University Partnerships

Partnerships are key to Rowing Ireland and our objective is to agree on significant partnerships with Irish universities in developing a clear pathway from club to university to high performance.

In November 2020 Rowing Ireland was delighted to announce its first key partnership with Queens University Belfast. This agreement will see Queens employ a full-time head rowing coach, with support from Rowing Ireland and Sport NI, to further develop their high-performance programme at the University, in line with the Rowing Ireland training methodology and vision.  

Queens is the only Rowing Ireland Partner Pathway University in the country, the university aims to create a clear and sustainable pathway in the region whereby young and talented juniors attend the University to continue their rowing development, represent the University at the highest levels and aim for selection for the U23 and senior Irish teams’.  

Speaking about the agreement Queens Performance Sports Manager Aidan O’ Rourke commented ‘’Queens have a tradition of producing outstanding rowers reaching back generations. In partnership with Rowing Ireland, we want to build on those foundations and increase our depth across all levels to the betterment of our clubs and athletes. Our aspiration is to continuously improve how we support our rowers and establish Queen’s as the premier rowing University on this island.”