

MJ14 Keating Carlow 00:09:39.46

MJ12 Fleming Carlow 00:12:32

MM O’Brien Carlow 00:09:36

MN Merkevicius Offaly 00:09:45

MP Connon Offaly 00:21:03

WS Quinn Three Castles 00:09:38

WJ18 Mooney Offaly 00:10:02

WJ16 Mooney Offaly 00:09:58.62

WJ15 McKeagney Offaly 00:10:13.07

WJ14

(joint)

Slater Carlow 00:11:27

WJ14

(joint)

Scully Carlow 00:11:27

WJ12 Scully Carlow 00:11:27

WM Dormer Carlow 00:11:05.11

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TIME TRIAL

October

2014

The official launch of Joshua Connon's new adaptive boat from

monies raised from Offaly Rowing Club’s “Float our Boat” campaign

took place at the Tullamore Time Trial on Saturday 4th October.

Joshua with his new boat

Joshua rowing in his new boat

Joshua with

members of his

family and

Offaly Rowing

Club

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Category Name Club Time

Mens Intermediate 1x O’Connor, D SMRC 12:51

Mens Intermediate 2- SMRC B 12:50

Mens Intermediate 2x Fermoy 16:12

Mens Intermediate 4+ St Josephs B 12:06

Mens Intermediate 8+ Muckross A 12:26

Mens Senior 1x Prendergast, A Castleconnell 13:01

Mens Senior 2- SMRC 12:03

Mens Senior 4x- Castleconnell 11:50

Mens Senior 8+ SMRC 11:29

Mens Masters 1x Cunningham, J Castleconnell 22:36

Mens Masters 2x (TO) Shannon 16:37

Mens Masters 8+ SMRC

Fermoy (TO)

13:49

12:23

Mens Novice 1x Lynch, D Clonmel 14:36

Mens Novice 4x+ Waterford 15:15

Mens J18A 1x Goff, A Waterford 12:42

Mens J18A 2- Shandon A 12:53

Mens J18A 2x Fermoy 12:31

Mens J18A 4+ SMRC B 13:33

Mens J18A 4x- Castleconnell 11:47

Mens J18A 8+ SMRC 12:17

Mens J16 1x Silke, P Castleconnell 13:57

Mens J16 2x Castleconnell 15:30

Mens J16 4x+ St Josephs A 13:39

Mens J15 1x Harrison, M Waterford 15:32

Mens J15 2x Castleconnell A 13:26

Mens J15 4x+ SMRC A 13:31

Mens J15 8+ SMRC A 12:37

Mens J14 1x O’Byrne, D SMRC 15:28

Mens J14 2x Colaiste Iognaid 16:20

Mens J14 4x+ Shandon B 13:14

CASTLECONNELL HEAD OF RIVER

Photos: Just look at the Lens

Photography

CASTLECONNELL HEAD OF RIVER

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Saturday 1st

November

52 categories

Category Name Club Time

Womens Intermediate 1x O’Sullivan, H SMRC 14:57

Womens Intermediate 2x Castleconnell 14:30

Womens Senior 1x Jennings, S SMRC 13:47

Womens Senior 4- Shannon/Killorglin/UCDBC A 14:01

Womens Senior 4x- Athlunkard 16:20

Womens Novice 1x Kilkenny, R Castleconnell 22:45

Womens Novice 8+ Castleconnell 15:08

Womens Novice 4+ Clonmel 15:36

Womens Masters 8+ Castleconnell 16:25

Womens Para Wta 1x O’Brien, K Tribesmen 24:40

Womens J18A 1x Murphy, S SMRC 14:43

Womens J18A 2- SMRC 14:46

Womens J18A 2x Castleconnell 15:10

Womens J18A 8+ Shannon A 13:05

Womens J18A 4- SMRC 17:49

Womens J16 1x O’Riordan, S SMRC 19:57

Womens J16 2x Clonmel 16:57

Womens J16 4x+ SMRC 14:23

Womens J16 8+ Colaiste Iognaid 15:16

Womens J15 1x O’Brien, C Castleconnell 16:13

Womens J15 4x+ SMRC A 14:43

Womens J15 8+ Shandon 14:09

Womens J14 1x O’Brien, L Castleconnell 16:39

Womens J14 2x Fermoy 19:09

Womens J14 4x+ Castleconnell A 14:44

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Category Name Club Time

Mens Intermediate 1x Kelly, D Garda 15:36

Mens Intermediate 4+ DUBC A 13:07

Mens Senior 1x Quinlan, D UL RC 15:15

Mens Senior 2x Carlow 14:17

Mens Senior 2- NUIG A 14:01

Mens Senior 4x- OCBC/UCDBC/Commercial 12:56

Mens Senior 4- Carlow 12:56

Mens Senior 8+ SMRC 12:09

Mens Club 2 8+ Commercial 13:24

Mens Club 2 4+ NUIG 14:39

Mens Club 2 4x+ Offaly 17:25

Mens Masters 8+ OCBC 14:14

Mens J18A 1x Murray, E Portora 15:54

Mens J18A 4+ Portora 14:51

Mens J18A 4x- Portora A 13:54

Mens J16 8+ Commercial 13:54

Mens J16 4x+ Three Castles 14:36

Tour Boat Tribesmen 18:29

NEPTUNE HEAD OF RIVER

Neptune Head of River

was held on Saturday 8th

November at

Blessington. There were

223 entries in total

across 34 categories. St.

Michael’s Rowing Club’s

Senior 8+ crew were the

fastest on the day,

finishing the first head in

a time of 12 minutes and

nine seconds.

Dublin University Ladies

Boat Club’s Senior 8+

crew were the fastest

women’s crew on the

day, finishing in a time of

13 minutes and 46

seconds.

Lisa Dilleen of Gráinne

Mhaol won the women’s

senior single scull race in

a time of 15 minutes and

55 seconds.

David Quinlan of

University of Limerick RC

won the men’s senior

single scull race in 15

minutes and 15 seconds.

NEPTUNE HEAD OF RIVER

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Saturday 8th

November

34 categories

Category Name Club Time

Womens Intermediate 8+ DULBC 14:11

Womens Intermediate 4+ UCCRC 15:49

Womens Intermediate 1x O’Sullivan, H SMRC 17:33

Womens Senior 1x Dilleen, L Grainne Mhaol 15:55

Womens Senior 2x DULBC 15:55

Womens Senior 2- Portora A 16:36

Womens Senior 8+ DULBC 13:46

Womens Club 2 8+ Carlow 15:59

Womens Club 2 4x+ Carlow 16:40

Womens Club 2 4+ DULBC 16:54

Womens J18A 1x Murphy, S SMRC 17:39

Womens J18A 8+ Neptune 14:56

Womens J18A 4x- Portora A 14:36

Womens J18 A 4- SMRC 16:21

Womens J16 4x+ Offaly 16:56

Womens J16 8+ Commercial A 15:39

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BANN HEAD OF RIVER 2

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Category Name Club Time

Mens Intermediate 8+ QUBBC 11:47

Mens Intermediate 2x CAI 14:55

Mens Intermediate 1x McKeown

Oliver (TO)

