Jonathan Mitchell qualified for the quarter-finals of the lightweight single scull at the World Under-23 Championships in Amsterdam. The Queen’s University man finished third in his heat, behind Germany and Sweden.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Amsterdam, Day Two (Irish interest):

Men

Lightweight Single Scull – Heat Six (First Three to Quarter-Finals): 1 Germany (R Acht) 7:47.10, 2 Sweden (O Russberg) 7:53.46, 3 Ireland (J Mitchell) 7:59.95; 4 Chile 8:03.41

Ireland’s lightweight men’s quadruple got the team off to a great start at the World Under-23 Championships in Amsterdam when they qualified directly for the semi-finals. With three boats to qualify, Italy pinned down their place with a clear win, but Ireland took a good second place, holding off France, who also qualified. Britain finished fourth and must find their way to the last 12 through a repechage.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Amsterdam (Irish interest)

Men, Lightweight Quadruple Scull – Heat Two (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Italy 5:53.39, 2 Ireland 5:56.25, 3 France 5:57.18; 4 Britain 6:01.65, 5 Serbia 6:29.55.

UCD are the new Irish men’s senior eights champions. In extremely difficult conditions at the National Rowing Championships in Cork, the big crew saw off an early challenge by Queen’s University and a late charge by NUIG/Grainne Mhaol to win their first Big Pot in 38 years.

The UCD women’s senior eight completed a great day for the college when they beat Muckross in their final.

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork -  Day Three

Men

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD (S Craven, P Grogan, D Pierce, D Neale, F Manning, S Jacob, G Duane, T Doyle; cox: J Lynch) 5:39.5, 2 NUIG/Grainne Mhaol 5:41.8, 3 Queen’s University 5:44.2, 4 Trinity 6:08.7.

Four – Novice, coxed: 1 NUIG, 2 Cappoquin, 3 UCC.

Pair – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University (A Little, K Duffy) 6:58.4, 2 NUIG 8:03.9, 3 Carlow 7:01.1. Junior 18A: 1 Bann 6:53.2, 2 St Joseph’s College  6:57.1, 3 Presentation College 7:06.9.

 Sculling, Quadruple – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell 6:06.2, 2 Skibbereen 6:12.0, 3 Offaly 6:12.8. Junior 16, coxed (non-Championship): 1 Galway 6:45.4, 2 Tribesmen 6:48.0, 3 Cork 6:51.8

Double – Intermediate: 1 Carlow 6:40.5, 2 Skibbereen 6:41.0, 3 Queen’s 6:55.0.

Single – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey) 6:56.0, 2 Skibbereen A (P O’Donovan) 6:56.5, 3 Muckross (C Moynihan) 7:20.8, 4 Skibbereen (Murphy) 7:28.3, 5 Skibbereen (McCarthy) 7:37.0. Lee Valley (Keohane) did not start.

Women

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD (C Tanner, K Joy, C Ni Reachtagain, N Fearon, S Bennett, L Gannon, L Reid, A Gilligan; cox: E Craven) 6:29.9, 2 Muckross 6:34.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:38.6, 4 NUIG 6:40.5, 5 Queen’s 6:42.2, 6 Trinity 7:07.8.

Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University 6:33.8, 2 Trinity 6:41.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:44.2. Novice: 1 Galway 6:42.6, 2 Queen’s 6:50.2, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:01.5. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway 6:49.2, 2 Cork 6:59.6, 3 Portora 7:09.0.

Pair – Junior 18: 1 St Michael’s 7:43.9, 2 Portora 7:52.4, 3 Commercial 8:41.3.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice: 1 Commercial 7:56.3, 2 Neptune 8:06.0, 3 Clonmel 8:11.9. Junior 18A: 1 Skibbereen 6:58.7, 2 Cork 7:05.5, 3 Neptune 7:13.5.

Single – Senior: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso) 7:56.5, 2 Three Castles (E Moran) 8:10.9, 3 Portora (H Nixon) 8:20.4, 4 Three Castles (Quinn) 8:28.6, 5 Old Collegians (Walshe) 9:08.7.  Killorglin (M Dukarska) did not finish. Intermediate: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso), 2 Skibbereen (Walsh), 3 Shandon (Corcoran-O’Hare).

