The National Rowing Centre, Farran Woods, Cork provided the backdrop for the launch of the 2018 Irish Coastal Rowing Championships which will be hosted at the Centre by Rushbrooke Rowing Club on the weekend of the 18th / 19th August this year.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, was the special guest for the ceremony which included representatives from Rowing Ireland, the Championships Committee and the Host Club. Minister Creed paid tribute to the team behind the event and said that it was great to see a different code of Rowing utilising the fantastic facilities that the National Rowing Centre has to offer. He also commented that it will be great to see the various traditional coastal boats from throughout Ireland taking part.
Kieran Kerr, Chairperson, Rowing Ireland Coastal Committee said ‘This is a momentous occasion as the National Rowing Centre hosts an Irish Coastal Championship for the first time on a new course, adjacent to the existing Olympic course. We are extremely fortunate to have the National Rowing Centre. In addition to the small army of volunteers without which an event of this nature could not take place, I would like to thank two other groups. The first is the Coastal Championship Committee which met monthly since December to ensure the Championships are well organised and run to a high standard. The second is the host club which this year is Rushbrooke Rowing Club. As the “feet on the ground” in the National Rowing Centre, Rushbrooke are leaving no stone unturned in making all the necessary arrangements. We look forward to seeing you and your club in the National Rowing Centre in August.
This year’s championships, which will be the inaugural one run under the auspices of Rowing Ireland, will take place on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th August and there promises to be a spectacular showcase of coastal rowing, with Clubs from all four Provinces of Ireland coming to Cork to compete at the highest levels of the sport.
The Championships will provide a boost with the event likely to attract in excess of 2,000 competitors and 3,000 spectators to the National Rowing Centre over the two days.
Ted McSweeney, Chairperson of the Host Club, Rushbrooke Rowing Club, said ‘We are honoured as a club to have been successful with our bid to host this event and we are delighted to be hosting the event at the National Rowing Centre in Cork, the Home of Rowing in Ireland. We look forward to a great weekend of racing from U12’s up to Masters.’
Regatta Director for this year’s event, Shane Russell said that trojan work has been underway in the preparation for the event. He complimented the work of the Championships Committee of Rowing Ireland and the Host Club for the immense effort being put in. He said, ‘this event is the pinnacle for the competitors involved and that this event will showcase the very best of what coastal rowing has to offer’.