Portadown RC

QUBBC

15:59

15:49

Mens Senior 2x Belfast BC 13:58

Mens Senior 8+ QUBBC 12:08

Mens Masters 1x D’Urso City of Derry 17:38

Mens Masters 4+ Belfast BC 16:42

Mens Masters 8+ Belfast BC 13:36

Mens J18A 8+ Bann RC 12:14

Mens J18A 1x Mitchell, D Bann RC 16:37

Mens J18A 2x City of Derry 16:17

Mens J18A 4+ Bann RC 15:10

Mens J18A 4x- RBAI 13:44

Mens J16 8+ CAI 15:33

Mens J16 4x+ Bann RC 16:03

Mens J16A 1x Smyth Bann RC 18:59

Mens J15 8+ (TO) CAI 19:57

Mens Novice 8+ (TO) QUBBC 17:10

Womens Intermediate 8+ QUBL BC 14:23

Womens Intermediate 4x- QUBL BC 18:21

Womens Intermediate 4x+ QUBL BC 17:35

Womens Intermediate 1x Maguire QUBL BC 19:29

Womens Masters 4+ Belfast RC (C) 21:58

Womens Masters 8+ Belfast RC (C) 16:44

Womens Novice 8+ QUBL BC 17:24

Womens J18A 1x Barry Bann RC 18:14

Womens J18A 8+ Bann RC 13:52

Womens J18A 4x- Belfast RC 16:51

Womens J16 4x+ Bann RC 18:06

Womens J16 1x Scott Bann RC 19:24

Womens J15 4x+ Bann RC 20:58

Womens J15 1x McCann Portadown BC 22:40

HEAD OF THE SHANNON

6th December

20 Categories

46 Entries

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Category Name Club Time

Mens Club 1 4+ Commercial A 13:40

Mens Club 1 2x Athlone 17:34

Mens Senior 2- Commercial 16:16

Mens Masters 1x Murphy, G Portora 16:04

Mens J18A 4x- Portora A 12:46

Mens J18A 1x Munnelly, P Athlone 14:58

Mens J16 2x Carrick 14:16

Mens J15 8+ Commercial 14:10

Womens J15 2x Carrick 16:40

Mens J14 4x+ Portora A 16:29

Mens Novice 8+ Commercial 14:56

Womens Club 1 8+ Commercial 16:34

Womens Club 4x+ (Time Only) Commercial 16:16

Womens Club 1x (Time Only) Carrick 18:12

Womens Novice 8 Commercial 18:26

Womens J18 2- Portora 15:55

Womens J18 2x Sligo A 15:50

Womens J16 4x+ Athlone 17:35

Womens J16 8+ Portora A & Portora B (joint) 14:36

Womens J14 4x+ Carrick 19:41

Photo: Conor Carmody, Shannon RC, at the NRC

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Mens Intermediate 1x Kelly, D Garda BC 12:05

Mens Intermediate 2- UCC RC 11:39

Mens Intermediate 2x Waterford BC 11:27

Mens Intermediate 4+ UCC RC 11:24

Mens Intermediate 8+ Skibbereen RC 09:50

Mens Senior 1x O’Mahony, R Waterford BC 12:21

Mens Senior 4x- Skibbereen B & Waterford/

Castleconnell/Shandon (joint)

10:10

Mens Senior 4- UCC RC 10:41

Mens Senior 8+ UCC RC 10:03

Mens Masters 1x Hughes, C Shandon BC 13:06

Mens Novice 1x Clonmel RC 12:59

Mens Novice 2x Clonmel RC 12:59

Mens Novice 4x+ Clonmel RC 11:43

Mens Novice 8+ DUBC 12:02

Mens J18 1x Goff, A Waterford BC 12:13

Mens J18 2x Skibbereen RC 11:15

Mens J18 4+ Shannon RC 12:15

Mens J18 4x- Shandon BC 10:16

Mens J16 1x Morrison, G Fermoy RC 12:28

Mens J16 2x Lee RC 11:57

Mens J16 4x+ Cork BC 11:10

Mens J16 8+ Cork BC 10:17

Mens J15 1x Larkin, E Lee RC 12:59

Mens J15 2x Lee RC 12:13

Mens J15 4x+ Cork BC 11:10

Mens J14 4x+ Shandon BC 12:08

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December

3800m Rolling Head MUCKROSS HEAD OF RIVER

Category Name Club Time

Womens Intermediate 8+ UCC RC 11:19

Womens Intermediate 4+ DULBC 12:40

Womens Intermediate 2x Garda BC 13:10

Womens Intermediate 1x O’Neill, H DULBC 13:18

Womens Senior 1x UCC RC 13:07

Womens Senior 2- DULBC 12:28

Womens Senior 4x- UCC RC 11:40

Womens Senior 4- Cork BC 12:09

Womens Senior 8+ DULBC 10:54

Womens Novice 4x+ Waterford BC 16:35

Womens Masters 4x+ Garda BC 12:46

Womens J18 1x Hegarty, E Skibbereen RC 13:25

Womens J18 4x- Skibbereen RC 11:40

Womens J18 2x Muckross RC 13:18

Womens J18 2- Shannon RC 13:19

Womens J16 4x+ Kenmare RBC 14:27

Womens J16 4+ Shandon BC 13:19

Womens J16 2x Clonmel RC 13:51

Womens J16 1x Cummins, E Lee RC 13:38

Womens J15 8+ Shandon BC 12:05

Womens J15 4x+ Castleconnell BC 13:05

Womens J15 2x Castleconnell BC 13:40

Womens J15 1x Synnott, C Lee RC 13:49

Womens J14 4x+ Lee RC 13:00

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Ireland By Gordon Reid, Club & Coach Development Officer, Northern Ireland

Ulster clubs have been

active, with several local events on the Lagan, a well

-attended Bann Head, the Ulster Indoor Rowing Championships, and the

BUCS Indoor Rowing Series Belfast leg. An open day to

start a programme for Ulster para rowers was held at Belfast Rowing Club.

Queens are preparing for major works to their

facilities including a boathouse extension and a

new pontoon.

Hamish Adams attended an Ulster Club Forum on 18

November, and this attracted more than the

usual branch representatives. Presentations by Hamish,

John Armstrong and myself were well received, and

some useful discussion followed. In particular we would welcome well known

athletes appearing at local clubs, and need to get club

activity publicised more

effectively.

A plan for Club

Development (NI) to 2017 has been prepared, and was

given out to club representatives for discussion and comment. In

particular we need to find ways to reward and

recognise the most active and successful clubs and coaches, and to encourage

others to follow their

examples.

The Ulster Indoor Rowing Championships and BUCS Indoor Series attracted

approximately 150

competitors, from under 15

to over 50 in age. The event was hosted by the

Ulster Branch in conjunction with Queens Sport, and the atmosphere was improved

from last year with better visual and sound systems.

We could have coped with more competitors, but the standards were high and

several new Ulster records were set. Congratulations to

Erin Barry of Bann for beating Lisa Dilleen’s Under 18 Irish Record time. It has

been suggested that we publish a date for the 2015

event early in the New

Year.

The new RI Club Development templates and guidance documents

were publicised to all Ulster clubs, and these can be

found on the RI website under a new Club Development area under

‘Clubs’ at www.rowingireland.ie/club-

development/ along with details of support available. Further work has been done

on the RI Safeguarding policy and an update will be

on the RI website soon. For this there is an area on the website under ‘Clubs’ at

www.rowingireland.ie/safeguarding-in-rowing/

Thanks are due to ‘Volunteer Now’ for their input. They offer

Safeguarding Awareness training in NI and RoI which

may be of interest. Meetings have been held with several NI clubs with

the main points of interest being around employment

of coaches, Strategic

Planning, and ongoing club

support.

Coach development work has been focused on running a Level 1 course at

Belfast BC. Fifteen coaches were in attendance and it

was good to see Robert Gamble active again as a tutor. Paul McGowan helped

us to deliver a useful Strength & Conditioning

element and Pat McInerney travelled to lead the second weekend. There is a

Safeguarding Awareness course to be attended by

candidates before they

complete.

Coach Education effectiveness continues to be reviewed and the

challenge is for us to deliver good rowing results despite

a shrinking amount of investment in Governing Bodies and their support.

This may mean finding simpler ways to support

coaches, such as mentoring and shadowing within clubs

and local areas.

Ongoing work involves finding a suitable way to

network with active ulster coaches, and to allow them to record their own

progress for the benefit of

clubs.

I look forward to sharing more updates with you and I am happy to answer

queries.

Gordon Reid

gordon.reid@rowingireland.ie

27

The Ulster Indoor Rowing

Championships, incorporating the BUCS

(British Universities & Colleges Sport) Indoor Rowing Series, were held on

Saturday 29th November at

Queens PE Centre in Belfast.

With 167 entries, the event

was well attended. Several new Ulster records were set

and Erin Barry of Bann RC beat the U18 Irish record of 6:59.4 with a time

of at 6:57.8. The last record

was held by Lisa Dilleen

since 2008. The event was organised by

the Ulster Branch of Rowing Ireland, in association with Queens Sport.

