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Displaying items by tag: Old Collegians

#Rowing: UCD and Old Collegians celebrated their world champions at the UCD Boat Club dinner on the campus on Friday night.

Sanita Puspure, who has been with Old Collegians for a decade, received a special award. The world single sculling champion was also honoured by being named on a new perpetual trophy for the winner of the women’s intermediate single sculls at the Irish Championships.

coin tossWilliam Doyle, Trinity captain, and UCD captain Max Murphy look on as Sanita Puspure performs the coin toss for the 2019 Colours races. Photo: Liam Gorman

Puspure also performed the coin toss for the Colours Races, which will be held in early March. UCD men and women both won and opted for the north station. Puspure and her family travelled from their home in Cork for the occasion – and then back again, as Sanita had training in the morning.

David O’Malley and Shane Mulvaney, the under-23 world champions in the lightweight pair, and Andrew Gough, a medallist at the same championships, were honoured. These three, along with Shane O’Connell, formed the UCD four which won at the Irish Championships in 2018. The UCD intermediate eight also won.

In a well-received speech, club captain Max Murphy read out the testaments by UCD rowers recounting what the experience of rowing and interaction with their crewmates meant to them. “People” and “club” were the recurring themes.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Afloat Rower of the Year 2018 is Sanita Puspure. The Old Collegians competitor proved herself the best single sculler in the world. She took silver at the World Cup regattas in Belgrade and Lucerne, running the defending champion, Jeannine Gmelin of Switzerland, extremely close (.23 of a second) in the Lucerne final.

Working with coach Dave McKenzie McGowan and high performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni, who set a very heavy training schedule, Puspure decided to miss the European Championships so that she could concentrate on the World Championships in Plovdiv in Bulgaria in September. She won her heat and semi-final, and then overcame bobbly conditions in the final. She established a clearwater lead. Gmelin came back at her in the third quarter; Puspure was not for catching. She won by two lengths of clear water.

Sanita Gmelin glum Lobnig podiumSanita Puspure (centre) smiles after being presented with her gold medal at the World Championships. Jeannine Gmelin (silver) is on the left and Magdalena Lobnig (bronze) on the right. Photo: Liam Gorman

Sanita with Dani and Patrick and gold medalSanita with Daniella and Patrick, her children, after winning World Championship gold. Photo: Liam Gorman

The win was a twin highlight at the end of a wonderful year. The O’Donovan brothers, Gary and Paul, won the lightweight double sculls gold in Plovdiv, making history as the first Ireland crew to take World Championship gold in an Olympic boat. They overcame terrible conditions and a poor lane draw to win in the quarter-final. This was succeeded by a semi-final in which they looked tired and could only take third. The final saw them in the unfavoured lane six for the final.

Gary Paul podium Plovdiv with Italy and Belgium 1Ireland gold medalists Gary and Paul O'Donovan on the World Championship podium in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, with Italy (silver) and Belgium (bronze)

In a stirring race, the Skibbereen men saw off Italy. They would describe it as the best race they had ever rowed. They were outstanding in their steadiness, and over the second, third and fourth quarters they were the fastest crew. They took over the lead from Italy between 1200 and 1500 metres and rebuffed the charge by the men in blue to win by three-quarters of a length.

 In a first for a women’s sweep crew from this island in an Olympic boat, Aifric Keogh and Emily Hegarty, the Ireland women’s pair, also reached an A Final at the World Championships. The World Under-23 Championships were also laden with success, with four A Finalists, gold for Shane Mulvaney and David O’Malley in the lightweight pair and silver for Miles Taylor, Niall Beggan, Ryan Ballantine and Andrew Goff in the lightweight quadruple.

 Come the Fisa World Rowing Awards, Dominic Casey was honoured as the coach of the year.  

 In a season of success, Sanita Puspure is the Afloat Rower of the Year.

Afloat Rower of the Month awards: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times, and David O'Brien, editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year appeared on afloat.ie.

Published in Rower of the Year

#Rowing: Claire Lambe and Sally O’Brien have been named in the Cambridge University women’s squad for the Boat Races. Lambe, who started rowing with Commercial, has represented UCD and Old Collegians. She competed for Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games, partnering Sinéad Lynch in a lightweight double which reached the A Final. Sally O’Brien, who started rowing in Neptune, competed for Trinity and was captain of Dublin University Boat Club in 2014/2015. She played Gaelic Football at underage level.

 The men’s and women’s Boat Races are on April 2nd. The chief coach of Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club is Rob Baker, the former Ireland under-23 coach.  

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Irish eight which won at the World Masters Regatta at Lake Bagsvaerd, Denmark, have been chosen as the Afloat Rowers of the Month for September. There were a number of good results by Irish crews at the event, which is one of the biggest international events of the year. Among the competitors this year was Denmark legend Eskild Ebbesen. The Irish E eight (55 years or older), was drawn from five clubs (Commercial, Belfast Boat Club, Neptune, Old Collegians and Waterford Boat Club) and outpaced German and British rivals in a field of seven crews. They had also won last year at this level. The crew was: John Hudson, Denis Crowley, Gerry Murphy, Mick Heavey, Colin Dickson, Colin Hunter, Fran O’Toole, Donal Mc Guinness and cox Al Penkert.  

