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The Jes on the Water 2013-14
National Championships Report
As always, the season finale was the National Championships which was held at the NRC July 11th - 13th. This year's championships attracted a record number of rowers with a total 875 crews entered. The Jes travelled in strength and brought fifty rowers to the Co. Cork venue - it was great to see that the team was made up of twenty five boys and twenty five girls. With the large entry, it was not surprising that the competition was very stiff and it was fair to say that the Jes did not get the rub of the green over the three days.
The club had a total of six second place finishes but unfortunately the winners podium eluded our rowers. In the J15 single scull races, Brian Maye, Thomas Power and Philip Buckley all placed second and the same was the case for J14 scullers Mark Ryder and Robert McInerney. There was also a second place for the J15 quad. Despite these near misses, the J14 and J15 boys can look back on a great season which brought several victories. There is no doubt that they have much to look forward to next year but they will have to do so without their coach Luke Smyth who is moving onto UL as Head Coach. Luke has done a lot for the younger rowers in the club over the last three years.
In the girls Junior single scull, there was an impressive performance from Aoife Cushen who made the final in this event. Aoife was also in the final of the Junior pair where she teamed up with Deirdre Coyne. A large number of 1st and 2nd year girls competed in the J14 and J15 races and all performed admirably even though it was the first National Championships for many of them. The Jes is luck to have so many younger girls coming through at this stage and it is also fortunate to have several recent Jes graduates who are putting an enormous effort into the coaching.
The senior boys were involved in some highly competitive racing at the regatta. This included the Junior 8+ where they finished three lengths behind the very strong Portora crew and the Junior 4+ where they were 10 seconds behind eventual winners Cork BC. The Junior 4X- also performed very well with a very young crew and only just failed to make the final of their event. With so many of these boys returning next year, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. There is no doubt that this crew made considerable progress this year with the tireless work of their coaches John Lawless, Liam Molloy and Johnny Curran and this is reflected in the fact that four of them will be competing for Ireland in the Home Internationals at the end of July.
The Junior coxless quad gets ready: (l to r) Luke Rigney, Seamus O'Donoghue, Barra Convery and Kai McGlacken
The Junior coxed 4 crew with some fans: (l to r) Alex Burke, Conor Coughlan, Amy Phelan, David Young (cox), Nicole Cooke and the crew Darragh McCarthy, Alex Coyne, Donal Coen and Eoghan Walls-Tuite
Relaxing in the blue monster between races - obviously there is a clear division between the girls and the boys sections.
The 1st year girls who travelled to Cork: back (l to r) Jessica Barrett, Carley Mannion, Aoife Griffin, Anna Coyne, Ruby Murphy, Maebh Parsons, Hazel McNamara, Caoileann NicDhonncha, Ciara Walsh; front (l to r) Hannah Wortmann, Rian Spillane, Anna O'Donoghue, Aoibhinn McPhillips, Lauryn McKnight, Anna Young
J14 coxed quad: (l to r) Sarah Curtis (cox), Imogen Silke, Eimear Sheridan, Hannah Power, Maeve Newman
J14 crew heading down to launch their quad: (l to r) Caoileann NicDhonncha, Carley Mannion, Ruby Murphy, Hannah Wortmann, Rian Spillane (cox) with Sarah Sheridan (coach)
J14 crew doing some last minute checks: (l to r) Anna Coyne, Anna O'Donoghue, Ciara Walsh, Aoife Griffin, Anna Young (cox), Nicole Cooke (coach)
J14 crew heading down to the start: (l to r) Jessica Barrett, Hazel McNamara, Lauryn McKnight, Maeve Parsons, AoibhinnMcPhillips (cox)
Liam Molloy (coach) has no problem carrying a boat without any assistance
A lot of people needed for this boat - including a bit of help from some parents
Castleconnell Regatta
The Castleconnell Regatta took place in glorious sunshine at the Limerick venue on Saturday, June 28th - the weather was in stark contrast to the conditions that the rowers faced at the corresponding head of the river earlier in the season. All races were run as straight finals and the Jes rowers had enormours success on the day with a fantastic total of nine first place finishes and a similar number of second places. The regatta was an excellent opportunity for the younger rowers in particular to get some good practice in advance of the national championships and it was great to see a number of these rowers come through with some very strong performances. This is a testament to the hard work in training that has been put in over recent months by the rowers and their dedicated coaches.