ULSTER INDOOR

ROWING

CHAMPIONSHIPS

2014

Results:

1000m

W U15 1st Rebecca Jones

(MCB) 3:45.3, 2nd Kayla

McCann (P’down) 3:56.9, 3rd

Laura Jeffers (MCB) 3:58.3

M U15 1st Xeno Young (MCB)

3:25.3, 2nd Alexander Wilson

(MCB) 3:32.4, 3rd Aaron

Rourke (MCB) 3:34.1

W Beg 1st Siofra Corr (QUB)

3:49.4, 2nd Millie Jessup

(QUB) 3:51.9, 3rd Sarah

McElroy (QUB) 3:53.9

M Beg 1st Caolan Harkin

(QUB) 3:03.2, 2nd Ryan

Urquahart (QUB) 3:14.4, 3rd

Evaldas Parsiunas (QUB)

3:15.7

2000m

W U16 1st Hannah Scott

(Bann) 7:38.7, 2nd Rachel

McBrinn (MCB) 7:42.8, 3rd

Lucy McIntyre (MCB) 7:47.5

M U16 1st Aaron Christie

(Bann) 6:45.9, 2nd Callum

Macrae (MCB) 6:57.4, 3rd

Rory Eakin (MCB) 6:59.7

W U18 1st Erin Barry (Bann)

6:57.8, 2nd Katie Shirlow

(Bann) 7:31.2, 3rd Chloe

Deyermond (MCB) 7:32.4

M U18 1st Aidan Murray

(BBC) 6:27.9, 2nd Timothy

Davidson (Bann) 6:38.4, 3rd

Ethan Magill (MCB) 6:48.7

W U23 1st Olivia Blundell

(BBC) 7:28.7

M U23 1st Sam McKeown

(P’down) 6:08.5

M U23Lwt 1st Joel Kelly

(QUB) 6:32.5, 2nd Luke

McCann (QUB) 6:47.3, 3rd

Michael Curran (CAI) 7:16.9

W Open Lwt 1st Sarah Quinn

(BBC) 7:16.8, 2nd Rachel

Brown (QUB) 7:54.1, 3rd

Alicia Greene (QUB) 7:57.8

M Open Lwt 1st Joel Kelly

(QUB) 6:32.5, 2nd Liam

Moran (QUB) 6:41.9, 3rd Luke

McCann (QUB) 6:47.3

W Open 1st Roisin Maguire

(QUB) 7:16.2, 2nd Ruth

Taylor (QUB) 7:53.4, 3rd Lana

Mullan (QUB) 8:00.6

M Open 1st Philip Doyle

(QUB) 6:01.3, 2nd Tiernan

Oliver (QUB) 6:09.7, 3rd

Oliver Graham (QUB) 6:19.8

28

GET

GO

ING

...G

ET R

OW

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GET GOING...GET ROWING LEINSTER

The Get Going...Get Rowing

programme has gone from

strength to strength since its

inception in March 2014 and

now as the year is ending

there have been great

strides made in linking

Rowing Ireland with

schools in the Leinster

region and beyond.

Presently there have been

15 schools rowing in Dublin

and the students had the

opportunity to get down and

compete, or see the real

thing, in Islandbridge on

22nd October. For those who

had taken to the water

previously, there was a mini

-regatta, while for those who

hadn’t, there was an indoor

event.

In November the first school

took to the water in

Islandbridge with one of the

Dublin clubs, and this school

will continue their quest to

row after Christmas.

The Get Going...Get Rowing

with TY programme has had

great success in Carlow,

with thirty-five transition

year students being trained

up to give the programme in

local schools. The idea

behind the programme is

that the transition year

students give the classes to

the first years in their

schools. On a recent visit to

the schools the teachers all

expressed how well the

programme was run. Many

other sports already offer

this type of initiative to TY

students and it’s the first

time Rowing Ireland has

taken up this challenge with

the pilot scheme in Carlow.

PE teacher, Orla Bambury

from Borris Vocational

School said in recent

feedback, “Our ten coaches

were randomly selected and

returned to us after their

coaching sessions fully

prepared, trained and ready

for action. They took

complete leadership and

ownership of every aspect of

the Rowing lessons with first

years.

29

They took them for a double

PE session of 80 minutes

each week for four weeks.

The standard of coaching

they imparted to our first

years was impressive to say

the least. Technique was

key on the agenda. They

used interactive clips, gave

quality demonstrations and

pushed the first years to

correct each other’s

technique.

The lessons culminated with

relays which were recorded

per individual student over

two weeks and used to form

teams to send to the school

blitz taking place in the next

few weeks. Such is their

level of enthusiasm, they

are now training these

teams at lunch time every

Friday until the blitz to

include not only rowing but

fitness work as well!!!

Their long term aim is to get

all first years to the rowing

club in Graignamanagh to

boost their interest in

rowing even more. We could

not have asked for any

greater motivation than

what has been displayed.

Brian Roberts came here

every Monday and Friday to

assist the coaches and was

a great help. Both Kathryn

from Carlow Regional Youth

Services and Michelle from

Leinster Rowing visited and

we really felt supported by

all.”

The Carlow programme

culminated in a blitz last

Thursday, 11th December,

where over 200 kids took

part in a series of individual

races and relays. The blitz

lasted from 10am-1pm and

everyone enjoyed the day.

There was great feedback

from the event and the

atmosphere can only be

described as electric...

These students will now be

linked with local clubs. Many

have already expressed an

interest and both Carlow

Rowing Club and

Graignamanagh Rowing

Club were on hand the day

of the blitz to answer any

questions the youngsters

had about a pathway to the

clubs.

The transition year students

will travel to Islandbridge in

January to be officially

presented with their

coaching certificates. The

first Get Going...Get Rowing

regatta of the New Year, a

Turkey Burner row, will also

take place on that day. This

will be the first in a series of

half term regattas which will

take place in 2015. These

regattas will endeavour to

link the schools with the “on

the water rowing” and have

students ready and

interested in the sport so

that they can join camps at

Easter and over the

Summer, thus giving them

plenty of time to be ready

for rowing in clubs at an

optimum time.

If you require more

information on the Get

Going…Get Rowing project

in Leinster, please contact

Michelle Carpenter

michelle.carpenter@rowingireland.ie

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By: Michelle Carpenter, Leinster Women’s Development Officer

30

GET

GO

ING

...G

ET R

OW

ING

GET GOING, GET ROWING CONNACHT

Jen Cunningham took on the

role of Connacht

Development Officer in

November. She has initiated

indoor erg programmes in a

number of schools and is

already receiving very

positive feedback from the

teachers and pupils involved.

“We in the Presentation

Secondary School Galway

were delighted to hear we

had been accepted on the

N.U.I.G. rowing programme.

As we have no on site

facilities it has been a huge

bonus to our P.E curriculum.

The course so far has been

educational, exhausting and

fun! The girls are loving it

and we have 100%

participation, which speaks

volumes. All the other

classes are asking if they are

going to get this great

opportunity to learn how to

make use of this beautiful

natural resource we have

flowing freely through our

city. This programme will

certainly ensure our girls are

stronger, both physically and

mentally, going out into the

world.” Orla Madden, PE

Teacher, Presentation

Secondary School,

Galway.

34 pupils from TY & 6th year

are participating in the six

week Get Going, Get Going

indoor erg programme.

In addition, there are 47

pupils from Mercy Secondary

School also participating in

the same programme and

the plan is to have an inter

schools erg relay race before

Christmas between these

two schools.

“When I told my leaving

Cert and Transition

Year students that they were

invited to take part in a

rowing programme with

NUIG Rowing Club, they

were really excited.

As part of their module

on Health Related Fitness in

Physical Education, they

would be attending NUIG

rowing club for an eight

week programme.

G

31

This programme teaches

the girls correct rowing

technique and aims to

develop their knowledge

and understanding of health

related fitness.

The girls are now into their

fourth session and are

absolutely loving it! For the

majority of the group, it is

their first time to be taught

how to use an indoor rowing

machine correctly. Jennifer

is a fantastic coach and has

a great way with the girls.