Rower of the Month awards: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times, and David O'Brien, editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year will appear on afloat.ie and the overall national award will be presented to the person or crew who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most notable results in, or made the most significant contribution to rowing during 2016. Keep a monthly eye on progress and watch our 2016 champions list grow.

Published in Rowing

#rowingworldmasters – Ireland had an impressive set of wins at the World Masters Regatta, the four-day event which finished today in Hazewinkel in Belgium. There was a notable win in the men’s eight in the E category (average age 55 or more) where the Irish crew beat one of Russia’s best clubs, Dynamo Moscow, by less than a canvas - .31 of a second. The strokeman of the Russian crew, Vitali Eliseev, stroked the World Championship-winning four in 1981. The Irish crew was a composite of Old Collegians, Belfast Boat Club, Neptune, Waterford and Commercial. Denis Crowley – who was in the eight – won single sculls races in three different age categories. 

World Masters 2015

The Irish composite which beat Dynamo Moscow at the World Masters Regatta

World Masters Rowing Regatta, Hazewinkel, Belgium (Ireland Wins):

Men – Eight, E (Average 55 yrs or more): Old Collegians, Belfast BC, Neptune, Waterford, Commercial (John Hudson, Denis Crowley, Gerard Murphy, Michael Heavey, Colin Dickson, Colin Hunter, Francis O’Toole, Donal McGuinness, Al Penkert) 3 min 11.13 (1,000m)

Four, coxed, E (Average 55 yrs or more): Commercial, Belfast, Old Collegians, Waterford. Pair, E: Belfast BC. Pair, D (Avg 50+): Commercial. Pair, F (Avg 60+): Cappoquin.

Sculling – Double, F (Avg 60+): Carlow, Athlone. Single: B (36+), C (43+) and D (50+): Commercial (D Crowley). C (43+): Galway RC (S Heaney). 

Women – Sculling, Single, A (27+): Three Castles (B Quinn).

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: UCC gave them a good race, but NUIG/Grainne Mhaol moved away in the closing stages to prove themselves the top men’s four at Cork Regatta. The experience of Sean Jacob and Dave Neale also told in the men’s double scull, with the Ireland under-23 double of Sam McKeown and Andrew Griffin had to give way to the Old Collegians men. The women’s four and double went to young Skibbereen crews: Aoife Casey and Emily Hegarty, who are both 16, were part of the winning four and then switched into the double and won again.

Cork Regatta, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Sunday

Men

Four – Div One – A Final: 1 NUIG/Grainne Mhaol (sen) 6:07.807, 2 UCC A 6:10.83, 3 Carlow (sen) 6:15.543. Four, coxed – Div Two – A Final: Skibbereen (Club Two) 6:43.837. B Final: Trinity (Club Two) 7:04.517; 3 Col Iognaid (jun 16) 7:06.357.

Sculling

Double – Div One – A Final: 1 Old Collegians (D Neale, S Jacob; sen) 6:29.50, 2 Portadown/Skibbereen (sen) 6:34.43, 3 Shandon (jun 18A) 6:44.873. B Final: Waterford (inter) 6:46.473. C Final: Lee (inter) 6:48.227; 4 Methody (Club One) 7:10.627.

Single – Div Two – A Final: Belfast BC (A Murray; jun 18B) 7:35.483, 2 Cappoquin (Aherne; club two) 7:5.052; 4 Lee (Jackson, jun 16) 7:49.427. B Final: Clonmel (Dundon; jun 16) 7:49.347. C Final: St Michael’s (O’Byrne; jun 16) 7:48.40.

Women

Four – Div One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 7:08.330, 2 Shannon (sen) 7:12.137, 3 Skibbereen (sen) 7:27.62.

Sculling

Double – Div One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (A Casey, E Hegarty; jun 18A) 7:28.957, 2 Lee (jun 18A) 7:33.43, 3 St Michael’s (inter) 7:43.430. B Final: Belfast BC A (inter) 7:39.570.

Published in Rowing

# Rowing: The composite quadruple from UCD and Old Collegians were impressive victors at Cork Regatta. Commercial, who beat them at Dublin Metropolitan, were left behind as the crew of Dave Neale, Albert Maher, Sean Jacob and new man Turlough Hughes won well. Skibbereen won the women’s Division One quadruple, while Commercial won the women’s Division Two eights in an exciting race. UCD’s intermediates were the top coxed four – beating Queen’s in a good race.

Cork Regatta, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Saturday

Men

Four, coxed – Div One – A Final: 1 UCD (inter) 6:27.52, 2 Queen’s (inter) 6:28.52, 3 UCD B (inter) 6:29.16; 4 Skibbereen (sen) 6:38.0. B Final: St Michael’s (inter) 6:53.83; 2 St Michael’s (jun 18A) 6:39.19.

Sculling

Quadruple – Div One – A Final: 1 Old Collegians/UCD (sen) 5:58.95, 2 Commercial (sen) 6:06.11, 3 Castleconnell (jun 18A) 6:15.80. B Final: Cork B (jun 18A) 6:24.97.

Double – Div Two – A Final: 1 Cork C (jun 16) 7:07.81, 2 Lee (jun 16) 7:14.63, 3 Shandon A (club two) 7:20.63; 6 Carlow (jun 18B) 7:27.78. B Final: Waterford A (jun 16) 7:26.43. C Final: Shannon B (jun 18B) 7:22.38.

