This weekend, the first Grand League event, Skibbereen Regatta, took place in the National Rowing Centre. Early weather forecasts were not looking good for the weekend but the weather gods were in Skibbereen’s corner this time, clearing up just in time for racing.

It was UL Rowing Clubs weekend, coming away with seven division wins and nine event wins. Kealan Mannix, originally a Skibbereen rower, completed as he calls it, ‘the trifecta’, winning the Men’s Division 1 scull, double and quad. The Women’s Division 1 doubles saw a one-two finish for UL, with the double of Niamh Coffey and Lauren O’Brien finishing with clear water ahead of the field. After this weekends performances they are currently on top of the Grand League points table.

The host club, Skibbereen Rowing Club is following just behind, in second place on the table. The J18A pair of Dominic Casey and Cathal McCarthy were the only junior pair to make it to the Men’s Division 1 pair A Final, beating the Castleconnell pair by two seconds in the time trial to get ahead. Skibbereen’s J18A Women’s eight had an incredible race finishing almost 10 seconds ahead of the next crew, winning Division 1.

Sitting in third position on the overall table is Castleconnell Boat Club with 499 points. Castleconnell’s J16 women’s crews were division winners in both the coxed quad and eight in Division 2, beating their J18B and Club 2 competitors. In the Penultimate race of the day, the B Final of the Men’s Division 1 eights, the J18A crew from Castleconnell put in a huge finish to pull through their Limerick rivals, St Michael’s Rowing Club, who had beaten them in the time trial by four seconds.

Finishing off the long weekend of racing was the Men’s Division 1 eights. In the time trial it was St Joseph’s Rowing Club’s junior eight that came out on top, beating the two senior eights, Cork Boat Club and Commercial Rowing Club. In the final, it was Cork Boat Club that pulled ahead, winning the division by about a length. The Bish eight split the two senior crews, finishing just one second ahead of Commercial.

Below are the leading clubs for the Grand League categories:

  • Overall: University of Limerick Rowing Club
  • Men’s Division 1: Commercial Rowing Club
  • Women’s Division 1: University of Limerick Rowing Club
  • Men’s Division 2: Cappoquin Rowing Club
  • Women’s Division 2: Cork Boat Club

A full table with points and rankings is attached below.

All results can be found at the link HERE

Photos from the event are available on the Rowing Ireland Facebook page HERE

Huge well done to the event organisers and volunteers who made it all happen! The event was also supported by Skibbereen Regatta’s fantastic sponsors, Kinetica Sports, Cork County Council, Celtic Ross Hotel, Seymour Jewellers and Blackwater Motors.