Rowing Ireland hosted its Annual Awards Night on Saturday, 31 January 2026, at Fota Island Resort, bringing together athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, partners and supporters from across the rowing community to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the 2025 season.

The evening recognised excellence on and off the water, while also acknowledging the commitment, professionalism and volunteer spirit that continues to drive rowing forward at every level.

Rowing Ireland was delighted to be joined on the night by Anna Marie Phelps, Vice President of World Rowing. Her presence highlighted the international standing of Irish rowing and the significance of the achievements recognised throughout the evening.

Guests applauded a wide range of individual and club achievements, with awards presented to the following recipients:

  • Coach of the Year: Myles Taylor, Methodist College Belfast Boat Club
  • Up-and-Coming Rower of the Year: Sophia Monahan, Shandon Boat Club
  • Senior Female Rower of the Year: Fiona Murtagh, University of Galway Boat Club
  • Senior Male Rower of the Year: Fintan McCarthy, Skibbereen Rowing Club
  • Junior Female Rower of the Year: Sophia Young, Methodist College Belfast Boat Club
  • Junior Male Rower of the Year: Jack Rafferty, St Michael’s Rowing Club
  • Master Female Rower of the Year: Sally Cudmore, Lee Rowing Club
  • Master Male Rower of the Year: Kenny McDonald, Shannon Rowing Club
  • Club of the Year: St Michael’s Rowing Club
  • Umpire of the Year: Paul Donovan, Athlone Boat Club
  • Women in Sport Advocate of the Year: Nuala Lupton, Skibbereen Rowing Club
  • Rowability Award of the Year: Joe Cunningham, Castleconnell Boat Club
  • Volunteer of the Year: Donal Cronin, Cork Boat Club

Special Recognition
A special presentation recognised athletes, coaches and medallists from the 2025 Senior World Championships, including Fintan McCarthy, Philip Doyle, Mags Cremen, Fiona Murtagh and Jake McCarthy.

Recognition was also given to U23 World Championships bronze medallists Donagh Claffey and Martin O’Grady, alongside their coaches John Armstrong and Rebecca Edwards.

U19 World Championship gold medallists Jonah Kirby and Jack Rafferty were honoured, together with their coaches Fergie Hannon and Myles Taylor.

Rowing Ireland’s World Beach Sprint athletes were also recognised for their international performances, along with their coach Luke Smyth.

 A standout moment of the evening saw Mags Cremen and Fintan McCarthy presented with the Trailblazers Award, marking their historic achievement as Ireland’s first-ever gold medallists in the Mixed Double Sculls at the 2025 World Championships.

President’s Award
The highlight of the evening was the President’s Award, presented to the High-Performance Support Team in recognition of their collective contribution to the exceptional performances of Rowing Ireland athletes on the world and European stage throughout 2025.

Acknowledgements

Rowing Ireland extends sincere thanks to the evening’s comperes, Brian Richardson and Niamh Hayes, for their professionalism, warmth and energy in guiding the celebrations.

The handcrafted awards presented on the night were created by Kenny McDonald of Shannon Rowing Club. Rowing Ireland is grateful to Kenny for his outstanding craftsmanship and the personal touch he brought to each award.

Rowing Ireland extends its sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the 2025 Annual Awards Night.

Head over to our Flickr account to see all the photos from the night: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCJbA3

Photo Credits: John O’Shaughnessy & Conor Lyall