Women

Eight – Div Two – A Final: 1 Commercial (Club Two) 6:47.24, 2 Queen’s (Club Two) 6:51.15, 3 Col Iognaid (Jun 16) 7:06.11.

Four – Div One, coxed – A Final: 1 NUIG (inter) 7:15.85, 2 Shannon (sen) 7:20.47, 3 Commercial (inter) 7:21.80. B Final: Garda (Club One) 7:48.47.

Sculling

Quadruple – Div One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 6:51.67, 2 Lee (Jun 18A) 7:00.6, 3 Galway (jun 18A) 7:27.46.

Double – Div Two – A Final: 1 Workmen’s (jun 16) 7:43.13, 2 Cork (Club Two), Cork (jun 16) 7:48.08, 4 Shandon (jun 18B) 7:48.74. B Final: Lee (jun 18B) 8:05.00. C Final: Workmen’s (jun 18B) 8:41.15.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Commercial won the battle of the men’s quadruples at Dublin Metropolitan Regatta. The established unit were tested by Skibbereen down the Blessington course, but won well. The experienced oarsman in the Old Collegians boat, with Albert Maher joining Sean Jacob, Dave Neale and Eimantas Grigalius, finished third. The NUIG/Grainne Mhaol men’s senior eight set a good time while winning the Division One final, despite being clearly superior to their intermediate opposition. UCD provided the top women’s pair and four. The women’s single had a strange set of finals. Elise Maurin won her heat but the progression by fastest time (of which she was unaware) consigned her to the B Final – which she won in a much faster time than set by junior competitor Erin Barry in winning the A Final.

The new timing system for heats worked well and the regatta ran exactly to schedule in excellent conditions.

Dublin Metropolitan Regatta, Blessington, Saturday

Men

Eight – Division One – A Final: NUIG/Grainne Mhaol (sen) 6:11.863, 2 Rudergesellschaft Wiking Berlin (inter) 6:21.173, 3 UCD (inter) 6:22.163; 4 St Michael’s (jun 18A) 6:41.850.

Div Two – A Final: 1 Cork BC (Club Two) 6:15.297, 2 NUIG (Club Two) 6:15.873, 3 Commercial (Club Two) 6:22.777; 4 UCD (Nov) 6:21.543; 5 Col Iognaid (jun 16) 6:40.310.

Four – Division One – A Final: 1 NUIG/Grainne Mhaol (sen) 6:21.603, 2 Commercial (sen) 6:28.590, 3 Carlow (sen) 6:39.810.

Four, coxed – Div One – A Final: 1 Rudergesellschaft Wiking Berlin (inter) 6:48.173, 2 Skibbereen (inter) 6:51.123, 3 UCD A (inter) 6:52.57; 5 UCD A (Club One) 7:09.843, 6 Athlunkard (jun 18A) 7:12.387. B Final: CAI (jun 18A) 8:37.280. Div Two – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (Club Two) 7:06.850, 2 NUIG A (Club Two) 7:18.223, 3 Col Iognaid A (jun 16) 7:27.490. B Final: 1 UCD (Club Two) 7:22.253; 3 Lee (jun 18B) 7:46.653.

Pair – Division One – A Final: 1 Carlow (sen) 7:00.373, 2 St Michael’s (sen) 7:01.760, 3 Carlow (inter) 7:09.357; 4 St Michael’s A (jun 18A) 7:12.590. B Final: 1 UCD A (inter) 7:14.300, 2 St Michael’s (Club One) 7:17.827.

Sculling,

Quadruple – Div One – A Final: 1 Commercial (sen) 6:31.557, 2 Skibbereen (sen) 6:34.490, 3 Old Collegians (sen) 6:36.673; 5 Cork BC (jun 18A) 6:49.217. Div Two – A Final: 1 Cork BC 6:59.537, 2 Lee (jun 16) 7:04.77, 3 Cork BC (jun 18B) 7:06.493. B Final: Graiguenamanagh (jun 18B) 7:39.147; 2 Commercial (club two) 7:46.617. C Final: Neptune (nov) 8:33.443.

Double – Div One – A Final: 1 Old Collegians (sen) 7:07.373, 2 UCD/Portadown (sen) 7:11.603, 3 St Michael’s (inter) 7:13.740; 4 Garda (Club One) 7:15.670. B Final: Lee (jun 18A) 7:59.930. Div Two – A Final: 1 Shandon B (Club Two) 7:30.470, 2 Waterford (Club Two) 7:46.707, 3 Three Castles (jun 16) 7:47.227; 5 St Michael’s (jun 18B) 7:57.393. B Final: Skibbereen (jun 18B) 8:08.357.

Single – Div One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (E Rowan, sen) 7:23.600, 2 Portadown (S McKeown, sen) 7:23.817, 3 Garda (D Kelly, inter) 7:33.333. B Final: 1 Shandon (S O’Sullivan; jun 18A) 7:40.700; 5 Garda (R Allen; Club One) 7:47.357. C Final: 1 UCD (R O’Sullivan; Club One) 7:46.767. Div Two – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (K Mannix, jun 18B) 7:48.270, 2 Commercial (E Meehan, jun 16) 7:54.950, 3 Graiguenamanagh (A Lennon, jun 18B) 7:57.740; 5 Shandon (D Smith, Club Two) 8:00.627. B Final: Castleconnell (A Mozdzer, Club Two) 8:04.933. C Final: Graiguenamanagh (K Scully, jun 18B) 8:05.560.

