Rowing Ireland is delighted to renew its partnership with Waterways Ireland for 2026.
In 2025, Waterways Ireland and Rowing Ireland formed a strategic partnership to grow on-water recreational participation across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Beginning with supporting young people, the partners are developing plans to increase engagement among women in sport, older people, and individuals with accessibility challenges, helping to ensure that rowing and water-based activity are accessible to all communities.
A key part of this partnership is the Waterways Ireland Row for It League, which involves approximately 2,400 young people from clubs across the island competing in a six-month rowing league season. This provides an exciting opportunity for teenagers to race against crews from across the country in a series of league events before culminating in a final event in Carrick-on-Shannon in August 2026.
The 2026 Waterways Ireland Row for It League will take place across the following events:
Erne Head of the River – Enniskillen – 07 March 2026
Limerick Regatta – O’Brien’s Bridge, Co. Clare – 25 April 2026
Castleconnell Sprint Regatta – Castleconnell, Limerick – 16 May 2026
Carlow Regatta – River Barrow, Carlow – 31 May 2026
Athlone Regatta – Coosan Point, Athlone – 13 June 2026
Carrick Sprint Regatta – Carrick-on-Shannon – 02 August 2026
The league is open to J13, J14 and J15 categories for both male and female athletes. Winners of each race earn 10 league points, with 8 points awarded for second place and 6 points for third. At the end of each regatta, points are accumulated to create a leaderboard for each category.
At the opening event in Enniskillen, valuable league points will be available in the following boat classes:
Women’s J15 8x+
Women’s J14 8x+
Men’s J15 8x+
Men’s J14 8x+
Rowing Ireland looks forward to working closely with Waterways Ireland throughout 2026 to continue building opportunities for young people to get on the water, compete, and enjoy rowing in a fun, inclusive and supportive environment across the island.