Their technique and skill

have progressed steadily

over the past few sessions

and they are benefiting

greatly from these sessions.

This is a really fantastic

programme that is being

run by NUIG Rowing Club

and is an excellent

opportunity

for the girls,

which they are really

grateful for.” Michelle, PE

Teacher, Mercy

Secondary School.

If you require more

information on the Get

Going, Get Rowing project

in Connacht, please do not

hesitate to contact Jen

Cunningham

jen.cunningham@rowingireland.ie

By: Jen Cunningham, Connacht Development Officer

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T he Irish Provinces Indoor

Rowing Competition took place

on Saturday 22nd November, at

the University of Limerick

University Arena. 750 athletes

competed in over 1100 race

slots. 59 clubs took part in the

competition with 32 of these

being Rowing Ireland registered

clubs.

Below are the top three athletes

in each category:

2000m

Mens Open 1st Kevin Coughlan

(Carlow) 6:10.2, 2nd David

Meehan (SMRC) 6:11.3 & Dan

Hindle (NUIG) 6:11.3

Lightweight Men 1st Jonathan

Doyle 6:28.1, 2nd Alan

McKenna (Carlow) 6:38.3, 3rd

Alan Goodison (Fermoy RC)

6:53.3

Mens U23 1st Andy Harrington

(UCC RC) 6:15.3, 2nd Richard

O’Hagan (NUIG) 6:15.8, 3rd

Mantas Pukelis (NUIG) 6:16.2

Lightweight Men U23 1st

David O’Malley (UCD BC)

6:28.6, 2nd Liam Keane (NUIG)

6:29.2, 3rd Conor Carmody

(Shannon) 6:32.0

Men 30-39 1st Gary Conway

(St. Pat’s) 6:16.7, 2nd Ryan

Corcoran (Carlow) 6:18.8, 3rd

Ray Sheehan 6:35.0

Lightweight Men 30-39 1st

Ronan Brennan (St.Pat’s)

6:56.7

Men 40-49 1st Tom Hackett

6:42.3, 2nd Patrick O’Sullivan

(PWRC) 6:52.9, 3rd John Dillon

(Castleconnell BC) 7:08.8

Lightweight Men 40-49 1st

Colin O’Neill 6:54.3, 2nd David

Hussey (Portmagee RC) 7:06.3,

3rd Kieran Keating (SMRC)

7:19.3

Men 50-59 1st Oliver Short (St

Pat’s) 6:44.4, 2nd Dominic

Crehan (Eton Excelsior RC)

6:53.5, 3rd Hamish Logan

7:10.7

Lightweight Men 50-59 1st

Christian Leonard 7:24.8

MJ16 1st Gavin Morrison

(Fermoy RC) 6:37.4, 2nd

Timothy Pyne (Fermoy RC)

6:38.0, 3rd Sean Byrne

(Carlow) 6:55.8

MJ18 1st Eoghan Whittle

(Castleconnell BC) 6:26.6, 2nd

Andrew Goff (Waterford BC)

6:31.2, 3rd Shane O’Connell

(Cork BC) 6:31.3

Mens LTA 1st Shane Ryan

(SMRC) 6:48.4, 2nd Aron

O’Dowd 7:08.1

Mens Open Team 1st NUIG

5:19.5, 2nd Timon Carlow

5:43.9, 3rd Crossfit Limerick 1

5:46.6

IRISH

PROVINCES

INDOOR

ROWING

COMPETITION

2014

Photos: Just look at the lens Photography

33

Mens College Student

Team 1st NUIG 1 5:34.2, 2nd

NUIG 2 5:47.8

Mens Team 1st Year

School 1st CRCC A 7:48.0,

2nd CRCC B 9:38.3

Mens Team 2nd Year

School 1st St. Joseph’s

College 6:17.3, 2nd Blackrock

College 4 7:18.1, 3rd CRCC2

7:30.6

Mens Team 3rd Year

School 1st Colaiste Iognaid 2

6:20.7, 2nd SMRC 1 6:38.1,

3rd Colaiste Iognaid 1 6:46.5

Mens Team 4th Year

School 1st Blackrock College

1 6:20.3, 2nd Blackrock

College 2 6:21.9, 3rd CRCC B

6:30.2

Mens Team 5th Year

School 1st St. Joseph’s

College 1 5:45.4, 2nd

Athlunkard BC 1 5:54.1, 3rd

St. Joseph’s College 2 6:11.4

Women Open 1st Aine

Collins (Fermoy RC) 7:23.7,

2nd Jessica O’Keeffe (SMRC)

7:25.4, 3rd Marie Piggot

(NUIG) 7:39.4

Lightweight Women 1st

Siobhan McCrohan

(Tribesmen RC) 7:15.2 (new

Irish record – previous was

7:16.8), 2nd Amy Bulman

(UCC RC) 7:48.2

Women U23 1st Deirdre

O’Sullivan (UCC RC) 7:17.9,

2nd Caoimhe Joyce-Hearne

(NUIG) 7:20.4, 3rd Hannah

O’Sullivan (SMRC) 7:23.6

Lightweight Women

U23 1st Robyn Ryan (NUIG)

7:58.6, 2nd Aoife Byrne

(Carlow) 7:59.9, 3rd Saoirse

Horgan (UCC RC) 8:06.0

Women 30-39 1st Malwina

Tritt (c2tweetcrew) 7:46.9,

2nd Mary Fogarty (Sive RC)

7:47.2, 3rd Muireann McEnery

(Castleconnell BC) 8:09.9

Lightweight Women 30-

39 1st Monika Tupa

(Castleconnell BC) 8:31.4,

2nd Catherine O’Sullivan

(Castleconnell BC) 9:42.4

Women 40-49 Carolann

Quinlan (Castleconnell BC)

8:33.5

Lightweight Women 40-

49 1st Lucy O’Brien 7:44.0,

2nd Tina O’Sullivan (PWRC)

8:16.4

Women 50-59 1st Kathleen

McCarthy (Sive RC) 8:30.5,

2nd Marie Ryan (Castleconnell

BC) 8:33.7, 3rd Tilly Jordan

(Arklow RC) 8:33.8

Lightweight Women 50-

59 1st Margot Lawlor

(Callinafercy RC) 8:08.2

WJ16 1st Alison Mooney

(Offaly RC) 7:35.6, 2nd

Eimear Cummins (Lee RC)

7:43.4, 3rd Tara Dunbar

(Sligo RC) 7:45.4

WJ18 1st Sarah Murphy

(SMRC) 7:30.6, Willow

Littlewood (Lee RC) 7:41.6,

3rd Susie O’Neill (Commercial

RC) 7:43.6

Womens LTA 1st Sarah

McLoughlin (Tralee RC)

8:22.6, 2nd Cliona Horan

(Tribesmen RC) 9:29.6, 3rd

Aine Leonard 9:56.7

Womens Open

Team 1st NUIG 6:33.5, 2nd

Moorepark Muckers Fermoy

RC 7:00.3, 3rd Crossfit

Limerick 1 7:07.8

Womens College Student

Team 1st Athlunkard BC 3

7:15.0

Womens Team 1st Year

School 1st CRCC 1 9:18.8,

2nd Laurel Hill 1 10:09.5

Womens Team 2nd Year

School 1st SMRC 5 7:19.7,

2nd Colaiste Iognaid 7:20.1,

3rd Castleconnell BC 7:47.7

Womens Team 3rd Year

School 1st Castleconnell BC

7:29.2, 2nd Athlunkard BC 2

7:33.6, 3rd Colaiste Bride

7:52.4

Womens Team 4th Year

School 1st Ursuline Rowers

Sligo RC 7:33.1

Womens Team 5th Year

School 1st SMRC 2 7:07.8,

SMRC 3 7:29.1

1000m

Mens LTA Martin Enright

(Cork BC) 3:36.9

Men AS Tom Kelly

(Commercial) 4:07.3

Mens Fresher 1st Richard

O’Hagan (NUIG) 3:02.4, 2nd

Eamon Power (NUIG) 3:06.3,

3rd Carlo Diggin (NUIG)