Women

Eight – Division One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 7 mins 6.773 secs, 2 Trinity (sen) 7:13.667, 3 St Michael’s (jun 18A) 7:15.690; 4 Trinity B (Club One) 7:55.210. Division Two – A Final: 1 Commercial (Club Two) 7:32.520, 2 Shandon (jun 16) 7:43.393, 3 NUIG (Club Two) 7:44.207; 4 Galway (Jun 18B) 7:46.857. B Final: 1 Commercial (jun 16) 7:59.867; 2 Trinity (nov) 8:10.273.

Four – Div One – A Final: 1 UCD (sen) 8:25.937, 2 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 8:26.170, 3 NUIG (sen) 8:33.670.

Four, coxed – Div One – A Final: 1 UCD B (inter) 7:20.803, 2 UCD A (inter) 7:24.170, 3 NUIG (inter) 7:28.417. Div Two – A Final: 1 NUIG (Club Two) 8:01.323, 2 Commercial (Club Two) 8:16.833, 3 Athlunkard (Club Two) 8:28.237.

Pair –Div One – A Final: 1 UCD (sen) 8:31.340, 2 Commercial B (inter) 8:34.460, 3 Bann (jun 18A) 8:39.267. B Final: 1 St Michael’s (jun 18A) 9:05.617; 2 Athlunkard (Club One) 9:31.823.

Sculling

Quadruple – Div One – A Final: Lee (jun 18A) 7:10.203, 2 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 7:14.900, 3 Bann (jun 18A) 7:15.943; 4 Carlow (Club One) 7:32.560. Div Two – A Final: 1 Commercial (jun 16) 7:38.500, 2 Shandon A (jun 16) 7:46.817, 3 Garda (Club Two) 7:50.140; 5 Cork BC (jun 18B) 7:54.523. B Final: Commercial A (nov) 7:57.957.

Double – Div One – A Final: 1 Skibbereen (jun 18A) 7:35.167, 2 Bann (jun 18A) 7:42.297, Skibbereen (sen) 8:12.747; 4 Castleconnell (Club One) 8:14.730. Div Two – A Final: 1 Bann (jun 18B) 8:00.347, 2 Garda (Club Two) 8:12.923, 3 Carlow (jun 18B) 8:48.290; 5 Castleconnell (jun 16) 9:10.130. B Final: Castleconnell (jun 18B) 9:00.677.

Single – Division One – A Final: 1 Bann (E Barry; jun 18A) 9:06.307, 2 Lee (C Synnott; jun 18A) 9:09.533, 3 Bann (B Mullin; jun 18A) 9:20.487. B Final: 1 New Ross (E Maurin; sen) 9:00.437; 2 St Michael’s (A O’Sullivan; inter) 9:01.187, 3 Fermoy (S Bouanane; Club One) 9:19.283. C Final: Skibbereen (B Walsh; sen) 9:41.843.

Div Two – A Final: 1 Bann (H Scott; jun 16) 9:02.560, 2 Bann (F Chestnutt, jun 18B) 9:12.593, 3 Garda (S Kenny, Club Two) 9:20.207. B Final: Castleconnell (R Kilkenny; Club Two) 11:35.533. C Final: Fermoy (A Collins; Club Two) 9:39.823.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Dave Neale had a good day at Queen’s Regatta on Saturday. The Old Collegians man won the senior single sculls from Sam McKeown of Portadown and teamed up with Sean Jacob to take the senior double for Old Collegians at Castlewellan Forest Park in Co Down. McKeown won the intermediate single. The top senior eight were Portora, with Commercial and Carlow second and third. Carlow won the senior four.

Queen’s Regatta, Castlewellan Forest Park, Co Down, Saturday (Selected Results):

Men

Eight – Senior: 1 Portora, 2 Commercial, 3 Carlow. Club One: 1 Belfast RC, 2 Queen’s B. Junior 16: 1 Portora A, 2 Commercial, 3 Methody A.

Four – Senior: 1 Carlow, 2 Lady Elizabeth/Commercial, 3 Belfast RC. Club One, coxed: 1 Queen’s C, 2 Carlow, 3 Belfast RC A. Junior 18A, coxed: 1 Portora, 2 Bann, 3 Athlunkard. Jun 16, coxed: 1 Portora, 2 Coleraine AI B.

Pair – Senior: 1 Queen’s B, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Neptune. Intermediate: 1 Portora, 2 Neptune, 3 Carlow A. I

Sculling,

Quadruple – Club One, coxed: 1 Sligo, 2 Methody, 3 Coleraine AI. Jun 18A: 1 Commercial, 2 RBAI, 3 Carlow. Jun 16, coxed: 1 Methody A, 2 St Michael’s, 3 Three Castles. Jun 15, coxed: 1 Commercial A, 2 St Michael’s, 3 Coleraine AI A.

