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Displaying items by tag: UCD

#Rowing: Trinity won the women’s senior eight at Trinity Regatta. The host crew were commanding winners over a Commercial eight made up of UCD alumni. In the semi-final they had beaten a Commercial eight made up of Trinity alumni.

 Blue Star, the alumni club of Newcastle University, won the men’s intermediate eight. UCD were unable to finish after a race which featured a number of clashes and a restart. Blue Star featured British Olympians George Nash and Scott Durant (both gold medallists in 2016)  as well as Irish Olympian Cormac Folan.  

Trinity Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt Commercial 1 1/3 l. Club: Commercial bt Neptune A 1 ¾ l. Novice: UCD A; Trinity disuqual.

Four – Sen, coxed: Commercial B.

Sculling,

Quadruple – Jun 18: Neptune bt Three Castles 4l. Jun 18B, coxed: Blackrock. Jun 16: Graiguenamanagh. Masters, coxed: Commercial.

Single – Sen: Commercial (N Beggan) bt Carlow (L Keating) 1l.  Inter: Sligo (G Patterson). Club One: Bann A (Christie).  Junior: Carlow (J Keating) bt Neptune (J Butler) easily. Jun 16: Neptune (T Orlic). Masters: Thames (C George).

Women

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt Commercial, 2l. Inter: Trinity B bt Trinity A ¼ l. Club One: Commercial bt Neptune 2l. Nov: UCD A. Jun 18: Bann bt Graiguenamanagh, easily. Jun 16B: Graiguenamanagh. Masters: Tribesmen A.

Four – Inter: Trinity A. Masters, coxed: Belfast BC/Tribesmen.

Sculling,

Quadruple, Club One, coxed: Neptune. Nov, coxed: Trinity r/0. Jun 18B, coxed: Graiguenamanagh bt Neptune 1 ½ l.

Double – Senior: Neptune bt Njord easily.

Single – Inter: Neptune (Feerick). Club One: Neptune (Clarke). Club Two: Neptune (Clarke). Jun 18A: Neptune (Clarke). Jun 16: City Of Derry (E Murphy).

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity won the men’s senior eights at the University Championships of Ireland at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The race had a thrilling finish: Trinity led by less than a length, but UCD finished strongly and almost caught them. NUIG won the women’s senior eight much more comfortably, from Trinity.

 The overall winners were NUIG, who also won the Bank of Ireland Trophy for women. The men’s award, the Wylie Cup, went to Trinity.

 Fintan McCarthy of UCC won the senior single sculls from Andrew Goff of UCD and Selma Bounane of UCC topped the rankings in the women’s senior single.

University Championships of Ireland, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Men

Eights – Senior: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Inter: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Club: 1 Trinity, 2 NUIG, 3 UCC. Novice: 1 UCD A, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s A.

Four – Sen: UCD. Inter, coxed: Trinity. Club, coxed: UCC.

Pair – Sen: UCD.

Sculling, Quadruple, coxed – Novice: University of Limerick. Double – Inter: Queen’s. Single - Sen: UCC (F McCarthy). Inter: Univ of Limerick (K Mannix)

Women

Eights – Senior: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Trinity B. Inter: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s. Club: 1 NUIG, 2 Queen’s, 3 UCD A. Novice: 1 UCD, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Queen’s B.

Four – Sen: NUIG. Inter, coxed: NUIG A. Club, coxed: NUIG A.

Pair – Sen: UCC.  

Sculling, Quadruple – Nov: Queen’s B. Double – Inter: NUIG. Single – Sen: UCC (Bounane). Inter: UCC (L Heaphy).

Overall Winners: NUIG. Wylie Cup for Men: Trinity. Bank of Ireland Trophy for Women: NUIG.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity looked strong as they beat UCD in the men’s senior eights final at Neptune Regatta this evening. The final verdict was under a length, but as the crews passed the Neptune boathouse the men in white looked in control.

Neptune took two wins by tiny margins. They won the club one coxed fours by two feet and the club two coxed quadruple by just one foot.

