After the most successful rowing season for Wicklow Rowing Club in a number of years  where club crews won over 40 races in various categories over the season and secured East coast championship Gold Medals in Senior Mixed ,Intermediate Men , Novice Men , Under 16 Boys and Under 14 boys as well as Silver and bronze in other categories It was time to get on the Nation stage and compete against the best rowers in the country in the Irish Coastal Rowing Championships Held in the Rowing Ireland Headquarters  the National Rowing Centre Co Cork . This is the location of the high performance athletes such as the two time Olympic gold medallists Paul O Donovan and Fintan McCarty 

Wicklow rowing club had 14 crews traveling to cork to compete for silverware their largest entry to date for this two day championships.  Day 1 got off to a great start Where the pre-vet men’s crew were out to get the magical 5 in a row having won this race the last 4 times However it wasn’t to be as after a photo finish with a margin of only 30 centimetres they were beaten to the line by Kilmacsimon RC  So Silver it was for Wicklow crew of Marc Nichols (Cox) Peter Doyle  Andrew Breen Chris Dunne and Shay Dunne .

Next out were the Pre-vet Women  of Marc Nichols (Cox) Susan Doyle, Eimer Moran ,Steph Corcoran and Susan Dunbar . The Cork crews of Gally flash and Rushbrook got away to a great start but as the race progressed Wicklow started to haul them in and by the turning buoys had taken the lead which they kept and extended in style to win the gold medal and be crowned Irish Coastal champions . That was the first of the clubs gold medals and there many more to come.

Racing switched from Coastal fours to traditional boats so the clubs Skiff crews were out next .First out in the skiffs was the Open Classic crew of Cox Kate Dunne, John Healey, Alex Dunne , Shay Dunne and Marc Nichols These were up against stiff competition in this category from Rushbrook’ s much bigger and allegedly faster boat but that didn’t phase the Wicklow Crew who took the lead from the get go and would not be caught bringing home Wicklow’s second gold medal. 

After a short break it was the turn of the open sprint crew of Kate Dunne (Cox)Aaron O Flaherty ,Johnny Dunne ,Michael Dunne and Alex Dunne . This as the name suggests is a short sprint race of 800m with no turn The Skiff was no match for the very quick Cork Yawls but still managed a terrific third place winning the  Bronze medal 

The Junior men’s race was next on the card and Wicklow’s Crew Marc Nichols (Cox) Michael Sillery Chris Dunne Michael Dunne and Shay Dunne  again it was in the skiffs against the Wexford cots of Edermine ferry and St Kearns  These cots turn extremely quickly and as this was a multi turn race it was important that the Wicklow boat had a good lead going into the turns as the cots would fly around . So the game plan was to get ahead quickly and open up a strong lead and that’s exactly what Wicklow did holding off the challenge to win the third gold medal of the day. 

After the Junior men it was the turn of the senior men and again the game plan was much the same get an early lead and keep it The Wicklow crew were Cox Shay Dunne Aaron O Flaherty Johnny Dunne John Healey and Marc Nichols . They stuck to the game plan and took that early lead in this multi turn race but instead of being caught on the turns the lads kept increasing it with each turn eventually winning gold with a margin of over 10 lengths. Incredibly that was Wicklow fourth gold medal of the championships  

The adult races were complete and now it was the time for the club’s youth to shine . First race up for the youth section was the Traditional under 16 boys of Cox John Healey Joe Clancy Thomas Clancy Eoin Mitchell and Seamus Treanor . These boys had just won east coast gold and were now looking for an Irish title to go with it and that’s exactly what they got by winning their race in some style to say the lads were happy would be an understatement they were elated and deservedly so picking up Wicklow’s fifth gold medal. 

The clubs last race of the Saturday schedule was the under 14 boys of Cox John Healey Cian Dunne Olly Quinn Eoin Treanor and Alex Birrell these lads had also just won east coast championship gold and also wanted a national title to stick in their cap However they were up against a very strong Edermine ferry crew who they only discovered on the day also play against them in south east rugby for Enniscorthy so the rivalry was intense. The Wexford crew got off to the best start taking an early lead but Wicklow caught up to them at the turn but as previously mentioned the Wexford cot had a fantastic turning speed and took off ahead again so the run home was critical  Wicklow kept edging up on the Wexford boat until they were level with only 100 meters to go  both coxes called for everyone to give their all for the last 15 strokes or so and it was the Wicklow boat that had the power to edge ahead winning by just the length of the boat It was a fantastic race to end day1 and a fantastic sixth gold medal for Wicklow Their best ever result at a National Championship. 

Day 2 and it was back to the coastal 4 races and the main interest of Wicklow was the Senior Women’s Race  On a high from their win in the Pre-vet women The Wicklow Crew of Cox Peter Doyle Susan Doyle Eimer Moran Steph Corcoran and Sandra Dunbar were up for the challenge of the senior ladies race . There was a large field of boats in this race and from the very start it was a 3 way battle between Wicklow ,Kilmacsimon and Ballycotton rowing clubs  with nothing at all separating these 3 crews at the turning buoys however as the race came to half way home it looked like Kilmacsimon had taken a slight lead followed closely by Ballycotton and Wicklow half a length behind and as they crossed the line it was impossible to say whether Kilmacsimon or Ballycotton took the gold with Wicklow only a length behind . It went to a photo finish and after many replays the leading 2 boats could not be separated so were both were awarded Gold with Wicklow Picking up a terrific bronze medal . The Wicklow girls gave their all and overall were delighted to be going home with a Gold and Bronze medal for their weekends efforts.

Some of Wicklow’s  crews were unlucky not to bring home medals The Coastal 4 under 16 girls of Cox Shay Dunne  Kate Dunne Amelie Ribero Aoife Clarke and Kate Smyth. The girls finished second in their heat which was the fastest heat but in the final later that afternoon they were just pipped for third place and missed out on a medal  Similarly The intermediate mixed crew of cox Marc Nichols Kate Dunne Shay Dunne Barry Clarke and Aoife Clarke also just missed out on a medal 

Overall  Winning six gold medals at the Irish coastal rowing championships was the clubs most successful ever championship and is a fitting ending to a very successful 2024 season . 

The club would like to thank the championship Organizers Chair Ted McSweeney and Regatta Director Shane Russell and his team as well as Kilmacsimon rowing club for hosting a fantastic event.

All club rowers, Coxes ,Coaches, transport team ,Supporters ,Parents and Guardians not just for this event but for the work put in over the full season and a special word of thanks to Shane and Kim Conolly  aka SKC Providers l for their continued support and sponsorship over the last number of years their contribution has been a major part of the clubs success in 2024.