3:22.6

Mens J15 1st Ethan Murphy

(St. Joseph’s RC) 3:16.9, 2nd

Ross O’Brien (Carlow) 3:22.8,

3rd Andy O’Toole (Carlow)

3:24.2

Womens Fresher 1st

Katherine Wilkie (NUIG)

3:52.6, 2nd Kirstin Rule

(NUIG) 3:52.7, 3rd Connie

Barry (NUIG) 3:57.4

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Mens Open 1st Robert

Whelan 1:20.9, 2nd Denis

O’Riordan (Whitegate RC)

1:21.2, 3rd Noel Carey

(Shandon) 1:22.5

Lightweight Mens

Open 1st Raymond O’Mahony

(Waterford BC) 1:28.2, 2nd

Liam Keane (NUIG) 1:29.4,

Luke Keating (Carlow)

1:32.3, (6th Christian

Leonard 1:34.5 – new Irish

record for LM 50-59 – old

record 1:41.1)

Mens 40-59 1st Tom Hackett

(Connaght) 1:26.4, 2nd James

McMurtry (Munster) 1:27.6,

3rd Patrick O’Sullivan 1:30.4

MJ13 1st Josh Loughrey

(Blackrock College RC) 1:41.1,

2nd Zak Rather (CRCC)

1:43.5, 3rd Ben Bradley (St.

Joseph’s RC) 1:44.3

MJ14 1st Jack Keating

(Carlow) 1:32.0, 2nd Rory

Tummon (St. Joseph’s RC)

1:33.0, 3rd Sean Houlihan

(Killorglin) 1:33.4

MJ15 1st Andrew Ennis

(Blackrock College RC) 1:32.1,

2nd Charlie Lawless

(Blackrock College RC) 1:34.6,

Peter Walsh (Blackrock

College RC) 1:34.6

MJ16 1st Ronan Byrne

(Shandon) 1:25.9, 2nd Sean

Byrne (Carlow) 1:30.9, 3rd

Michael O’Dwyer (SMRC)

1:32.1

MJ18 1st Goran Nikic

(Templenoe RC) 1:23.5, 2nd

Daniel Begley (Shandon)

1:24.6, 3rd Andrew Goff

(Waterford BC) 1:27.0

Mens LTA 1st Shane Ryan

(SMRC)1:31.9, 2nd Aron

O’Dowd 1:36.2, 3rd Sean

Moyles (Sligo RC) 2:08.4

Womens Open 1st Caoimhe

Joyce-Hearne (NUIG) 1:38.5,

2nd Katie McEneff (NUIG)

1:41.0, 3rd Veronica Kingston

(Killorglin RC) 1:42.9

Lightweight Women

Open 1st Lucy O’Brien 1:43.4,

2nd Aoife Byrne (Carlow)

1:50.2, Tina O’Sullivan

(PWRC) 1:50.2

Womens 40-59 1st Margot

Lawlor (Callinafercy RC)

1:53.2, Mary O’Sullivan

(Kilmacabea RC) 2:05.1

WJ13 1st Jennifer Crowley

(Shandon) 1:44.5, 2nd Siofra

O’Flynn (Cork BC) 1:45.4,

3rd Lystus Ebosele (Colaiste

Bride) 1:50.1

WJ14 1st Anne O’Farrell

(Cork BC) 1:43.0,

2nd Caoileann McDonagh

(Colaiste Iognaid RC) 1:46.7,

3rd Caoimhe Kelly (Muckross)

1:49.4

WJ15 1st Anna Prendergast

(SMRC) 1:44.1, 2nd Kaylynn

O’Brien (Carlow) 1:45.9, Mia

Kovacs (Shandon) 1:46.0

WJ16 1st Olivia O’Donoghue

(Muckross) 1:47.9, 2nd Clara

Rowe Ham (Lee RC) 1:50.1,

3rd Meadbh Heaney (Lee RC)

1:50.5

WJ18 1st Willow Littlewood

(Lee RC) 1:43.7, 2nd Aoife

Cusheen (NUIG) 1:43.8, 3rd

Chloe McGuire (Lee RC)

1:45.1

Womens LTA 1st Sarah

McLoughlin (Tralee RC)

1:58.5, 2nd Cliona Horan

(Tribesmen RC) 2:09.9, 3rd

Aine Leonard 2:14.9

3 minute piece

MJ13 1st Zak Rather (CRCC)

847m, 2nd Darragh McCarthy

(Shandon) 843m, 3rd Josh

Loughrey (Blackrock College

RC) 836m

WJ13 1st Hannah Gahan

(Cork BC) 802m, 2nd Roisin

Hegarty (Cork BC) 799m, 3rd

Megan Hosford (Shandon)

795m

4 minute piece

MJ14 1st Sean Houlihan

(Killorglin RC) 1166m, Edward

Donovan (Neptune RC)

1164m, 3rd Cillian Blacoe

(Colaiste Iognaid RC) 1151m

WJ14 1st Anne O’Farrell

(Cork BC) 1086m, 2nd Mide

Dineen (Shandon) 1065m,

3rd Caoileann McDonagh

(Colaiste Iognaid RC) 1061m

5 minute piece

MJ15 1st Andrew Ennis

(Blackrock College RC)

1466m, 2nd James McCarthy

(Athlunkard) 1464m, 3rd

Charlie Lawless (Blackrock

College RC) 1455m

WJ15 1st Aine Rice

(Shandon) 1342m, 2nd Mia

Kovacs (Shandon) 1321m,

Anna Prendergast (SMRC)

1321m

The first ‘Slider’ races to be

held in Ireland took place on

the day which involved four

crews on moving ergs racing

as their provinces.

All the ergs used for racing

were brand new and taken out

of the boxes Friday.

Joe Cantillon of RowFit

described the event as “a very

successful day.”

Attention now turns to the

Irish Indoor Rowing

Championships which are to

be held on Saturday 24th

January 2015 at the University

of Limerick.

IRISH PROVINCES INDOOR ROWING COMPETITION 2014

35

It’s becoming a point of

interest in everyone’s

rowing calendar – the Irish

Indoor Rowing

Championships at the UL

Arena will be quite

interesting this year. Moved

to its new January date,

made a compulsory fixture

by the High Performance

Coaching team for any Irish

hopefuls, and attracting

more entries from abroad

each year, should see the

standard of the next IIRC

raised yet again.

The recent Irish

PROVINCES IRC event ran

in the same venue with 40

brand spanking new ergs in

two banks of 20 where we

saw new records set and

considerable junior talent

flex their muscles (literally)

in their warm-up to the

IIRC.

It’s expected that ROWfit,

the event organisers, will

have up to 60 ergs in three

banks in the same arena to

facilitate the expected

numbers, as interest so far

has been greater than ever

before. Big names that

intend making it onto the

Irish Squads will be in

attendance ergo (excuse

the pun) there ought to be

some top notch times and

hopefully the IIRC will be a

barometer of our talent on

the water.

With the World

Championship CRASH-Bs

taking place as ever in

Boston on Sunday, March

1st 2015, at Boston

University’s Agganis Arena,

the IIRC is perfectly timed

to provide those indoor

rowing hopefuls (we have

quite a few) with an

indicator of what they are

going to achieve stateside.

In the meantime just about

six weeks of training left so

good luck to everyone,

have a cool Yule and see

you all in the New Year.

The IIRC 2015 is open to

all. There are no pre-

qualification requirements.

www.iirc.ie

Joe Cantillon

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S CLONMEL RC CLONMEL

ROWING

CLUB Clonmel Rowing Club was

established in 1869 on the

Eastern End of Moore’s Island

by a group of local boating

enthusiasts. It still occupies the

same site today. To generations

of Clonmel people it is

affectionately known as ‘The

Island’. An iconic timber

Clubhouse painted with blue

and white diagonal stripes was

built in the late 1880’s. As the

years went by it was extended

to accommodate racing boats

until it was sadly burnt down in

the 1980’s. The club is one of

the oldest affiliated rowing clubs

in Ireland and one of the oldest

sporting clubs in the town of

Clonmel and on the River Suir.