There was a spectacular incident at the end of the women’s masters’ eight final. Tribesmen beat the hosts, but crashed against the bank just after the finish.

The regatta was hit by a hail and rain shower just after 5.20 and the programme ran late.

Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt UCD ¾ l, 3:13. Club One: UCD B bt Neptune ¾ l, 3:20. Novice: UCD B bt Trinity 3l, 3:30. Junior 18: Neptune bt Col Iognaid 2l, 3:27. Jun 16: Col Iognaid bt Blackrock 3l, 3:49. Jun 15: Bann bt St Joseph’s 1 ½ l. Masters: Old Collegians bt Neptune 1l.

Four – Senior, coxed: Trinity B bt UCD 2l, 3:35. Club One, coxed: Neptune bt UCD 2ft, 3:43. Jun 18, coxed: Col Iognaid bt Commercial 2/3 l, 4:14. Masters, coxed: Athlone bt Neptune ¾ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club Two, coxed: Neptune bt Bann 1ft, 3:57. Jun 18: Col Iognaid bt Three Castles 2l, 4:06. Jun 16, coxed: Fermoy bt Bann 3:50. Jun 15, coxed: Blackrock A bt Galway easily, 4:16.

Double – Jun 16: Col na Coiribe bt Commercial A 3l, 4:01.

Single – Senior: Commercial (N Beggan) bt Portadown (A Laivins) easily, 3:58. Inter: Offaly (C Brady) bt Garda (P Ryan) 2 ½ l, 4:40. Club One: Commercial (D Crowley) bt Portadown (A Laivins) 2/3 l 4:10. Club Two: Clonmel (S O’Donnell) bt Garda (P Ryan) 4l, 4:25. Jun 18: New Ross (L Sutton) bt Commercial (C Kelly) easily, 4:00. Jun 16: Neptune (T Orlic) r/0.  

Women

Eight – Club One: Commercial bt UCD B 2l, 3:50. Jun 18: Graiguenamanagh bt Col Iognaid, canvas 3:53. Novice: UCD A bt UCD B 4l, 4:00. Jun 16: Commercial bt Fermoy 2 ½ l, 4:07. Jun 15: Galway bt Enniskillen 4l. Masters: Tribesmen bt Neptune 3l.

Four – Club One, coxed: UCD B bt UCD A 2 ½ l, 4:48.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club Two, coxed: Graiguenamanagh A bt King’s Hospital 2l, 4:27. Jun 18: Col Iognaid bt Neptune 3l, 4:56. Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Carlow 2 ½, 4:12. Jun 15, coxed: Carlow bt Athlone 2 ½ l. Double – Jun 16: Fermoy A bt Commercial B, easily, 4:34.

Single – Club One: Athlone (Y Curley) r/0. Club Two: Clonmel (S McGrath) bt Clonmel (E Fitzpatrick) 4l. Jun 18: Commercial (K Dolan) bt Neptune (N Clarke) 1ft, 4:30. Jun 16: Carlow (S Scully) r/o.

 

Published in Rowing
Tagged under

#Rowing: The first set of finals at Neptune Regatta was a good one for UCD. Their B crew beat Neptune – by three-quarters of a length – in the competitive club one eights and their B crew beat Trinity in the novice eights. However, Trinity won the battle of the senior coxed fours – their B crew beat UCD. The host club provided be the top junior 18 eight, beating Coláiste Iognáid in the final.

 The women’s junior 18 eight gave Graiguenamanagh a win over Coláiste Iognáid by a canvas, while the club one eights went to Commercial, who beat UCD B. In the closest race of the session, Katie Dolan of Commercial beat Niamh Clarke of Neptune by just one foot in the women’s junior 18 single sculls. Luke Sutton of New Ross won the men’s junior 18 single.

Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Club One: UCD B bt Neptune ¾ l, 3:20. Novice: UCD B bt Trinity 3l, 3:30. Junior 18: Neptune bt Col Iognaid 2l, 3:27. Jun 15: Bann bt St Joseph’s 1 ½ l.

