ON Sunday, September 1st, five Skibbereen rowers – and one special coach – returned to West Cork after another incredible Olympics in Paris.
Thousands of people gathered to cheer on their heroes, who paraded through Skibbereen's packed streets on an open-top bus.
Double Olympic gold medallists, Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Tokyo bronze medallist Emily Hegarty and two-time Olympian Aoife Casey all represented Ireland, and West Cork, at the Paris Games. They were coached by Dominic Casey, who has masterminded the rise of Irish lightweight rowing over the past decade. Fintan's brother, Jake, acted as backup for the men's lightweight doubles.
The parade headed down North Street, Main Street and in to the Fairfield for live music and speeches. St Fachtna’s Silver Band and members of Skibbereen Rowing Club led the parade, which was organised by Skibbereen Rowing Club in conjunction with Cork County Council and Skibbereen Chamber.
The homecoming was a special occasion, considering the fact that West Cork was unable to welcome the rowers home in 2021 due to Covid restrictions.
The rowers have spent the intervening weeks going around West Cork to present their medals to local schools and clubs.
To the rowers: Thank you ... for exciting the nation, for inspiring future generations, for making us proud, for all the training/long hours/sweat/pain/tears that you’ve put in over the years, for giving us a reason to shout and cheer at the ‘telly’ (computer or phone), for helping us come to work with a spring in our step and a smile on our face, for putting the best of West Cork on show to the world.
On behalf of our readers, the people of West Cork and everyone in Ireland, well done, you are an inspiration.
West Cork had three other Olympians taking part in the Paris Games: Ireland hockey captain David Harte, hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill and sprinting legend Phil Healy.
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Videos by Tony O'Shaughnessy, Kieran McCarthy, Seán Holland, Anne Minihane. Music from James Mac Eoin and Ciara Swanton who play us 'The Heroes of Dear Old Skibbereen'.