Windy conditions and choppy water played their part in three capsizes in the first session of finals at the National Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. By far the most important befell Monika Dukarska, who was leading just metres short of the line in the women’s senior single sculls when she missed a stroke and fell in. Laura D’Urso capitalised to take the title.

Sean Casey took the men’s senior sculls title after a fine race down the choppy course with Paul O’Donovan. Queen’s won the women’s intermediate eight and the men’s intermediate pair – in which Trinity (before the race) and Carlow (at the end of it) both capsized. 

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork -  Day Three

Men

Pair – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University (A Little, K Duffy) 6:58.4, 2 NUIG 8:03.9, 3 Carlow 7:01.1.

Sculling, Quadruple – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell 6:06.2, 2 Skibbereen 6:12.0, 3 Offaly 6:12.8.

Single – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey) 6:56.0, 2 Skibbereen A (P O’Donovan) 6:56.5, 3 Muckross (C Moynihan) 7:20.8, 4 Skibbereen (Murphy) 7:28.3, 5 Skibbereen (McCarthy) 7:37.0. Lee Valley (Keohane) did not start. 

Women

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University 6:33.8, 2 Trinity 6:41.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:44.2. Novice: 1 Galway 6:42.6, 2 Queen’s 6:50.2, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:01.5.

Pair – Junior 18: 1 St Michael’s 7:43.9, 2 Portora 7:52.4, 3 Commercial 8:41.3.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice: 1 Commercial 7:56.3, 2 Neptune 8:06.0, 3 Clonmel 8:11.9.

Single – Senior: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso) 7:56.5, 2 Three Castles (E Moran) 8:10.9, 3 Portora (H Nixon) 8:20.4, 4 Three Castles (Quinn) 8:28.6, 5 Old Collegians (Walshe) 9:08.7.  Killorglin (M Dukarska) did not finish.

Skibbereen brought their titles up to five for the first two days of the National Rowing Championships in Cork by taking the women’s senior pair through Christine Fitzerald and Denise Walsh and combining with Lee Valley to win the men’s senior quadruple scull. The women’s Junior 18A eight was an emphatic win for St Michael’s, and Sarah Allen of Bann, who is just 16, was also in commanding form as she won the women’s novice single sculls championship.

The main action of the day ended with Anthony English of UCD taking the men’s intermediate single scull and Castleconnell’s Dylan Quigley and Adrian Sheahan taking the men’s junior 18A double scull.

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork – Day Two

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s 6:00.1, 2 Trinity 6:01.7, 3 Neptune 6:05.5.

Four, coxed – Junior 18A: 1 Bann 6:33.5, 2 St Joseph’s College 6:41.8, 3 Portora 6:47.6. Masters, coxed (non-Championship): 1 Commercial/City of Derry, 2 Fermoy, 3 Galway RC.

Pair – Senior: 1 Queen’s (E Mac Domhnaill, M Ewing) 6:56.7, 2 Grainne Mhaol 7:01.1, 3 St Michael’s 7:01.7, 4 Queen’s B 7:12.9, 5 Galway B 7:15.0, 6 Galway A 7:52.7.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Skibbereen/Lee Valley (G O’Donovan, G Murphy, K McCarthy, C Dowling) 6:05.1, 2 Queen’s 6:07.2, 3 University of Limerick/Garda 6:09.7.

Double – Junior: 1 Castleconnell (D Quigley, A Sheahan) 6:37.4, 2 Lee 6:44.2, 3 Commercial 6:45.7.

Single – Intermediate: 1 UCD (A English) 7:17.8, 2 Skibbereen 7:27.9, 3 Neptune 7:31.0. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Cork (D Buckley) 7:38.1, 2 Offaly (Phelan) 7:38.6, 3 Cork 7:50.4.

Women

Eight – Junior 18A: 1 St Michael’s 6:49.3, 2 Cork 7:00.3, 3 Portora 7:03.6.

Pair – Senior: 1 Skibbereen (C Fitzgerald, D Walsh) 7:53.0, 2 Commercial 8:02.8, 3 St Michael’s 8:03.6.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Skibbereen 6:51.2, 2 Old Collegians/Three Castles 6:51.7, 3 St Michael’s 7:14.5. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway 7:27.1, 2 Commercial 7:39.1, 3 Muckross 7:49.3.