Four – Senior, coxed: Trinity B bt UCD 2l, 3:35. Masters, coxed: Athlone bt Neptune ¾ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 16, coxed: Fermoy bt Bann 3:50.

Double – Jun 16: Col na Coiribe bt Commercial A 3l, 4:01.

Single – Club Two: Clonmel (S O’Donnell) bt Garda (P Ryan) 4l, 4:25. Jun 18: New Ross (L Sutton) bt Commercial (C Kelly) easily, 4:00.  

Women

Eight – Club One: Commercial bt UCD B 2l, 3:50. Jun 18: Graiguenamanagh bt Col Iognaid, canvas 3:53. Novice: UCD A bt UCD B 4l, 4:00. Jun 15: Galway bt Enniskillen 4l.  

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Carlow 2 ½, 4:12. Double – Jun 16: Fermoy A bt Commercial B, easily, 4:34.

Single – Club Two: Clonmel (S McGrath) bt Clonmel (E Fitzpatrick) 4l. Jun 18: Commercial (K Dolan) bt Neptune (N Clarke) 1ft, 4:30.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing; Trinity won the Gannon Cup with a fine performance today. The Colours races were run on a reverse of the Trinity Regatta course above the weir for safety reasons. There was a strong east wind and a powerful flow.

 UCD took a one-length lead in the Gannon Cup at the first bend, but Trinity came back to lead and held on. Trinity’s senior women won the Corcoran Cup with a commading performance.

 The novice women’s title (the Sally Moorhead Trophy) was won easily by UCD. The closest race of the day was the novice men’s race, which was a thrilling contest. Trinity led past the boat clubs, but UCD overtook them and led by a length. Trinity came back to retake the lead … only for UCD to overhaul them right at the finish line.   

Colours Races 2018, Islandbridge (raced above the weir because of bad weather)

Senior Men (Gannon Cup): Trinity (B Cronin, D Butler, W Doyle, G Moore, A Liadov, D Pierse, T Hughes, M Quigley; cox: R Hamilton) bt UCD, ¾ l.

Novice Men (Dan Quinn Shield): UCD bt Trinity 2ft.

Senior Women (Corcoran Cup): Trinity  (D Maguire, S Kelly, A Byrne, J Hogg, A Corcoran, C Dempsey, L McHugh, S Higgins; cox: M Jungmann) bt UCD easily.

Novice Women (Sally Moorhead Cup): UCD bt Trinity easily

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: UCD won both coin tosses and will row from the North Station in all four Colours races on the Liffey on March 18th. Pat Kenny performed the coin toss at Trinity College, assisted by the four captains: Emma Thornton (UCD Ladies Boat Club); Laura Walsh (Dublin University Boat Club), Shane Mulvaney (UCD Boat Club) and Conor Ryan (Dublin University Boat Club).

 The toss was set for early in the week but was delayed until Thursday.

 The schedule set for Sunday, March 18th, is:

 10:30 Sally Moorhead Trophy (novice women)

 11:00 Dan Quinn Shield (novice men)

 11:30 Corcoran Cup (senior women)

 12:00 Gannon Cup (senior men)

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: UCD’s men’s intermediate eight just came out on top as the fastest crew at the St Michael’s Head of the River in Limerick. They clocked 19 minutes and 39 seconds, just ahead of the 19 minutes 43.4 seconds of the NUIG senior eight. Carlow Rowing Club’s women’s junior coxed four just pipped NUIG’s women’s senior eight as the fastest women’s crew.  

