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22nd June 2014

UCD Push NUIG/Grainne Mhaol Hard at Cork Rowing Regatta

#ROWING: Gráinne Mhaol/NUIG were pushed hard by UCD, but came away with the Division One eights title at Cork Grand League Regatta at the National Rowing Centre. NUIG came in third, despite having to do without the services of Kevin Neville, who had fallen ill during the heats. The experienced Gráinne Mhaol crew of Dave Mannion, Alan Martin, Cormac Folan and James Wall won the Division One four, while Skibbereen won the women’s four.

Andy Harrington of UCC won the Division One single sculls from Eimantas Grigalius of Three Castles and Fergus Fauvel, a New Zealander studying in Galway. Fauvel also rowed at number four for the winning eight.

Catríona Jennings of Commercial, who only took up rowing in the past two years after competing as a runner at the Olympic Games, won the Division One single sculls.

The timing system at the regatta, a bugbear at a number of Grand League events, caused some difficulties.

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour