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Displaying items by tag: Niall Kenny

#Rowing: A quadruple featuring three Ireland lightweight internationals finished 15th at the Head of the River Fours in London. Gary O’Donovan, Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan joined Niall Kenny in the Tideway Scullers’ crew.  They had serious equipment problems which affected their steering from early in the race.

Head of the River Fours, London (Irish interest): 15 Tideway Scullers’ School E 20 52.2

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Niall Kenny lost out in the first round of the Diamond Sculls to a much heavier opponent at Henley Royal Regatta today. Kenny (28) won a silver medal at the World Under-23 Championships in 2010 as part of the Ireland lightweight quadruple, but at 75 kg here he had a disadvantage of 23 kilogrammes against Jonathan Stimpson. The Briton powered into an early lead and won well.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: UCD won the Gannon Cup for senior men after a terrific struggle, while Trinity senior women took the Corcoran Cup in facile fashion at the Colours Rowing Races on the Liffey today.

Trinity’s crew led the Gannon Cup race from just after the start, but could not gain a clearwater lead. UCD’s pushes were relentless, and though they were still behind coming through the final bridge, Watling Street, they then powered through and had command of the race when Trinity’s number four man and captain, Luke Acheson, collapsed. The race was not rowed out. It took a long time – too long - to get Acheson into an ambulance, as he had to be brought up the river all the way to City Quay before being lifted up the steps. He was being treated in St James’s Hospital this afternoon.

Trinity’s Corcoran Cup crew demonstrated that size is not everything in rowing. They were outsiders, but simply rowed better than UCD. They eked out an early lead and built it steadily into an unassailable margin by the end.

UCD’s annexation of the Sally Moorhead Trophy for novice women was also one-sided, but Trinity took the novice men’s title after UCD suffered a boat-stopping crab right in front of the Four Courts. UCD came back to lead briefly, but Trinity took control again before the finish.

Colours Rowing Races, O’Connell Bridge to St James’s Gate

Men – Senior (Gannon Cup): UCD (M Bailey, W Yeomans, C O’Riada, B Crosse, D O’Neill, A Griffin, P Moore, N Kenny (stroke); cox: L Mulvihill) bt Trinity not rowed out. Novice (Dan Quinn Shield): Trinity bt UCD 1 ½ l.

Women – Senior (Corcoran Cup): Trinity (G Crowe, H O’Neill, H McCarthy, R Deasy, S O’Brien, A Leahy, S Cass, R Morris (stroke); cox: N Williams) bt UCD easily.

Novice (Sally Moorhead Trophy): UCD bt Trinity easily.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Sanita Puspure was withdrawn from the A/B semi-final of the single sculls at the European Rowing Championships in Seville today. Ireland Performance Director, Morten Espersen said that the decision was made this morning because the 31-year-old had flu-like symptoms. Puspure was very unwell and could not race.

John Keohane finished fifth in his C Final, 17th overall, while the Ireland lightweight double of Niall Kenny and Justin Ryan finished 21st overall with third pace in the D Final behind Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In the C/D semi-final they were competitive early but lost out when the second half of the race became a scramble for second and third places behind dominant winners Hungary. Ireland struggled to deal with the head wind and finished fifth.

European Rowing Championships, Seville, Day Two (Irish interest)

 Men

Single Sculls – C Final (places 13 to 18): 1 Hungary 7:56.08; 5 Ireland (J Keohane) 8:03.54.

Lightweight Double Sculls – C/D Semi-Finals Two (First Three to C Final; rest to D Final): 1 Hungary 7:15.12, 2 Slovenia 7:18.43, 3 Bulgaria 7:18.64; 4 Slovakia 7:20.27, 5 Ireland (N Kenny, J Ryan) 7:26.76. D Final (places 19 to 22): 1 Slovakia 7:20.10, 2 Czech Republic 7:20.44, 3 Ireland 7:25.26, 4 Armenia 8:59.40.

Women

Single Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One: Ireland (S Puspure) Did not start.


Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The Neptune Head of the River at Blessington gave Niall Kenny and some other top Galway rowers a chance to blow off the cobwebs in the run-up to the National Assessment in two weeks’ time in Newry. Kenny, a lightweight, won the single sculls well with his effort in the better conditions of the second head.

The honour of being the fastest eight was taken with ease by Trinity – St Michael’s damaged the fin on their boat in the first head and did not do as well as they would have liked in a borrowed boat in the second. Trinity were the women’s eight winners and Marie O’Neill of Cork the fastest women’s single sculler.

Neptune Head of the River, Blessington, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Senior: 1 Trinity (head one) 12 minutes 13 seconds, 2 St Michael’s (head 2) 12:24, 3 St Michael’s (head 1) 13:13. Intermediate: Trinity (2) 12:23, 2 Neptune (1) 13:24, 3 Trinity (2) 16:17. Novice: 1 Trinity (2) 13:31, 2 NUIG (2) 13:40, 3 Trinity (1) 13:42. Junior 18: Neptune (2) 12:39, 2 Neptune (1) 13:39, 3 Cork BC (1) 13:41. Junior 16: 1 Portora (1) 13:26, 2 Neptune (2) 14:03, 3 Commercial (2) 14:24. Masters: Old Collegians (1) 14:17.

Four – Senior: 1 St Michael's 12:51, 2 NUIG A/Grainne Mhaol/UCC (head 1) 13:07, 3 NUIG/St Joseph’s (1) 13:08. Intermediate: 1 NUIG B (2) 13:18, 2 NUIG (2) 13:33, 3 Trinity (1) 13:38. Junior 18: 1 Neptune (1) 14:11. Masters: Old Collegians (1) 14:49.