 

RankBib nrNameResultPenaltySpeed
Womens J18A 2X
148St. Michael's Rowing Club00:33:30.0 9.31 km/h
Womens Novice 4X+
120St. Michael's Rowing Club00:35:08.7 8.88 km/h
Mens Senior 8+, (A)
11NUIG Boat Club00:19:43.4 15.82 km/h
Mens Intermediate 8+,
13UCD Boat Club00:19:39.0 15.88 km/h
Mens Club 1 8+,
14UL Boat Club00:23:31.2 13.27 km/h
Mens J18A 4X-,
16Athlunkard Boat Club00:27:00.5 11.55 km/h
2107Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:27:09.2 11.49 km/h
Mens Intermediate 4-,
18St. Michael's Rowing Club00:22:37.2 13.79 km/h
29Uni of Limerick Rowing Club00:22:55.1 13.61 km/h
Mens Masters 8+, (A)
110Castleconnell BC00:35:04.3 8.90 km/h
Mens Masters 8+,
111St. Michael's Rowing Club00:23:43.0 13.16 km/h
212Athlone Boat Club00:24:07.7 12.93 km/h
Mens Masters 8+, (B)
113Castleconnell BC00:20:45.9 15.03 km/h
Womens Senior 8+,
114NUIG Boat Club00:22:50.8 13.66 km/h
Mens J18A 4+,
116Carlow Rowing Club00:22:49.6 13.67 km/h
215St. Joseph's College RC00:22:50.2 13.66 km/h
317Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:23:11.1 13.46 km/h
418Athlunkard Boat Club00:25:07.9 12.41 km/h
Mens Senior 2X,
119Galway Rowing Club00:27:50.6 11.21 km/h
Mens Club 1 2X,
121Carlow Rowing Club00:25:53.3 12.05 km/h
Mens J18A 2X,
124St. Michael's Rowing Club00:23:27.5 13.30 km/h
222Castleconnell BC00:25:15.0 12.36 km/h
326St. Joseph's College RC00:25:53.1 12.05 km/h
425St. Michael's Rowing Club00:26:13.8 11.89 km/h
523Colaiste Iognaid Rowing ClubDNS -
Womens J18A 8+,
128St. Michael's Rowing Club00:24:58.7 12.49 km/h
230Galway Rowing Club00:25:43.2 12.13 km/h
329Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:26:11.1 11.92 km/h
427Shannon Rowing Club00:28:12.2 11.06 km/h
Mens J16 8+,
131Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:22:27.1 13.90 km/h
232St. Michael's Rowing Club00:25:44.5incl. +30 sec.12.36 km/h
333St. Joseph's College RCDNS -
Womens Club 1 8+,
134Uni of Limerick Rowing Club00:25:20.7 12.31 km/h
Mens Masters 4X-, (A)
135Galway Rowing Club00:24:13.6 12.88 km/h
Mens Masters 4X-, (B)
136Galway Rowing Club00:26:00.5incl. +90 sec.12.73 km/h
Mens Masters 4X-
137St. Michael's Rowing ClubDNS -
Mens J16 4X+, (A)
138Castleconnell BC00:26:06.0 11.95 km/h
Mens J16 4X+, (B)
139Castleconnell BC00:25:28.9 12.24 km/h
Mens J16 4X+,
142St. Michael's Rowing Club00:27:51.1 11.20 km/h
243St. Joseph's College RC00:27:52.1 11.20 km/h
341Shannon Rowing Club00:29:57.1 10.42 km/h
440Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:33:46.0 9.24 km/h
Mens Masters 4X+,
145St. Michael's Rowing Club00:27:46.1 11.24 km/h
2144Athlone Boat ClubDNS -
Womens J18A 4X-,
147Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:25:46.4 12.11 km/h
25Clonmel Rowing Club00:26:20.9 11.84 km/h
346Castleconnell BC00:26:23.0 11.83 km/h
Womens Club 1 4X-,
149St. Michael's Rowing ClubDNS -
Mens Masters 4+,
151St. Michael's Rowing Club00:24:40.1 12.65 km/h
250Athlone Boat ClubDNS -
Mens J16 4+,
152Shannon Rowing Club00:28:25.4 10.98 km/h
Mens Masters 2X,
154St. Michael's Rowing Club00:24:14.1 12.87 km/h
253Castleconnell BC00:27:19.4 11.42 km/h
Mens Senior 1X
155St. Michael's Rowing Club00:25:40.7 12.15 km/h
Womens J16 8+,
156St. Michael's Rowing Club00:29:15.4 10.66 km/h
Womens J18A 2X,
157Castleconnell BCDNS -
2158Colaiste Iognaid Rowing ClubDNS -
Womens Intermediate 4+,
159NUIG Boat Club00:25:34.0 12.20 km/h
Womens Masters 8+,
160Uni of Limerick Rowing Club00:29:34.3 10.55 km/h
Womens J16 4X+,
162Colaiste Iognaid Rowing Club00:31:43.4 9.84 km/h
263Shannon Rowing Club00:32:19.8 9.65 km/h
361Athlunkard Boat Club00:33:52.9 9.21 km/h
Womens Novice 4X+,
165Uni of Limerick Rowing Club00:31:27.0 9.92 km/h
Womens Masters 4X-
166Soc des Régates Messines00:31:05.0 10.04 km/h
Mens Touring 4X+
167LBC / SMRC00:46:21.0 6.73 km/h
Late Entry
184UnknownDNS -
282UnknownDNS -
385UnknownDNS -
483UnknownDNS -
581UnknownDNS -
Mens Senior 4+
12NUIG Boat ClubDNS -
Womens Intermediate 2X
164St Michaels Rowing Club00:27:23.9 11.39 km/h
Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Max Murphy took a silver medal at the New Zealand Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro. The UCD man teamed up with Thomas Bedford in the Waikato crew which took second in the men’s senior pairs behind Avon Rowing Club and ahead of another Waikato crew.