Double – Senior: 1 Old Collegians, 2 Commercial A, 3 Commercial B. Club One: 1 Sligo, 2 Garda, 3 Commercial B. Novice, coxed: 1 Methody, 2 Belfast RC, 3 RBAI B. Jun 18A: 1 Carlow, 2 Methody A, 3 Commercial. Jun 16: 1 Three Castles, 2 Methodist A, 3 Methody B. Jun 15: 1 St Michael’s A, 2 Commercial D, 3 Methody.

Single – Senior: 1 Old Collegians (D Neale), 2 Portadown (S McKeown), 3 Commercial (F Groome). Inter: 1 Portadown (McKeown), 2 Garda (D Kelly). Club One: 1 Carlow (O Nolan), 2 Carlow (L Keating), 3 Sligo (G Patterson). Jun 18A: 1 Bann (D Mitchell), 2 Commercial (R Baskerville), 3 Belfast BC (A Murray). Jun 16: 1 Three Castles (O Clune), 2 Bann (J Bell), 3 Three Castles (T McKnight).

Women

Eight – Club Two: 1 Queen’s A, 2 Commercial, 3 Neptune. Novice: 1 Queen’s A, 2 Belfast RC, 3 Methody. Junior 18A: 1 Portora, 2 Bann. Junior 16: 1 Portora A, 2 Commercial, 3 Methody.

Four – Club One, coxed: 1 Garda, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Commercial.

Pair – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s B, 2 Commercial A, 3 Queen’s A.

Sculling

Quadruple – Club One, coxed: 1 Methody, 2 Neptune. Novice, coxed: 1 Commercial, 2 Sligo, 3 Belfast RC. Jun 18A: 1 Bann, 2 Carlow, 3 Neptune. Jun 16, coxed: 1 Commercial, 2 Carlow, 3 Methody A. Jun 15, coxed: 1 Bann, 2 St Michael’s, 3 Portadown.

Double – Club One: 1 Belfast BC, 2 Queen’s, 3 Belfast RC. Jun 18A: 1 Methody, 2 Belfast RC A, 3 Belfast RC B. Jun 15: 1 St Michael’s A, 2 St Michael’s B, 3 Portora.

Single – Intermediate: 1 Belfast BC (S Quinn), 2 Trinity (H O’Neill). Club One: 1 Belfast BC (O Blundell), 2 Belfast BC (K Turner), 3 Methody (C Deyermond). Jun 18A: 1 Bann (F Chestnutt), 2 Belfast RC (L Taylor), 3 Belfast RC (C Coulter).

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 Bann, Bell, J View 2nd  
 3 Castles, McKnight, T View 3rd  
 3 Castles, Quinn, R View 4th  
 SMRC, Keating, M View 5th  
 Methodist, Young, X View 6th  
 Bann, McNeill, B View Competed  
 Carlow, McHale, F View Competed  
 Commercial, O Toole, O View Competed  
 Methodist, Ryder Moore, O View Competed  
 Portadown, Martin, C View Competed  
 RBAI, Hetherington, H View Competed  
 SMRC, Guilfoyle, M View Competed  
 SMRC, Kiely, J View Competed  
 3 Castles, Irwin, A View Competed  
Mens J15 4X+ Commercial A View 1st  
 SMRC View 2nd  
 CAI A View 3rd  
 Commercial B View 4th  
 Methodist A View 5th  
 Methodist B View 6th  
 CAI B View Competed  
 Commercial C View Competed  
 Methodist C View Competed  
 Portadown View Competed  
Mens J15 2X SMRC A View 1st  
 Commercial D View 2nd  
 Methodist View 3rd  
 Commercial A View 4th  
 SMRC B View 5th  
 Commercial C View 6th  
 CAI View Competed  
 Commercial B View Competed  
 Portadown View Competed  
Womens Intermediate 2- QUBLBC B View 1st  
 Commercial A View 2nd  
 QUBLBC A View 3rd  
 QUBLBC C View Competed  
 Commercial B View Did not start  
Womens Intermediate 1X Belfast BC, Quinn, S View 1st  
 DULBC, O'Neill, H View 2nd  
 Garda, Ryan, J View 3rd  
 Portadown, Martin, A View 4th  
Womens Club 1 4+ Garda View 1st  
 QUBLBC A View 2nd  
 Commercial View 3rd  
 Belfast RC View 4th  
 QUBLBC B View 5th  
 DULBC View 6th  
 QUBLBC C View Competed  
Womens Club 1 4X+ Methodist View 1st  
 Neptune View 2nd  
Womens Club 1 2X Belfast BC View 1st  
 QUBLBC View 2nd  
 Belfast RC View 3rd  
 Portadown View 4th  
 Castleconn View Did not start  
Womens Club 1 1X Belfast BC, Blundell, O View 1st  
 Belfast BC, Turner, K View 2nd  
 Methodist, Deyermond, C View 3rd  
 Carlow, Byrne, A View Competed  
 Commercial, Edwards, C View Competed  
 Garda, Galvin, L View Competed  
 Garda, Moore, M View Competed  
 Garda, Sheila, K View Competed  
 Portadown, Martin, A View Competed  
 QUBLBC, Smylie, R View Competed  
 3 Castles, Feeley, A View Competed  
 3 Castles, Greve O' Meara, J View Competed  
Womens Club 2 8+ QUBLBC A View 1st  
 Commercial View 2nd  
 Neptune View 3rd  
 QUBLBC B View 4th  
 Belfast RC View 5th  
 QUBLBC C View Did not start  
Womens Novice 8+ QUBLBC A View 1st  
 Belfast RC View 2nd  
 Methodist View 3rd  
 QUBLBC B View Did not start  
Womens Novice 4X+ Commercial View 1st  
 Sligo View 2nd  
 Belfast RC View 3rd  
 Methodist View Did not start  
Womens J18A 8+ Portora View 1st  
 Bann View 2nd  
Womens J18A 4X- Bann View 1st  
 Carlow View 2nd  
 Neptune View 3rd  
 Belfast RC View 4th  
 Methodist View Did not start  
Womens J18A 2X Methodist View 1st  
 Belfast RC A View 2nd  
 Belfast RC B View 3rd  
 Sligo View 4th  
 Portadown View 5th  
Womens J18A 1X Bann, Chestnutt, F View 1st  
 Belfast RC, Taylor, L View 2nd  
 Belfast RC, Coulter, C View 3rd  
 Portadown, Flack, C View 4th  
 Commercial, Bartley, A View 5th  
 Sligo, Dunbar, T View 6th  
 Bann, Mullan, B View Did not start  
Womens J16 8+ Portora A View 1st  
 Commercial View 2nd  
 Methodist View 3rd  
 Portora B View 4th  
Womens J16 4X+ Commercial View 1st  
 Carlow View 2nd  
 Methodist A View 3rd  
 Belfast RC View 4th  
 Methodist B View 5th  
Womens J16 1X Belfast RC, Hobson, E View 1st (private race) 
 SMRC, Devereux, J View Did not start (private race) 
 Portadown, McCann, K View Did not finish (private race) 
Womens J15 4X+ Bann View 1st  
 SMRC View 2nd  
 Portadown View 3rd  
Womens J15 2X SMRC A View 1st  
 SMRC B View 2nd  
 Portora View 3rd
Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Two of the big wins of the evening session of finals at the Irish Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork came to crews with very different levels of experience.