Sculling,

Double – Senior: 1 Trinity (Flaherty, Hughes) (Head 2) 13:57, 2 Commercial (1) 14:11, 3 Graiguenamanagh (2) 15:24. Single: 1 UCC (N Kenny) (2) 14:48, 2 NUIG (Mullarkey) (2) 15:03, 3 NUIG (S O’Connor) (2) 15:23, 4 Commercial (A Maher) (1) 15:26, 5 University of Limerick (Brinn) (1) 15:42, 6 Commercial (Gleeson) (1) 15:50. Intermediate: 1 NUIG (Egan) (2) 15:34, 2 Neptune (O’Connor) (1) 15:35, 3 St Michael’s (Stundon) (1) 15:45.

Women

Eight – Senior: 1 Trinity (2) 14:09, 2 Trinity (1) 14:26, 3 Trinity B (2) 14:26. Intermediate: Trinity (1) 14:36. Novice: 1 Trinity (1) 16:10, 2 Trinity (2) 16:32, 3 Commercial (2) 16:46Junior: 1 Carrick-on-Shannon (2) 15:25, 2 Portora (2) 15:34, 3 Graiguenamanagh (1) 16:10. Junior 16: 1 Portora (1) 15:32, 2 Carlow (2) 17:02, 3 Portora (2) 17:15.

Four – Senior: 1 Cork BC (2) 14:38, 2 St Michael’s (1) 15:30, 3 Commercial (2) 15:30. Intermediate: 1 NUIG (2) 15:58, 2 NUIG (1) 16:53, 3 NUIG B (1) 16:59.

Sculling

Double – Senior: 1 NUIG (1) 15:42, 2 Three Castles (2) 15:43, 3 St Michael’s (2) 16:05.

Single – Senior: 1 Cork (M O’Neill) (1) 16:45, 2 Three Castles (Quinn) (1) 16:53, 3 Trinity (Cooney) (2) 17:00. Intermediate: 1 Trinity (Dolan) (1) 16:53, 2 Trinity (O’Brien) (1) 17:02, 3 NUIG (Hurst) (2) 17:18.

Published in Rowing

It was a good year for Irish rowing: among the highlights were an Ireland eight taking bronze at the World University Championships; John Keohane winning the single sculls title at the World Coastal Rowing Championships; Siohan McCrohan and Claire Lambe reaching A Finals at World Cup and European Championship level. At home, NUIG won the senior eights title after another great battle with Queen's. Standing out above the rest, however, is the achievements of the four men who made up the Lightweight Quadruple Scull which took silver at the World Under-23 Championships. Niall Kenny, Michael Maher, Mark O'Donovan and Justin Ryan (pictured below) are the Afloat Rowers of the Year 2010.

rower23

Rower of the Year award: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times, President of Rowing Ireland Anthony Dooley and David O'Brien, Editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year have appeared on afloat.ie. The overall national award goes 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 2010. Thanks for your interest!

Published in Rower of the Year

Ireland's Trading Ketch Ilen

The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.

Designed by Limerick man Conor O’Brien and built in Baltimore in 1926, she was delivered by Munster men to the Falkland Islands where she served valiantly for seventy years, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties.

Returned now to Ireland and given a new breath of life, Ilen may be described as the last of Ireland’s timber-built ocean-going sailing ships, yet at a mere 56ft, it is capable of visiting most of the small harbours of Ireland.

Wooden Sailing Ship Ilen FAQs

The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.

The Ilen was designed by Conor O’Brien, the first Irish man to circumnavigate the world.

Ilen is named for the West Cork River which flows to the sea at Baltimore, her home port.

The Ilen was built by Baltimore Sea Fisheries School, West Cork in 1926. Tom Moynihan was foreman.

Ilen's wood construction is of oak ribs and planks of larch.

As-built initially, she is 56 feet in length overall with a beam of 14 feet and a displacement of 45 tonnes.

Conor O’Brien set sail in August 1926 with two Cadogan cousins from Cape Clear in West Cork, arriving at Port Stanley in January 1927 and handed it over to the new owners.

The Ilen was delivered to the Falkland Islands Company, in exchange for £1,500.

Ilen served for over 70 years as a cargo ship and a ferry in the Falkland Islands, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties. She stayed in service until the early 1990s.

Limerick sailor Gary McMahon and his team located Ilen. MacMahon started looking for her in 1996 and went out to the Falklands and struck a deal with the owner to bring her back to Ireland.

After a lifetime of hard work in the Falklands, Ilen required a ground-up rebuild.

A Russian cargo ship transported her back on a 12,000-mile trip from the Southern Oceans to Dublin. The Ilen was discharged at the Port of Dublin 1997, after an absence from Ireland of 70 years.

It was a collaboration between the Ilen Project in Limerick and Hegarty’s Boatyard in Old Court, near Skibbereen. Much of the heavy lifting, of frames, planking, deadwood & backbone, knees, floors, shelves and stringers, deck beams, and carlins, was done in Hegarty’s. The generally lighter work of preparing sole, bulkheads, deck‐houses fixed furniture, fixtures & fittings, deck fittings, machinery, systems, tanks, spar making and rigging is being done at the Ilen boat building school in Limerick.

Ten years. The boat was much the worse for wear when it returned to West Cork in May 1998, and it remained dormant for ten years before the start of a decade-long restoration.

Ilen now serves as a community floating classroom and cargo vessel – visiting 23 ports in 2019 and making a transatlantic crossing to Greenland as part of a relationship-building project to link youth in Limerick City with youth in Nuuk, west Greenland.

At a mere 56ft, Ilen is capable of visiting most of the small harbours of Ireland.

©Afloat 2020