New Zealand Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, Day Four (Irish interest)

Men

Pair - Senior - A Final: 2 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 6:59.41.

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan was the pick of the Irish internationals at the testing New Zealand Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro on Tuesday. O’Donovan finished third in his heat of the Premier (openweight) single sculls – just .11 of a second behind the winner of the other heat, Mahe Drysdale, the Olympic champion. O'Donovan will get a second chance to make the final through the repechages.

 The pair of Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll took fourth in their heat, while a four with the three O’Donovans and O’Driscoll also conserved energy for Wednesday’s repechages. The double of Paul and Gary O’Donovan took part in a race for lanes and took fifth.

 It was another good day for UCD’s Max Murphy, who is competing for Waikato. He was part of the club’s senior four which won their heat and progressed directly to the final. In the pair, Murphy placed third in a heat.

 Kevin Neville of NUIG, competing for Wairau, qualified for the senior double semi-finals. Neville and Eamon Power, also of NUIG and rowing for Wairau, are set for repechages in the senior and club singles respectively.

New Zealand Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Premier (First to Final; rest to repechage)– Heat Two: 4 Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan, P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 7:05.67.  

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) - Heat Two: 1 Waikato (3 M Murphy) 6:25.58.

Pair – Premier (First to Final; rest to repechage): Heat Two: Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan) 7:24.79.

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) – Heat Two: 3 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 7:11.58.

Sculling,

Double – Premier (All go to Final): 5 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 7:20.97.

Senior – (First Four to Semi-Finals: rest to Repechages) – Heat Three: 3 Wairau (2 K Neville) 6:50.56.

Single – Premier (First to A Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 4 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 7:45. 8. Heat Two: 3 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:20.17.

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 3 Wairau (K Neville) 7:53.53.

Club – Heat One (First two to Semi-Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 3 Wairau (E Power) 8:00.75.

Published in Rowing

UCD Team Ireland finished fifth overall in the Student Yachting World Cup in France today. The Dublin team was disappointed that the last day of racing had to be cancelled due to lack of wind, but are very happy with their overall result.

The event in general provided spectators with some very exciting racing. While the Scottish team pulled ahead early in the competition, in the end it was Team Japan who won the SYWOC title.

Sywoc photo 3 The Dublin team was disappointed that the last day of racing had to be cancelled due to lack of wind

With a number of top three finished throughout the week, Team Ireland certainly were in contention for a podium finish, but unfortunately it was not to be.

The young team, skippered by Jack Higgins, will be setting their sights for the Irish Student Yachting Nations in April to qualify again for next year.

Published in Youth Sailing
Page 4 of 15

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

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