The Cork Boat Club junior women’s eight made a breakthrough for the club at this level by beating Portora and Bann in a fine race. The senior men’s quadruple was taken by the crew of Albert Maher, Sean Jacob, Con Collis and Michael Maher, who held off a challenge from the Castleconnell/University of Limerick crew. Jacob and Maher are both in their forties and have over 40 ‘Pots’ between them.

The women’s senior pair was won by Barbara O’Brien and Aifric Keogh, representing NUIG, while Sarah Quinn of Belfast Boat Club won the Club singles.

The junior men’s quadruple gave Shandon’s young crew – two are junior 17 athletes and one a junior 16 – a fine win over Skibbereen, who faltered before the finish.

The women’s lightweight single sculls final turned into a battle between Claire Lambe of Old Collegians and Siobhán McCrohan of Tribesmen, with the Dubliner coming out on top.

Turlough Hughes of UCD had a remarkably straightforward win over David O’Malley of St Michael’s in the men’s intermediate single sculls, while UCD held off a late charge by Queen’s to win the men’s novice eight.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork (Selected Results; Finals)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 5:46.25, 2 NUIG 5:50.28, 3 UCD 5:56.96. Novice: 1 UCD 6:59.50, 2 Queen’s 7:02.31, 3 Trinity 7:03.29.

Four, coxed – Junior: 1 Cork BC 6:35.99, 2 Presentation 6:36.22, 3 Portora 6:38.08.

Pair – Senior: 1 UCD (M O’Donovan, N Kenny) 6:46.05, 2 NUIG 6:49.95, 3 Commercial B 7:00.16.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Old Collegians/Commercial (C Collis, S Jacob, A Maher, M Maher) 5:59.84, 2 Castleconnell/University of Limerick 6:00.60, 3 Queen’s 6:07.90.

Junior: 1 Shandon 6:08.24, 2 Athlone 6:13.34, 3 Skibbereen 6:15.52.

Single – Intermediate: 1 UCD (T Hughes) 7:13.0, 2 St Michael’s (O’Malley) 7:20.72, 3 NUIG (O’Connor) 7:25.14. Club: Lee (D O’Sullivan) 7:31.80, 2 St Michael’s (P O’Connor) 7:36.24, 3 Belfast BC (A Murray) 7:39.44.

 

Women

Eight – Novice: 1 Queen’s 7:19.74, 2 Trinity 7:55.75. Junior: 1 Cork BC 6:39.32, 2 Portora 6:41.90, 3 Bann 6:45.27.

Sculling, Double – Intermediate: 1 Killorglin (F Foley, M Dukarska) 7:17.17, 2 Commercial 7:20.83, 3 Skibbereen 7:39.99.

Pair – Senior: 1 NUIG (B O’Brien, A Keogh) 7:33.89, 2 St Michael’s 7:42.32, 3 Shannon 7:42.48.

Single – Lightweight: 1 Old Collegians (C Lambe) 7:41.70, 2 Tribesmen (McCrohan) 7:43.80, 3 Skibbereen (Hayes) 8:01.34. Club: 1 Belfast (S Quinn) 8:09.22, 2 Queen’s (Edwards) 8:10.61, 3 Lee (McGuire) 8:39.69.

