NUI Galway Boat Club enjoys its most successful season to date

NUIG Boat Club had its most successful Irish Rowing Championships in its history, claiming two titles – including the two blue riband events – and finishing second in four other events, while a club members also took bronze in the individual sculls.

More than 2,200 rowers representing approximately 50 clubs competed in 40 championship events. With over 970 crews entered, the Irish Rowing Championships was the biggest to date in the 100 years of the event.

The All-Ireland Championship, which were held in Cork at the weekend, saw the NUIG/Grainne Mhaol crew claim the Men’s Senior Eights title for the third consecutive year, coming from a length down to edge out Trinity College Dublin in the final.

The crew was Richie Bennett, Cormac Folan, Dave Mannion, Alan Martin, Kevin Neville, Rob O’Callaghan, Fionnan Tolan and James Wall, and Ruadhan Cooke was the cox.

Four of that crew – Folan, Martin, Tolan and Wall – also won the Senior Men’s Coxless Four; while the club also won and the Intermediate Men’s Coxed Four with a crew of Patrick Higgins, Aidan Kinneen Edward Mullarkey and Mantas Pukelis, with Sandra Kelly as cox.

In addition, Sean O’Connor was awarded the bronze medal in the Men’s Intermediate Single Sculls.

The women’s club had its most successful championship, claiming five titles including the ‘big one’, the Senior Women’s Eight with a composite crew with Cork Boat Club. The crew was Leonie Hammel, Cliona Hurst, Frances Judge, Aifric Keogh, Barbara O’Brien, Marie O’Neill, Emily Tormey and Anna Wickham, and was coxed by Sandra Kelly.

The club also claimed the Women’s Club Eight with a crew of Stephanie Creed, Ailbhe Griffin, Denise McCarthy, Zoe Mannion, Chloe O’Flynn, Eliska Smidlova, Charlotte May-Simera and Aoife Willis, with Sarah Sheridan as cox.

Creed, Mannion and Griffin joined Eli Sildova to win the Women’s Club Coxed Four, with Normagh Heaney as cox. Keogh, O’Brien, O’Neill  and Tormey claimed the Senior Women’s Coxless Four; while the club also claimed the Senior Women’s Pair .

NUI Galway also placed second in the Senior Men’s Pair, Intermediate Men’s Eight, Women’s Intermediate Eight and Women’s Novice Quads.