Prior to the First World War, the

most successful years for the

club on the rowing scene were

the 1880’s and 1890’s. After the

First World War the club

achieved it’s first and only

Eights Championship (The Big

Pot) win under the Irish

Amateur Rowing Union rules in

1920. It also won the fames

Leander Trophy at Cork City

Regatta.

During the 1920/30’s, the club

expanded it’s activities to

include tennis, putting, bowling,

croquet, athletics and pleasure

boating. Swimming became a

major feature of the club

activities.

The Annual Regatta became

part of the Irish Rowing

calendar, attracting crews and

swimmers from around the

country.

After the Second World War the

club had a chequered existence

with tennis and pleasure

boating coming to the fore as

rowing declined. However it had

a brief revival in the late 50’s

with Clonmel winning the Blue

Riband at Dublin’s Metro

Regatta in 1958. Sadly the club

closed during the 60’s and was

not revived and reopened until

a group of local businessmen

and former members re-

established the club to celebrate

it’s Centenary in 1969.

Since then it has gone from

strength to strength

establishing itself as one of the

foremost rowing clubs in Ireland

at schools/junior level for both

boys and girls.

The Annual Regatta once again

became a feature of Clonmel’s

sporting life in the 1970’s.

During this time the Boathouse

was refurbished, new top of the

range racing boats were

purchased, a new slipway was

built and swimming and diving

became part of the club’s

activities. A Maiden IV

Championship was won in 1975

and Clonmel recorded victories

at all major National Regattas.

Ladies and schoolgirl rowing

was introduced with great

success. The Island became the

social mecca of the town. In

1979 a new ultra-modern Club

and Boathouse was opened and

squash was introduced. Frank

Kent was the driving force

behind the revival and success

of the club in those years.

The club’s first Junior Schoolboy

Four Championship was won in

1980. During the 80/90’s the

Club had it’s most successful

rowing achievements with

rowers representing Ireland at

Henley Royal Regatta, the

Home International, the World

Rowing Championships and the

Coupe de la Jeunesse. Clonmel

RC was honoured when Tom

Fennessey was elected

President of the Irish Amateur

Rowing Union in 1996. Tom

served in office until 2002.

In the 2000’s the club continued

its winning ways, achieving

numerous Irish Championships.

Squash declined and the courts

are now used as training

gymnasiums. In recent years

Dragon Boat Racing, with the

establishment of the Paddlers,

has become a welcome feature

of club activity on the river. It

has helped to broaden the

membership base and bring

more senior members into the

club. With that, recreational

rowing for men and women has

also been started. The grounds

and the Clubhouse have

undergone a refurbishment and

plans are afoot for further

development on and off the

river. Rowing is and will always

be the main objective of

Clonmel Rowing Club as we

approach the 150th anniversary

of the club.

“We’re the first in the field and

the last to yield.

We’re the boys of rare

Clonmel.”

Womens Novice 4x 37

Coach: Ailish Redmond

How did you get involved in

rowing? My first year PE

teacher invited us down to the

local Rowing Club to see if we’d

be interested in taking up the

new sport.

When did you start

coaching and why did you

take it up? I started last year

in Clonmel Rowing Club. I

wanted to give back to the club

and the coaches for all the

time they gave me.

Did you find the transition

from rower to coach

difficult? It had been eight

years since I rowed myself so

it wasn’t too bad as there were

brand new faces in the club.

What is your favourite thing

about coaching? The joy of

the sport and I love seeing the

progression of the rowers.

What are the top three

attributes of a successful

coach in your opinion?Good

communication skills, patience

and be a good motivator.

Do you have any particular

attributes that you look for

in a developing athlete?

Determination.

Where have you learnt how

to be a good coach? The

majority of what I have learnt

was through my old coach and

current President of Clonmel

Rowing Club, Jimmy Fennessy.

He is a great mentor.

Clonmel Rowing Club had much success during the 2014 season, including winning

the Womens Novice Quad Irish Championship in July. In this section we meet the

crew, their coach and the secretary of the club.

Cox: Claire Fehilly

Tell me a little bit about

yourself… My name is Claire

Fehilly, I am 16 and I am in

5th year in school.

When and why did you take

up rowing? I started in

August 2013. A few of my

friends were joining so they

convinced me to as well.

Are you happy with your

performance during the

past season? What was the

highlight? Yes, winning a

championship!

What does your current

training consist of?

Monday—weights, Tuesday—

spin bike/run, Wednesday—

erg, Thursday—circuits,

Saturday and Sunday—river or

indoors depending on the

weather.

What about your nutrition?

I eat normally but ensure that I

eat a lot of carbohydrates and

stay well hydrated.

What are your hopes for the

future, rowing-wise? I want

to row for whichever college I

end up going to.

What sport would you be

doing if you weren’t

rowing? Dancing as I used to

do it before I joined rowing.

Because rowing involves a

big commitment, do you

ever feel that you are

missing out on other things

in life? Yes, but I always have

fun at rowing with my friends

so that makes up for it!

What is the best thing about

rowing? When you have

trained so hard and finally beat

your 2k erg time!

WJ15 4X WJ16 4X

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S Rower: Aisling O’Donnell

Tell me a little bit about

yourself… My name is Aisling

O’Donnell, I am 16 years old and I

am in 5th year.

When and why did you take up

rowing? I took up rowing last

September because I heard about it

from friends. They told me how good

it was and how fit it makes you. I

really wanted to get fit so I took it up!

Are you happy with your

performance during the past

season? Yes I am happy with my

performance last season as it led to

the highlight of the year which was

definitely winning both my races at

Champs—my junior 16 womens quad

and most importantly, our womens

novice quad championship win.

What does your current training

consist of? My current training

consists of six days a week, weekdays

being fitness which includes weights,

running, erg, bike and circuits, and

weekends being water-work.

What about your nutrition? I

consider my diet fairly normal

however coming up to competitions I

try to be stricter about what I eat.

What are your hopes for the

future, rowing-wise? I hope to do

the best that I can and I hope to win

another championship medal in the

future.

What sport would you be doing if

you weren’t rowing? I’d definitely

be back playing football which I used

to be involved in before I started

rowing. It was too much pressure to

keep up the both of them.

Because rowing involves a big

commitment, do you ever feel

that you are missing out on other

things in life? I do feel I miss out on

football but also I do miss my sleep-

ins on Saturdays and Sundays!

What is the best thing about

rowing? It keeps you very fit which

is good but also I love being on the

water on a nice day.

Rower: Holly Fehilly

Tell me a little bit

about yourself… I’m

16 and in 5th year in the

Loreto Convent.

When and why did

you take up rowing?

Last year in September.

I wanted to take up a

new sport with my

friends in Transition Year

and we chose rowing.

Are you happy with

your performance

during the past

season? What was the

highlight? Yes I am.

Winning a championship

for the club.

What does your

current training

consist of? Weights,

bike, running, erg,

circuits, kettlebells and

water-work.

What about your

nutrition? I am

sometimes strict with my

nutrition but not so

much at weekends.

What are your hopes

for the future, rowing-

wise? To get another

championship for the

club.

What sport would you

be doing if you

weren’t rowing?

Athletics.

Because rowing

involves a big

commitment, do you

ever feel that you are

missing out on other

things in life?

Sometimes.

What is the best thing

about rowing? Meeting

new people and making

new friends.

Rower: Eimear

O’Donoghue

Tell me a little bit about

yourself… I am 17, I am in

5th year. I would like to go

into the medical industry

when I’m order. I have

played many sports

throughout my life and I

love the GAA.

When and why did you

take up rowing? August

2013. I heard it was a very

tough sport and wanted to

give it a go!

Are you happy with your

performance during the

past season? What was

the highlight? Yes winning

a championship and winning

our first penant at the NRC.

What does your current

training consist of?

Monday—weights, Tuesday

-bike/run, Wednesday - erg,

Thursday - circuits,

Saturday/Sunday—river or

indoors.

What about your

nutrition? I eat normal.

What are your hopes for

the future, rowing-wise?

I would like to take it up in

college.