The full list of winners is:
Girls:
J14 double: Caoileann NicDhonncha and Hannah Power
J14 coxed quad: Anna O'Donoghue, Imogen Silke, Ciara Walsh, Caoileann Nic Dhonncha and Hazel McNamara (cox)
J15 scull: Laoise NiGhriofa
J15 coxed quad: Hannah Power, Molly Curtis, Laoise NiGhriofa, Rachel Trench and Anna Young (cox)
J18 scull: Aoife Cushen
J18 double: Deirdre Coyne, Aoife Cushen
Boys:
J14 scull: Mark Ryder
J15 scull: Daragh Coen
J15 coxed quad: Thomas Power, Brian Maye, Darragh Coen, Philip Buckley and Cian Gleeson (cox)
Two happy girls with their medals for the J18 double: Aoife Cushen (left) and Deirdre Coyne
Aoife Cushen also won the J18 scull race
The winning boat in the girls J15 coxed quad
The J15 winning crew and coaches pose for the camera after their success: (l to r) Naomi Colclough (coach), Hannah Power, Molly Curtis, Laoise NiGhriofa, Rachel Trench, Amy Phelan (coach) and (in front) Anna Young - cox
Laoise NiGhriofa crossing the finish line with a length to spare as she wins the J15 scull event
Another J15 coxed quad: (l to r) Aoibhinn McPhillips (cox), Imogen Silke, Grace Egan, Sarah Curtis and Maeve Newman
A girls J15 double: Laoise Ni Ghriofa (bow) and Rachel Trench (stroke)
The Curtis twins in a J15 double
Grace Egan competed in a J15 scull
The winning J15 coxed quad are well ahead of their rivals: (l to r) Cian Gleeson (cox), Thomas Power, Brian Maye, Daragh Coen and Philip Buckley
Daragh Coen just after winning his J15 scull race
Daragh Coughlan (above) and Philip Buckley (below) also competed in J15 scull races
A J15 double: Brian Maye (stroke) and Adam deBurca (bow)
Another J15 crew after their race: (l to r) Adam deBurca, Robert McInerney, Mark Ryder, Daragh Coughlan and Conor O'Sullivan (cox)
The girls J14 winning crew cross the finish line well ahead of the other boats
The winning J14 crew with their medals: (l to r) Anna O'Donoghue, Imogen Silke, Ciara Walsh, Caoileann NicDhonncha and Hazel McNamara (cox)
The winning J14 double crew just after the race: Hannah Power (bow) and Caoileann NicDhonncha (stroke)
This J14 double had some equipment difficulties: Carley Mannion (bow) and Maeve Newman (stroke)
Mark Ryder who had a comfortable win in the J14 scull
The boys J14 coxed quad just after their race: (l to r) Conor O'Sullivan, Cillian Blacoe, Cian Gleeson, Robert McInerney and Mark Ryder (cox)
A J14 double (l to r) Conor O'Sullivan and Cian Gleeson
1st year girls relaxing between races: (l to r) Aoibhinn McPhillips, Carley Mannion, Anna O'Donoghue, Anna Coyne, Rachel O'Malley Raecke, Anna Young, Ciara Walsh, Hazel McNamara, Caoileann NicDhonncha with a supporter (future Jes rower?) in front
Carrying back the boat after a win in the girls under 14 coxed quad
Checking race details: (l to r) Evan Molloy, Colette Coyne, Padraic O'Donoghue
Packing up the boats after a very successful regatta
Some additional photos may be accessed here
Cork Regatta
This year, the Cork Regatta took place over two days and it attracted a large entry to the National Rowing Centre where the racing took place under ideal weather conditions. Over the two days, there were some very strong performances from Jes rowers and they were very unlucky not to come away with some victories.
The senior girls continued their fine form from the Galway Regatta with the most notable performance being in the U16 double where Deirdre Coyne and Laoise Ni Ghriofa again teamed up. They were narrowly beaten by two seconds in an extremely close final (in a time that was better than the corresponding U18 time). There were also second place finishes for the girls crews in both the U14 and U15 coxed quads.