Junior: 1 Cork BC (O Forde) 8:06.14, 2 Belfast BC (J English) 8:07.11, 3 Commercial B 7:00.16.

Published in Rowing
Page 1 of 2

About the Irish Navy

The Navy maintains a constant presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout Ireland’s enormous and rich maritime jurisdiction, upholding Ireland’s sovereign rights. The Naval Service is tasked with a variety of roles including defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring right of passage, protecting marine assets, countering port blockades; people or arms smuggling, illegal drugs interdiction, and providing the primary diving team in the State.

The Service supports Army operations in the littoral and by sealift, has undertaken supply and reconnaissance missions to overseas peace support operations and participates in foreign visits all over the world in support of Irish Trade and Diplomacy.  The eight ships of the Naval Service are flexible and adaptable State assets. Although relatively small when compared to their international counterparts and the environment within which they operate, their patrol outputs have outperformed international norms.

The Irish Naval Service Fleet

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps.

The fleet comprises one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

LÉ EITHNE P31

LE Eithne was built in Verlome Dockyard in Cork and was commissioned into service in 1984. She patrols the Irish EEZ and over the years she has completed numerous foreign deployments.

Type Helicopter Patrol Vessel
Length 80.0m
Beam 12m
Draught 4.3m
Main Engines 2 X Ruston 12RKC Diesels6, 800 HP2 Shafts
Speed 18 knots
Range 7000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 55 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 7 December 1984

LÉ ORLA P41

L.É. Orla was formerly the HMS SWIFT a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in 1993 when she conducted the biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at the time, with her interception and boarding at sea of the 65ft ketch, Brime.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ CIARA P42

L.É. Ciara was formerly the HMS SWALLOW a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in Nov 1999 when she conducted the second biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at that time, with her interception and boarding at sea of MV POSIDONIA of the south-west coast of Ireland.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ ROISIN P51

L.É. Roisin (the first of the Roisín class of vessel) was built in Appledore Shipyards in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She was built to a design that optimises her patrol performance in Irish waters (which are some of the roughest in the world), all year round. For that reason a greater length overall (78.8m) was chosen, giving her a long sleek appearance and allowing the opportunity to improve the conditions on board for her crew.

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ NIAMH P52

L.É. Niamh (the second of the Róisín class) was built in Appledore Shipyard in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She is an improved version of her sister ship, L.É.Roisin

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ SAMUEL BECKETT P61

LÉ Samuel Beckett is an Offshore Patrol Vessel built and fitted out to the highest international standards in terms of safety, equipment fit, technological innovation and crew comfort. She is also designed to cope with the rigours of the North-East Atlantic.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ JAMES JOYCE P62

LÉ James Joyce is an Offshore Patrol Vessel and represents an updated and lengthened version of the original RÓISÍN Class OPVs which were also designed and built to the Irish Navy specifications by Babcock Marine Appledore and she is truly a state of the art ship. She was commissioned into the naval fleet in September 2015. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to end of September 2016, rescuing 2491 persons and recovering the bodies of 21 deceased

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS P63

L.É. William Butler Yeats was commissioned into the naval fleet in October 2016. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to October 2017, rescuing 704 persons and recovering the bodies of three deceased.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW P64

LÉ George Bernard Shaw (pennant number P64) is the fourth and final ship of the P60 class vessels built for the Naval Service in Babcock Marine Appledore, Devon. The ship was accepted into State service in October 2018, and, following a military fit-out, commenced Maritime Defence and Security Operations at sea.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

Ship information courtesy of the Defence Forces

Irish Navy FAQs

The Naval Service is the Irish State's principal seagoing agency with "a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements". It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles.

The Naval Service is based in Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour, with headquarters in the Defence Forces headquarters in Dublin.

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the Irish State's defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency. It "protects Ireland's interests at and from the sea, including lines of communication, fisheries and offshore resources" within the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps as part of the Irish defence forces.

The Naval Service was established in 1946, replacing the Marine and Coastwatching Service set up in 1939. It had replaced the Coastal and Marine Service, the State's first marine service after independence, which was disbanded after a year. Its only ship was the Muirchú, formerly the British armed steam yacht Helga, which had been used by the Royal Navy to shell Dublin during the 1916 Rising. In 1938, Britain handed over the three "treaty" ports of Cork harbour, Bere haven and Lough Swilly.

The Naval Service has nine ships - one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with State of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

The ships' names are prefaced with the title of Irish ship or "long Éireannach" (LE). The older ships bear Irish female names - LÉ Eithne, LÉ Orla, LÉ Ciara, LÉ Roisín, and LÉ Niamh. The newer ships, named after male Irish literary figures, are LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats and LÉ George Bernard Shaw.

Yes. The 76mm Oto Melara medium calibre naval armament is the most powerful weapon in the Naval Services arsenal. The 76mm is "capable of engaging naval targets at a range of up to 17km with a high level of precision, ensuring that the Naval Service can maintain a range advantage over all close-range naval armaments and man-portable weapon systems", according to the Defence Forces.

