Skibbereen Rowing Club moves to record-breaking 199 national titles after memorable weekend

SKIBBEREEN Rowing Club once again demonstrated its dominance at the Irish National Rowing Championships this past weekend, securing four national titles and bringing its record tally to a remarkable 199 titles.

In a display of skill and determination, Jake McCarthy clinched the title in the lightweight men's single scull, showcasing his prowess on the water. McCarthy also put in a strong performance in the men’s senior single scull, finishing second. McCarthy travelled home for the weekend from the pre-Olympic training camp in Banyoles, Spain to compete in the championships. His victory reinforces his reputation as one of the top lightweight rowers in the country.

Aisling Hayes powered her way to victory in the women’s intermediate single scull. This victory follows her recent impressive performance at the Henley Royal Regatta, where she advanced to the semi-final stage. Additionally, Hayes placed second in the women's senior single scull, further highlighting her talent and determination.

Moya Knowles captured the title in the women’s junior 18 single scull in an impressive performance in the final, leading from the starting blocks. In the women's junior 18 quadruple scull, Knowles, alongside teammates Ailise O'Sullivan, Jessica Crowley, and Aoife Hendy, delivered a stellar performance to claim the national title. This result highlights the depth of talent within the club's junior programme.

The junior women’s four of Moya Knowles, Ailise O'Sullivan, Jessica Crowley, Aoife Hendy and the junior women’s double of Moya Knowles and Aoife Hendy finished in second place in both events. The girls were joined by Orla Seymour, Hazel Deane, Audrey McCarthy and Alannah Keane to row the women’s junior eight where they placed fourth. Their co-ordinated efforts and synchronised rowing were a testament to the hard work and dedication of both the athletes and their coaches. Skibbereen Rowing club had three junior women’s pairs racing on Friday morning – Niamh O’Donovan and Orla Seymour, Hazel Deane and Allanah Keane and Jessica Crowley and Ailise O’Sullivan. All three crews raced bravely with Jessica Crowley and Ailise O’Sullivan crossing the line in second place overall.

Niamh O’Donovan, Chloe O’Donovan, Kelly Oforji, Sarah Coughlan and cox Abigail Fowler raced in the very competitive women's club four event on Friday afternoon. Kelly and Sarah then teamed up with Eveanna Goulding and Caoimhe Casey to race the women’s intermediate four on Sunday morning.

Kelly Oforji raced in the intermediate single scull. Eveanna Goulding and Caoimhe Casey both raced in the lightweight women’s single scull event. Chloe O’Donovan raced in the club single scull event. All four single scullers competed well across all categories. Kelly Oforji and Aisling teamed up in the intermediate women’s double and came home in third place.

The men's junior squad also showcased their talent with some heart-wrenching near misses. The men’s junior pair, Dominic Casey and Cathal McCarthy, narrowly missed out on a win, finishing in second place by just one second. Additionally, the men’s junior coxed four, featuring Dominic Casey, Cathal McCarthy, Mattias Cogan and Tomás Burchill and cox Niamh O’Donovan, made it to the final and placed fifth. Dominic Casey and Mattias Cogan teamed up to race the junior men’s double event which had a massive entry of 45 crews. The boys narrowly missed out in a top six position by one second which shows the very fine margins and high standards in domestic Irish rowing at the moment. Oran Roycroft raced strongly in the junior men’s single scull and the men’s club single scull. Oran performed very well in a super competitive field. There were 54 entries in the junior men’s single scull and 37 entries in the club single scull.

The men’s club four of Tomás Burchill, Mattias Cogan, Aengus Riou Allen and Cathal O’Donovan and cox Orla Hayes made the final and raced on Friday afternoon. Finn O’Reilly and Aengus Riou Allen paired up to race the intermediate men’s double scull. Finn and Aengus then teamed up with Cathal O’Donovan and Cathal McCarthy to race the intermediate men’s four in one of the final races on Sunday evening.