The girls J16 and J15 crews with their coaches: (l to r) Amy Phelan, Deirdre Coyne, Rachel Trench, Laoise Ni Chriofa, Molly Curtis, Grace Egan, Sarah Curtis and Naomi Colclough
The girls J14 crew who finished second: (l to r) Holly McHugh (cox), Imogen Silke, Hannah Power, Carley Mannion and Maeve Newman
The racing was extremely competitive for the U18 boys where they competed in both the eight and the four with almost all the top crews in the country competing by way of preparation for the upcoming national championships. While the boys did not make it onto the winners podium, they can be very pleased with their performance in the final of the eight where they came third. Philip Buckley raced in a number of single scull events and he was just pipped into second place in his U15 final by half a length.
The J18 eight heading to the start (l to r) Luke Rigney, Seamus O'Donoghue, Barra Convery, Eoin Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Darragh McCarthy, Alex Coyne, Donal Coen and David Young (cox)
Philip Buckley in the J15 scull
Getting the boat ready - all hands on deck
Relaxing before the big race
Launching the boat
Naomi Colclough giving a helping hand to a girls J14 crew (l to r) Aoibhinn McPhillips, Lauryn McKnight, Ciara Walsh, Aoife Griffin and Hazel McNamara (cox)
Another J14 crew pulling away from the slip (l to r) Anna O'Donoghue, Anna Coyne, Caoileann McDonagh, Ruby Murphy and Jessica Barrett (cox)
Retrieving the oars (l to r) Ruby Murphy, Anna O'Donoghue and Anna Coyne
Jes are Top Club at Galway Regatta
The Galway Regatta took place on Sunday, June 15th with a large crowd coming to watch the racing in the Menlo Straits under ideal rowing conditions. It turned out to be a fantastic day for the boys and girls of Colaiste Iognaid as they came away with the award for the leading club at the regatta. Over the day, they recorder no fewer than seven victories and a host of other final placings. This was a fantastic performance and it is a measure of the quality of the rowers and the tremendous commitment of their coaches.
Two Jes coaches accepting the leading club award; Luke Smyth (centre) and Amy Phelan (left)
The day began with the heats of the mens J15 single sculls. There were five heats and the Jes and rowers in four of them. Remarkably, all four rowers won their heats and this resulted in a semi-final that involved three Jes rowers in the one race - Philip Buckley, Daragh Coen and Brian Maye with Daragh coming out on top in a very tight race. The second semi-final featured Thomas Power against a rower from the Bish and Thomas easily advanced to the final in impressive fashion. In the all-Jes final, Daragh had a narrow victory over his team-mate. Not surprisingly, the J15 coxed quad also stormed to victory with a crew consisting of Daragh Coen, Philip Buckley, Thomas Power, Shane O'Halloran and cox, Cian Gleeson.
There were also two very impressive victories on the day for Deirdre Coyne. Firstly she teamed up in the J16 double with Laoise NiGhriofa to record a comfortable victory. Later in the afternoon, Deirdre was back on the water to win the J16 single scull. There was disappointment for Laoise in the J15 single scull as she was narrowly beaten in one of the closest finishes of the day. However, there was further sculling success for the Jes in the J18 competition where Aoife Cushen rowed to an impressive win.
Laoise returned in the winners in the J15 coxed quad where she was joined in the boat by Rachel Trench, Molly Curtis, Sarah Curtis and Imogen Silke (cox). Finally there was an impressive win at J14 level for the girls in the coxed quad. The successful crew was Maeve Newman, Hannah Power, Imogen Silke and Sarah Curtis (cox). It was great to see that the Jes had four girls J14 crews on the water at the regatta showing a tremendous strength in depth at this age group.
A feature of this year's Galway regatta was a re-run of the 1984 Anderson Cup where the Jes, Bish and Galway crews from 30 years ago reassembled to renew old rivalries. This re-run added greatly to the atmosphere of occasion and the quality of the rowing was also impressive even if some had not been in a boat for 30 years. The Bish prevailed in the re-run and unfortunately the same was the case for the 2014 Anderson Cup where the strong Bish crew were a length ahead of the Jes at the finish.
Some more photos from the regatta follow below.