The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) unit is responsible for the coordination of the fleet needs. Ships are maintained at the Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard Unit at Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

The Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service (FOCNS) is Commodore Michael Malone. The head of the Defence Forces is a former Naval Service flag officer, now Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett – appointed in 2015 and the first Naval Service flag officer to hold this senior position. The Flag Officer oversees Naval Operations Command, which is tasked with the conduct of all operations afloat and ashore by the Naval Service including the operations of Naval Service ships. The Naval Operations Command is split into different sections, including Operations HQ and Intelligence and Fishery Section.

The Intelligence and Fishery Section is responsible for Naval Intelligence, the Specialist Navigation centre, the Fishery Protection supervisory and information centre, and the Naval Computer Centre. The Naval Intelligence Cell is responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of naval intelligence. The Navigation Cell is the naval centre for navigational expertise.

The Fishery Monitoring Centre provides for fishery data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to the Naval Service and client agencies, including the State's Sea Fisheries Protection Agency. The centre also supervises fishery efforts in the Irish EEZ and provides data for the enhanced effectiveness of fishery protection operations, as part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Naval Computer Centre provides information technology (IT) support service to the Naval Service ashore and afloat.

This headquarters includes specific responsibility for the Executive/Operations Branch duties. The Naval Service Operations Room is a coordination centre for all NS current Operations. The Naval Service Reserve Staff Officer is responsible for the supervision, regulation and training of the reserve. The Diving section is responsible for all aspects of Naval diving and the provision of a diving service to the Naval Service and client agencies. The Ops Security Section is responsible for the coordination of base security and the coordination of all shore-based security parties operating away from the Naval base. The Naval Base Comcen is responsible for the running of a communications service. Boat transport is under the control of Harbour Master Naval Base, who is responsible for the supervision of berthage at the Naval Base and the provision of a boat service, including the civilian manned ferry service from Haulbowline.

Naval Service ships have undertaken trade and supply missions abroad, and personnel have served as peacekeepers with the United Nations. In 2015, Naval Service ships were sent on rotation to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean as part of a bi-lateral arrangement with Italy, known as Operation Pontus. Naval Service and Army medical staff rescued some 18,000 migrants, either pulling people from the sea or taking them off small boats, which were often close to capsizing having been towed into open water and abandoned by smugglers. Irish ships then became deployed as part of EU operations in the Mediterranean, but this ended in March 2019 amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the EU.

Essentially, you have to be Irish, young (less than 32), in good physical and mental health and with normal vision. You must be above 5'2″, and your weight should be in keeping with your age.

Yes, women have been recruited since 1995. One of the first two female cadets, Roberta O'Brien from the Glen of Aherlow in Co Tipperary, became its first female commander in September 2020. Sub Lieutenant Tahlia Britton from Donegal also became the first female diver in the navy's history in the summer of 2020.

A naval cadet enlists for a cadetship to become an officer in the Defence Forces. After successfully completing training at the Naval Service College, a cadet is commissioned into the officer ranks of the Naval Service as a Ensign or Sub Lieutenant.

A cadet trains for approximately two years duration divided into different stages. The first year is spent in military training at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Cork. The second-year follows a course set by the National Maritime College of Ireland course. At the end of the second year and on completion of exams, and a sea term, the cadets will be qualified for the award of a commission in the Permanent Defence Force as Ensign.

The Defence Forces say it is looking for people who have "the ability to plan, prioritise and organise", to "carefully analyse problems, in order to generate appropriate solutions, who have "clear, concise and effective communication skills", and the ability to "motivate others and work with a team". More information is on the 2020 Qualifications Information Leaflet.

When you are 18 years of age or over and under 26 years of age on the date mentioned in the notice for the current competition, the officer cadet competition is held annually and is the only way for potential candidates to join the Defence Forces to become a Naval Service officer. Candidates undergo psychometric and fitness testing, an interview and a medical exam.
The NMCI was built beside the Naval Service base at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, and was the first third-level college in Ireland to be built under the Government's Public-Private Partnership scheme. The public partners are the Naval Service and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the private partner is Focus Education.
A Naval Service recruit enlists for general service in the "Other Ranks" of the Defence Forces. After successfully completing the initial recruit training course, a recruit passes out as an Ordinary Seaman and will then go onto their branch training course before becoming qualified as an Able Body sailor in the Naval Service.
No formal education qualifications are required to join the Defence Forces as a recruit. You need to satisfy the interview board and the recruiting officer that you possess a sufficient standard of education for service in the Defence Forces.
Recruit training is 18 weeks in duration and is designed to "develop a physically fit, disciplined and motivated person using basic military and naval skills" to "prepare them for further training in the service. Recruits are instilled with the Naval Service ethos and the values of "courage, respect, integrity and loyalty".
On the progression up through the various ranks, an Able Rate will have to complete a number of career courses to provide them with training to develop their skills in a number of areas, such as leadership and management, administration and naval/military skills. The first of these courses is the Naval Service Potential NCO course, followed by the Naval Service Standard NCO course and the Naval Service senior NCO course. This course qualifies successful candidates of Petty officer (or Senior Petty Officer) rank to fill the rank of Chief Petty Officer upwards. The successful candidate may also complete and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management and Naval Studies in partnership with Cork Institute of Technology.
Pay has long been an issue for just the Naval Service, at just over 1,000 personnel. Cadets and recruits are required to join the single public service pension scheme, which is a defined benefit scheme, based on career-average earnings. For current rates of pay, see the Department of Defence website.