Double – Intermediate: 1 Commercial 7:35.1, 2 Skibbereen 7:40.0, 3 Garda 8:17.0.

Single – Novice: 1 Bann (S Allen) 8:43.2, 2 Shandon (R Mertz) 8:47.9, 3 Queen’s (H Adley) 8:50.7. Junior 18A: 1 Fermoy (H Shinnick) 8:05.9, 2 Skibbereen (M Dineen) 8:10.7, 3 Portora (K Cromie) 8:19.7.

The World Under-23 Rowing Championships, which begins on Wednesday in Amsterdam, have drawn a record number of 63 competing nations. Last year Ireland took a silver medal in the lightweight quadruple scull and we will be again represented in this class with Shane O’Driscoll and Peter Hanily coming into the crew for  Mark O’Donovan and Michael Maher, who have moved out of this age group. Lisa Dilleen (20), who finished ninth in the single scull last year, gets another chance in this class. The lightweight double of Sarah Dolan and Claire Lambe and lightweight single sculler Jonathan Mitchell will also represent Ireland.

Ireland Team for World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Amsterdam, July 20th-24th

Men – Lightweight Quadruple: S O’Driscoll, N Kenny, P Hanily, J Ryan. Lightweight Single Scull: J Mitchell.

Women – Lightweight Double Scull: S Dolan, C Lambe. Single Scull: L Dilleen.

The Irish Coastal Rowing Federation (ICRF), which oversees coastal rowing in Ireland, is set to affiliate with Rowing Ireland, the governing body for Olympic rowing in Ireland. Rowing Ireland will thus have about 150 clubs and over 6,000 registered rowers on its books.

Cork and Kerry took the first senior prizes on offer at the National Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The Skibbereen senior women’s four of Orla Hayes, Christine Fitzgerald, Denise Walsh and Michelle (Shelly) Dineen had plenty to spare over Queen’s in their final, while Sean Casey and Cathal Moynihan of Muckross won the men’s senior double, also from Queen’s.

 Kerryman Neil Prendeville, who rows with Castleconnell, continued the trend when he won the junior single scull from clubmate Adrian Sheehan.   The women's junior double scull was won by Jenny Russell and Katie Cromie from Enniskillen club Portora. 

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Farran Wood, Cork

Day One

Men

Eight – Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway RC, 2 St Joseph’s College, 3 Cork RC.

Four, Intermediate, coxed: 1 UCD 6:26.3, 2 Queen’s  6:29.5, 3 Neptune 6:33.3

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice, coxed: 1 Shandon 6:54.5,  Queen’s 6:58.3, 3 St Michael’s 7:02.1.

Double – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey, C Moynihan) 6:30.8, 2 Queen’s 6:31.7, 3 Lee Valley 6:36.3, 4 Skibbereen 6:41.8, 5 Galway 6:48.9.

Single – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell (N Prendiville) 7:21.6, 2 Castleconnell (A Sheehan), 7:24.0, 3 Neptune (Griffin) 7:29.6.

Women 

Four – Senior: 1 Skibbereen (O Hayes, C Fitzgerald, D Walsh, M Dineen) 6:51.5, 2 Queen’s 6:58.5, 3 Muckross 6:58.9, 4 UCD 7:07.9, 5 Trinity 7:09.0, 6 NUIG 7:30.7. Novice, coxed: 1 NUIG 7:23.4, 2 Galway 7:24.7, 3 Queen’s A 7:38.2.

Sculling, Double – Junior 18A: 1 Portora (J Russell, K Cromie) 7:35.6, 2 Skibbereen 7:45.8, 3 Methodist College RC 7:52.6.

NUIG/Grainne Mhaol will have just one change of personnel to the crew which won the men’s senior eights as NUIG last year at this year's National Rowing Championships. Liam Molloy comes in for Paul Giblin, who is work-tied. UCD have a strong crew, which will be stroked by Tom Doyle, while Queen’s University have just three members of last year’s crew. Trinity will be represented by their intermediate eight. The Championships start on Thursday at the National Rowing Centre in Farran Wood, Cork. The first big final is the women’s senior four, which is scheduled for 12 o’clock. 

Skibbereen's strong support of the Grand League rowing series has paid dividends, as they are well on top of the table at the end of the four-regatta programme. The west Cork club also won both men's division one and women's division one. The prize for overall winner is €800 and division winners get €300.