The men’s and women’s junior 16 squad were also competing at the national championships. All the junior 16 events are highly competitive and draw the biggest entry of competitors in each racing category. Audrey McCarthy, Sarah Coughlan, Emily Sheehan, Abigail Fowler, Eve Waugh-O’Brien, Holly O’Flynn and Mimi Jacob raced in different combinations of junior 16 coxed quads, doubles and single sculls and gained valuable experience racing in the National Rowing Centre. Audrey McCarthy came third in the final out of 36 single scullers in the junior 16 single scull event. In this event Abigail Fowler narrowly missed qualification for the final, placing seventh where the top six scullers go through.

Ultan Kearney, Jack Burchill, Ryan Coakley, Brion Hurley, Franciszek Lechtanski, Oleg Malytskyi and Sam Wheeler O’Brien raced in different combinations of junior 16 coxed quads, doubles and single sculls. Sam Wheeler O’Brien made the final of a highly competitive men’s junior 16 single scull and placed fifth overall out of 64 single scullers in this event. All the junior 16 athletes put in really encouraging performances in very competitive conditions and are ones to watch out for in the future.

Skibbereen Rowing Club's Moya Knowles with Rowing Ireland President Neville Maxwell.

The coaching team of Denise Walsh, Emily Dulohery, Ellen McCarthy, Orla Hayes, Bernadette Walsh, Sharon Murphy, Janet Murran have put in many volunteer hours over the course of the season. This dedication and commitment is shown in the performances of all the athletes both at the national championships last weekend and throughout the season.

‘It's a phenomenal achievement for our club to reach 199 national titles in our short 54-year history,’ said PRO Niamh Casey. ‘It shows the dedication and hard work of our athletes and coaches. The club is incredibly proud of the athletes accomplishments and we already look forward to the challenge of reaching 200 national titles.”

As the curtain falls on the Irish National Rowing Championships 2024, Skibbereen Rowing Club can celebrate not only their recent victories but also their near 200 national titles, a milestone that underscores their status as a powerhouse in Irish rowing.

Next up is the Homes International Regatta which takes place in Strathclyde Scotland next weekend. Ailise O’Sullivan, Kelly Oforji, Hazel Deane and Allanah Keane will represent Ireland at this event. Jessica Crowley and Aoife Hendy will represent Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Racice in the Czech Republic on August 9th and 10th. The world championships for senior, U23 and junior athletes will take place in Canada after the Olympics. Finn O’Reilly has been selected for the Irish U23 team. Moya Knowles has made the international team and will race the junior women’s double event. Dominic Casey and Mattias Cogan will also be representing Ireland in the junior men’s coxed four.

The Skibbereen Rowing Club squad that competed at the Irish National Rowing Championships 2024:

Senior women: Aisling Hayes, Kelly Oforji, Caoimhe Casey.

Junior women: Moya Knowles, Aoife Hendy, Ailise O’Sullivan, Jessica Crowley, Audrey McCarthy, Hazel Deane, Orla Seymour, Allanah Keane, Niamh O’Donovan, Chloe O’Donovan, Nadine Hourihane, Eveanna Goulding, Sarah Coughlan, Emily Sheehan, Abigail Fowler, Eve Waugh-O’Brien, Holly O’Flynn, Mimi Jacob.

Senior men: Jake McCarthy, Finn O’Reilly, Cathal O’Donovan, Aengus Riou Allen.

Junior men: Dominic Casey, Cathal McCarthy, Mattias Cogan, Tomás Burchill, Oran Roycroft, Ultan Kearney, Jack Burchill, Ryan Coakley, Brion Hurley, Franciszek Lechtanski, Oleg Malytskyi, Sam Wheeler O’Brien.

Coaching team: Denise Walsh, Emily Dulohery, Ellen McCarthy, Orla Hayes, Bernadette Walsh, Sharon Murphy, Janet Murran.