What sport would you be

doing if you weren’t

rowing? I also play GAA. I

would probably have taken

up badminton or water polo.

Because rowing involves

a big commitment, do

you ever feel that you

are missing out on other

things in life? I don’t feel

that I’m missing out but it

interferes with school and

work sometimes.

What is the best thing

about rowing? The feeling

of achievement.

What is your role in your

club & what does it involve?

I am Club Secretary but also do

a small bit of coaching and

coxing where required. I am a

founding member of the CRC

adult rowing group as well. The

Secretary’s role involves

organising, running and

documenting the committee

meetings; acting as a point of

contact for the club and doing

external club correspondence. I

probably should be doing much

more (entries, internal

correspondence etc.) but,

thankfully, a number of

committee members are taking

care of business in these areas.

Keeping a club running is a

group effort.

How much commitment/time

is involved in your role? I

spend 3-4 hours per week in the

secretarial role and maybe more

if we have a special event going

on. Another 10-12 hours a

week are spent coaching and

rowing, including my own

rowing and fitness time.

How long have you been

involved in rowing?

I never saw a rowing boat until

December 2010. It was snowing

the first day my son and I went

down to check out the club and

I can remember thinking that it

was a beautiful scene but that

rowing looked more like it

should be a summer sport. How

little I knew back then! I have

been actively involved in the

club for about 3 years.

What made you get

involved? My son started

rowing and I got sucked in little

by little after that. He is in

college now but I am still here.

At first I just started helping

launch and recover boats

because I could see that the

coaches were stretched very

thin back then. We have

generated great momentum in

the club since those days and

things are a lot better off in

terms of support. I have really

gotten involved with the club

since I took up rowing myself. I

love the water and the

combination of fitness, fresh air

and general camaraderie are

great. I can’t recommend it

highly enough and it’s never too

late to start. The Suir Dragon

Paddlers, our breast cancer

survivors dragon boat paddling

team, add another dimension to

the club and the paddlers are an

inspirational group to know.

With all of this going on, the

club would be a hard place to

leave.

Any advice to others who are

interested in taking up an

administrator role in their

club? Club participation is a

great way to build a deeper

connection with your community

and no matter what club you

choose, your involvement will be

appreciated (A LOT). I now have

real admiration for the army of

people in this country who are

involved in volunteer

organisations of all types.

Likewise, they all seem to

respect me for contributing to

my own club. By each doing our

bit we are providing huge

opportunities for all sorts of

people. I get great enjoyment

out of all the new people that I

meet and it’s lovely to watch the

junior rowers progress through

the ranks. Yes, it’s a

commitment being involved with

any club, but don’t

underestimate what you get

back - it’s not a one way street.

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Branwen

Kelly, Club

Secretary

Rower: Ciara

O’Loughlin

Tell me a little bit about

yourself… My name is

Ciara, I’m 17 and a fifth year

student. I love sport and

music.

When and why did you

take up rowing? I took up

rowing at the start of 4th

year because my sister used

to row and my friends were

joining.

Are you happy with your

performance during the

past season? Yes, very

happy—winning at champs or

our first HOR as it was a

great thing to us!

What does your current

training consist of?

Monday—weights, Tuesday-

erg, Thursday—bike or

running, Saturday and

Sunday—river or indoors,

depending on the conditions.

What about your

nutrition? My diet is not

strict, I eat normally.

What are your hopes for

the future, rowing-wise?

To row in college and if

lucky, win another

championship!

What sport would you be

doing if you weren’t

rowing? I think I would

have continued playing

football.

Because rowing involves a

big commitment, do you

ever feel that you are

missing out on other

things in life? Not really,

but there’s less time for

school and study.

What is the best thing

about rowing? You feel

good after every training

session, you feel a sense of

achievement!

By: Ronald Marks, Secretary, Portadown BC

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S PORTADOWN

BOAT

CLUB The Portadown Boat Club

has been rowing the Upper

River Bann since 1877.

Today the Portadown Boat

Club has approximately 70

members, most of whom

are recreational junior

rowers, who take great

enjoyment in participating in

the sport.

We have 6 coaches who

cater for all ages, and every

weekend, the club is very

busy, with junior rowers

rotating through boats, and

training for upcoming

regattas.

Our club is both a rowing

and a sculling club.

We're very lucky to have a

calm, sheltered and slow

river on which to row, rather

than a harbour or lough;

from our clubhouse we can

train a mile upstream and

then 9.5 miles downstream

to Lough Neagh, which

makes our club a great

place to learn how to row.

Our stretch of river is

generally quite quiet with

almost no motorised traffic,

so our training athletes are

normally unrestricted in

their rowing.

Our Club prides itself on

being a great place to be -

we are very proud of our

two signature events each

year, one, our regatta and

two, the Marascull.

The Marascull is a 9 mile /

15 km endurance race from

the Bann Foot at Lough

Neagh, back to the club.

Apart from the distance,

what makes it unique, is

that after the race, we open

our clubhouse to all the

visiting rowers who

congregate over soup and

slices of buttered Nutty

Crust bread - it certainly is a

unique event.

Our regatta on the other

hand is a short 1km row,

which is always well

attended - but what makes

it unusual, is that it is as

much a rowing event as a

social event! There is a

buffet lunch in our

clubhouse during the day,

and it's been said;

"Carlsberg don't do regattas,

but if they did, it would be

the Portadown Regatta". We

are really proud of it every

year.

Our club is going from

strength to strength and our

highest profile athlete, Sam

McKeown recently returned

from the Commonwealth

Regatta, after winning

bronze. All our club

members are immensely

proud of Sam.

Our Junior Crews are

currently fundraising for a

new heavyweight double.

In 2015, as our club grows,

we plan on purchasing some

new boats to keep our fleet

servicable and in top shape.

PORTADOWN BC

Learning to row at Portadown BC

Portadown BC Regatta

PBC Masters Rowers

Portadown BC Rowers

PBC Summer-School

PBC

Juniors

Recreational Viking Boats

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HELEN HANNIGAN

W hen you ask a rower

why they took up the sport,

you would usually hear things

like “there was a club near

where I grew up”, “the sport

was always in my family”, or

“I wanted to try something

different”. Not very often do

you hear “I was dared to try it

out”, but that is exactly how

Helen Hannigan (nee Walshe)

was introduced to the sport

and now she is a Rowing

Ireland High Performance

athlete.

Growing up on a farm in

County Meath, sport was

always a part of life for Helen,

her two sisters and two

brothers.

“Our parents encouraged all of

us to do sports when we were

younger. I went to school in

Kilcock, did athletics in

Summerhill and Baconstown,

and played Gaelic football with

Summerhill Ladies. I was

more of a bench warmer but I

loved it.”

When Helen went to University

College Dublin in 1998, she

continued to play GAA. Her

sister Antoinette started her

studies in Trinity a year later

and took up rowing. This

wasn’t the first experience the

Hannigan family had with

rowing however, as Helen’s

dad was a member of An

Garda Síochána and rowed for

Garda Boat Club, winning a

number of titles including the

senior mens 8 national title in

1968. “There is a trophy

cabinet on the wall at home

with all the pots and medals

my dad won. Inspired by him,

my sister decided to give it a

go.”

“I used to laugh at her getting

up at 5.30am to go training.

Eventually she got fed up with

me and dared me to try it.”

In 2000 Helen started her love

affair with rowing. She began

rowing in womens 8s and 4s

and by 2003 she had taken to

the single scull.

“I have had to take time out

over the years due to injuries

and having two gorgeous girls,

Medb and Caelfind. I had a

brief stint in the High

Performance section of Rowing

Ireland in 2006/2007 which

ended, unfortunately, due to

injury. I am with the current

HP team of Morten, Don and

Mary with almost one year

now.”

It has taken Helen a while to

realise her abilities at the

sport but thankfully she has

come to the realisation that

she can go very far.

“I have loved rowing from the

moment I stepped into a boat

but I never felt that I was any

good at it. It wasn’t until my

first season in the single scull

in 2003 that I really felt that I

had found my sport,

something that I could

possibly excel at. At that point

I started to dream of

competing at the Olympics.”