Three Jes scullers battle it out: Daragh Coen (right) is just ahead of Philip Buckley (left) and Brian Maye (centre) in the J15 single scull semi-final
Thomas Power - well ahead in his semi-final in the J15 single scull
The mens J15 scull final with Daragh Coen just ahead of Thomas Power
The winning mens J15 coxed quad (l to r) Philip Buckley, Daragh Coen, Shane O'Halloran, Thomas Power and Cian Gleeson (cox)
Deirdre Coyne has a commanding lead in the womens J16 single scull
The successful womens J16 double; Deirdre Coyne (stroke), Laoise Ni Chriofa (bow)
Aoife Cushen well on her way to victory in the womens J18 single scull
The womens J15 coxed quad in the lead in their final
The womens J15 coxed quad receiving their trophy: (l to r) Imogen Silke (cox), Rachel Trench, Laoise Ni Ghriofa, Molly Curtis, Sarah Curtis
The winning J14 coxed quad with their coaches: (l to r) Ruby Murphy, Hannah Power, Imogen Silke, Naomi Colclough, Amy Phelan, Maeve Newman, Sarah Curtis (cox)
The mens J14 coxed quad who were just beaten in the final: (l to r) Dylan O'Halloran (cox), Conor O'Sullivan, Cian Gleeson, Mark Ryder and Robert McInerney
A womens J14 coxed quad going past Menlo Castle: (l to r) Ruby Murphy, Hannah Wortmann, Meadbh Parsons, Aofe Griffin and Rachel O'Malley Reacke(cox)
Another coxed quad: (l to r) Aoibhinn McPhillips, Hazel McNamara, Lauryn McKnight, Carley Mannion and Anna O'Donoghue (cox)
A mens J15 double; Shane O'Halloran (bow), Luke Mulliez (stk)
Another mens J15 double; Daragh Coughlan (bow), Adam deBurca (stk)
Barra Convery (stroke) and Seamus O'Donoghue ( bow) in action in the mens J16 double
The start of the Anderson Cup. The Jes boat, which finished second, is in the centre and is flanked by two Bish boats. The Jes crew is Luke Rigney (bow), Seamus O'Donoghue, Barra Convery, Eoin Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Daragh McCarthy, Alex coyne, Donal Coen (stk), David Young (cox)
The invitational Jes 8 from the 1984 Anderson Cup: (l to r) JJ O'Malley (cox), Matthew Kelly, Andrew Bell, Stephen Mangan, Philip Kennedy, AJ Cahill, Pierce Lynch, Peter Osborne, Fergal Lawless
The womens J15 double looking happy; Laoise NiGhriofa (bow) and Rachel Trench (stk)
Rachel and Laoise now competing against each other in the J15 scull
Sarah Curtis (cox) and Imogen Silke (bow)
Grace Egan in a J15 scull
Robert McInerney
Conor O'Sullivan (left) and Cian Gleeson (right)
Mark Ryder
Some of the boys relaxing between races
Parents and fans relax on the river bank
It is hungary work watching the races
Most of the fans are focused on the action
More parents with some four legged friends
Maybe it is just faster to cycle
Sligo Regatta
While the senior boys and girls were rowing in Ghent, the 1st and 2nd years travelled to Sligo. It turned out to be a very successful competition for the Jes crews and they brought a lot of medals back to Galway after some tough rowing in wet conditions.
The girls had three great wins on the day. There was an impressive victory for Rachel Trench in the J15 single sculls. In the J15 quad, Rachel was in the winners circle again and she was joined in the boat by Molly Curtis, Sarah Curtis, Grace Egan and Imogen Silke (cox). There was also a win in the J14 double where the winning crew was Hannah Power and Imogen Silke.