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The past season has had its

ups and downs for Helen and

she describes it as a

rollercoaster. “Winter training

was tough due to illness. I

thought any hope of

international competition had

disappeared. However it

started to turn around once I

started to go down to Cork

more regularly after

Christmas, especially thanks

to Mary and Don’s help and

guidance.”

Competing at the World

Championships for the first

time was both nerve-wrecking

and amazing for Helen.

“Monika and myself were only

together six weeks and had

done so much work to pull the

double together with our

coach Mary. Our first race in

the new combination was the

heat and it was going to tell a

lot about where we faired in

the field. With each race we

learnt more about each other

and how we both felt the

boat.”

Helen now lives in Dublin with

her husband Eoghan and two

children but has committed

much of her time for the

foreseeable future in Cork.

“Because my family are in

Dublin and to get a rowing-life

balance, I am dividing my

time between Dublin and Cork.

I spend ten days training at

the National Rowing Centre in

Cork and four days training in

Dublin. I do love being in

Cork. I have made some of my

best friends through the sport

and my team and

management are so

supportive. It’s a great team

to be part of.”

Obviously being away from

her family is not easy for

Helen. “It’s hard. I miss them

everyday. I call the girls in the

evening to catch up with them

on their day but it’s not the

same as being there with

them. Eoghan too—he’s

keeping everything going at

home while working fulltime. I

do have times when I feel

guilty but my family are

amazing. They fully support

me in pursuing my goals and

ambitions.”

When asked what these goals

and ambitions are, the answer

is simple.

“Qualifying the womens

double for Rio; competing and

who knows medalling at the

2016 Olympic Games. You’ve

got to dream big!”

“There’s an old saying, it takes

a village to raise a child. Well

it definitely takes a village to

enable me to row and train

fulltime. Without Eoghan’s

help, belief and

encouragement it wouldn’t be

possible. Along with Eoghan,

his parents, my parents, child

minders and the many parents

of the girls’ friends who help

out with pre and after school

activities, as well as the

support of Rowing Ireland,

family, friends and my own

club Three Castles, this really

would not be possible.”

In life you come across only a

few people who commit to

something by making

sacrifices others couldn’t

imagine making, all for the

sake of having one shot at

success. Helen Hannigan is

one such person

Helen is very grateful to

everyone who is helping to

make her dreams a reality and

we wish her continued success

on her road to Rio.

Monika Dukarska & Helen

Hannigan competing at the

World Championships 2014

By: Niamh Hayes

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Rowing Ireland staff are here to help you. We

want you to get to know these staff members

and in each issue we will bring them to you. Here

we are introducing the newest member of the

team—Jen Cunningham who is the new Connacht

Development Officer.

J en joined the Rowing Ireland team at the start of

November as part of an exciting collaboration

between Rowing Ireland and NUI Galway, offering a schools development

programme whilst promoting fun and fitness

through the introduction of indoor rowing. Jen’s

professional background is in sales and marketing and she spent several years

working abroad. Jen is captain of Gráinne Mhaol

RC and seeks to maintain and build upon the ongoing success and viability of the

alumni club to NUIG.

When and how did you first get involved in

rowing?

Despite being a keen hockey player for

years, I suspect I always maintained latent a fascination with rowing. My

own school had no tradition of the sport and I had no

opportunity to try it out back then. Many years

later, in 2006, I

attended NUIG as a mature student and I immediately

signed up with NUIG Boat Club on Clubs Day. Despite being considerably

more 'mature' than my new crew mates at the time, I

was very much welcomed in and ended up competing for 3 years with the club,

taking a year out to have my 3rd child. Truly a

fantastic experience and I have made very good friends along the

way. Although not competing at that level

now, I remain very much involved

in developing the Alumni Club, Gràinne Mhaol, both with rowing with

our masters crew and training adult recreational

rowing crews.

What is your day-to-day work like as Connacht

Development Officer?

Well, I am only on my 2nd

week but the programme is already receiving a fantastic reaction. We have

several city schools on board already and have

started indoor rowing training on ergometers. We had 75 people on ergs last

week and many of these expressing an interest in

trying a water programme after Christmas. I plan to

get around to all city

schools in the next few weeks to publicise the

programme. It's really great to see the reaction from the students as they

just don't know what to expect, and they are

generally pleasantly surprised. The idea that it's fun and about

engagement, participation and fitness is key to the

success of it.

What attracted you to

the role?

I have coached underage hockey for years and have

always enjoyed watching the transition that sport

brings to people’s lives. I realise the benefits of learning a skill, the joy of

teamwork and the friendships that

are consolidated through sport. That, and my own love for the sport of rowing,

both competitive and recreational touring, made

me wish to pursue a developmental role to open up the sport to

even more schools/communities, and to

help develop a lifelong

approach to rowing.

We wish Jen well in her

new role. To contact her,

email

jen.cunningham@rowingireland.ie

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How did you first get

involved in rowing? I started rowing as a 13

year old on lake Horowhenua in the southern part of the North

Island of New Zealand. I was originally involved with

sailing and one Saturday morning I was becalmed on the lake when some rowers

came by and started giving me some lip about just

sitting there. I responded to the challenge and thought I

would give rowing a go.

When and where did you start coaching?

I tended to do a bit of part time coaching while I was

rowing in New Zealand but never had much time to do it properly, but once I

retired from my own rowing and came over to England I

took up a position as the head of Rowing at Latymer Upper School in London in

2000. This is where I started a mainly full-time

coaching career.

How difficult was the transition from rower to

coach? Not difficult at all. I always

had a sense that I would end up coaching in some form. I always had a feel

for the boat when rowing and was able to express

that to the rest of the crew (some would say I had a

big mouth!) so that easily

transitioned into coaching. Also I spent a lot of time

when rowing trying to work out the mechanics of the stroke so that was a good

basis for future coaching.

What attracted you to

coaching? I trained as a Physical Education teacher so it

came naturally to me to teach or coach in some

capacity. I love seeing people progress technically and physically also.

Coaching is about giving back which I think is

important.

How have you managed

to stay coaching for so long? Essentially I am very

boring! I have the capacity to do one thing for a very

long time and never get tired of it. That is what coaching is. Working for

many weeks, months, or even years to achieve your

goals. I really enjoy the

long term challenge.

What are the top three

attributes of a successful coach in your opinion?

1). An overall picture of the mechanics/rhythm and feel of the rowing stroke, as

well as a concept of the training required.

2). To be able to relate to individuals as well as

motivate by many different

methods either by positive reinforcement or negative if

needed. 3). To be bloody minded and never give up!

Do you have any particular attributes that

you look for in a developing athlete? A developing rower needs

to have some of the basic characteristics of a top

performer i.e. athletic, long levers, etc. but they must have that spark that will

push them on to greater performances. Look at all of

the top athletes -- they tend to be really driven by

something burning inside.

That’s what you want.

What is the best

coaching book that you have ever read or that

you would strongly recommend to another coach?

I learnt a lot about training from reading a book by

Arthur Lydiard called Running with Lydiard. It is a simple book about training

methods. He is considered by many the father of

modern running, having been the forerunner of the jogging movement and also

he coached a number of local athletes to Olympic

gold medals in the 50s/60s

and 70s in New Zealand.

DON MCLACHLAN

Don is the Rowing Ireland High Performance Lead Coach and is

based at the National Rowing Centre in Cork

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THANK YOU TO

ROWING IRELAND

SPONSORS FOR ALL YOUR

SUPPORT THROUGHOUT

2014

53

Rowing Ireland

National Rowing Centre

Farran Wood

Ovens

Co. Cork

T: +353 21 743 4044

F: +353 21 743 4045

E: info@rowingireland.ie

W: www.rowingireland.ie

Rowing Ireland

@RowingIreland

RowingIreland1

ROWING IRELAND

WOULD LIKE TO

WISH ALL OUR

ROWERS, CLUBS, SUPPORTERS,

SPONSORS & EVERYONE IN

THE ROWING & SPORTING

COMMUNITY, A VERY MERRY

CHRISTMAS & A HEALTHY &

PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!