The winning J15 quad crossing the finish line (l to r) Rachel Trench, Molly Curtis, Grace Egan, Sarah Curtis and Imogen Silke (cox)
The successful J14 double crew (l to r) Imogen Silke, Hannah Power
A happy Rachel Trench after winning the J15 single scull
The girls with their medals (l to r) Grace Egan, Hannah Power, Rachel Trench, Molly Curtis, Imogen Silke, Sarah Curtis
The Curtis girls getting some advice from their coach Amy Phelan with Nicole Cooke looking on
The large group of 1st year girls who participated in the regatta; Standing (l to r) Sarah Sheridan (coach), Ciara Walsh, Maedbh Parsons, Hannah Wortmann, Aoife Dempsey, Hazel McNamara, Ruby Murphy, Carley Mannion, Lauryn McKnight, Jessica Barrett, Nicole Cooke (coach); Kneeling (l to r) Aoibhinn McPhillips, Holly McHugh, Anna O'Donoghue, Rian Spillane, Anna Coyne
A J14 womens quad getting some last minute tips from coach Amy Phelan - not sure if those boys are giving any help however
There were also a number of victories for the boys. The J15 single scull winner was Brian Maye. In the J15 double, the winning crew was Darragh Coughland and Darragh Coen. There was also a victory in the J15 coxed quad where the crew consisted of Darragh Coughlan, Brian Maye, Mark Ryder and Hannah Power (obviously the boys needed some help here) with Holly McHugh as cox. Finally, the J14 boys recorded a victory with Cian Gleeson, Cillian Blacoe, Mark Ryder, Robert McInerney and Adam deBurca (cox). Clearly it was a very productive day in Sligo for all concerned.
The J14 quad (l to r) Adam deBurca (cox), Cian Gleeson, Cillian Blacoe, Mark Ryder, Robert McInerney
Some of the boys who travelled to Sligo; Back row (l to r) Shane O'Halloran, Mark Ryder, Brian Maye, Darragh Coen, Darragh Coughlan, Cillian Blacoe, Thomas Power, Front row (l to r) Adam drBurca, Cian Gleeson, Luke Mulliez, Robert McInerney
A J15 double (l to r) Darragh Coughlan, Darragh Coen
Another J15 double (l to r) Brian Maye, Thomas Power
The boys with their medals; Back row (l to r)Brian Maye, Cillian Blacoe, Mark Ryder, Dylan Luddy (coach), Darragh Coen, Robert McInerney, Darragh Coughlan; Front row (l to r) Cian Gleeson, Adam deBurca
Is this a case of head down and follow the leader (Evan Molloy) or are the Jes walking on water
Some of the travelling support who braved the elements for the day Marie Power, Ed Bell (coach), Ita Murphy, Ann O'Donoghue
Ghent Regatta
The boys and girls of Colaiste Iognaid enjoyed tremendous success at the 95th Ghent International Regatta that was held on May 10th, 11th. The event attracted almost 2000 rowers from 16 countries across Europe and beyond and included crews from as far away as South Africa. Despite the difficult weather conditions that were more associated with the west of Ireland, the Jes rowers performed with distinction and had their most successful Ghent regatta to date.
The highlight for the Jes was an excellent victory in the mens junior 18 four. The Sea Road school led all the way in this race and had a very comfortable victory over their rivals. The winning Jes crew was Luke Rigney, Eoghan Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Donal Coen and David Young (cox). The Jes also had two impressive second place results; in the men junior coxless four and again in the junior 18 coxless four. These races had very tight finishes with the Jes crew just missing out to a very strong crew from the host Ghent club on each occasion and had to settle for a silver medal. The Jes coxless four crew was Luke Rigney, Darragh McCarthy, Alex Coyne and Donal Coen. These results represent a great achievement for this group of under 18 rowers and the tremendous work that has been done by their coaches, John Lawless and Liam Molloy, in the last few years.
The winning J18 Jes four (l to r) Donal Coen, Eoghan Walls-Tuite, David Young (cox) Kai McGlacken, Luke Rigney.
Crossing the finish line for the win.
The silver medal winning Junior mens coxless four (l to r) Alex Coyne, Darragh McCarthy, Donal Coen, Luke Rigney.
The coxless four heading down to the start.
Over the two days, the rowers had many other notable performances. There were two very impressive heat wins; for Deirdre Coyne in the womens junior 16 single sculls and for the crew of Seamus O’Donoghue and Barra Convery in the mens junior 16 double although both missed out on the medals in the overall classification. Philip Buckley rowed extremely well at the regatta with a very creditable placing in the mens junior 16 sculls. Laoise NiGhriofa also put in strong performances both in the single sculls and also in the double where she teamed up with Deirdre Coyne.
Deirdre Coyne winning a closely fought heat in the womens J16 single sculls.
Seamus O'Donoghue and Barra Convery powering to victory in their heat of the mens J16 double.
Action from the womens J16 double with Laoise NiGhriofa and Deirdre Coyne.
Laoise and Deirdre get some help with their boat from Joe Coyne while Colette makes sure that everything is done correctly
Laoise NiGhriofa heading towards the finish in the womens J 16 single sculls.
Competitors in the mens J16 single sculls Philip Buckley (above) and Barra Convery (below)
The mens J18 pair putting in a strong performance Alex Coyne (bow), Darragh McCarthy (stroke)
Heading to the start for the mens junior 8 (l to r) David Young (cox), Donal Coen, Alex Coyne, Eoghan Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Seamus O'Donoghue, Luke Rigney, Darragh McCarthy, Philip Buckley.
At the start of the J18 eight - Jes top, Ghent middle and Bruges bottom. Jes (l to r) Luke Rigney, Darragh McCarthy, Barra Convery, Seamus O'Donoghue, Kai McGlacken, Eoghan Walls-Tuite, Alex Coyne, Donal Coen and David Young (cox).
The Ghent regatta has provided the Jes rowers with some highly competitive rowing experience as they prepare for the national championships that are coming up in July. Thanks also go to Colette and Joe Coyne and Padraic O’Donoghue who were in Ghent to support the team and to Barbara Coen, Ann O’Donoghue and Laura Rigney who made a lot of the arrangements for the trip.
Packing up to go home. Luke Rigney and Kai McGlacken on top with Darragh mcCarthy and Philip Buckley both looking on.
The Jes travelling team with coaches Liam Molloy (back left) and John Lawless (front)
Ready to leave for home in the Airport. Back row (l to r) Liam Molloy, Colette Coyne, Barra Convery, Philip Buckely, Luke Rigney, Eoghan Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken. Middle row (l to r) Seamus O'Donoghue, Laoise NiGhriofa, David Young, Darragh McCarthy, Deirdre Coyne, Alex Burke, Donal Coen. Kneeling in front (l to r) Padraic O'Donoghue, John Lawless, Joe Coyne
Irish Schools Regatta
This year the Irish Schools regatta was held at O'Briens Bridge and it attracted a large number of schools to the Co. Clare venue on the day after the Limerick regatta. The Jes performed very well at this regatta and were unlucky not to get some wins.
In the mens J15 single scull, Thomas Power was very impressive winning his heat and was just pipped for a win in a very competitive final. Second place was an excellent achievement for Thomas in an event that had a very large entry from the entire country. The J14 boys also had a good outing and came second in the final.
In girls races, Deirdre Coyne continued her good form by winning her heats in the J16 single scull and the J16 double (with Rachel Trench). Two young girls girls crews also did well (J14 coxed quad and J14 double) and were placed second in their respective finals.
There was also some exciting racing for the older boys. The J16 coxed quad came second in the final to a very strong crew from Cork. The J18 eight also finished second in their race with another impressive outing. Next up for these crews will be the international regatta in Ghent in two weeks time.
Some photos of the racing that took place on a bright sunny day now follow.
The J18 eight (l to r) David Young (cox), Donal Coen, Luke Rigney, Eoin Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Darragh McCarthy, Barra Convery, Seamus O'Donoghue and Alex Coyne
The J18 pair heading to the start in the morning sunshine (l to r) Darragh McCarthy and Alex Coyne
The girls J16 double (l to r) Rachel Trench and Deirdre Coyne
Thomas Power after winning his heat in the J15 sculls
The two J14 girls crews - above and below
Limerick Regatta
The Jes rowers performed very well in extremely difficult conditions at the Limerick regatta that was held at O'Briens Bridge on Saturday, April 26th.
The highlight for the senior boys was a comfortable win in the J18 four. The victorious crew on this occasion was Alex Coyne, Darragh McCarthy, Luke Rigney, Donal Coen and cox David Young. The J18 eight also had an impressive outing and were placed second in a highly competitive race. The J16 quad also rowed very well making the final in their event.
The victorious J18 four (l to r): Luke Rigney, Darragh McCarthy, David Young (cox), Alex Coyne, Donal Coen
J15 quad crew (l to r): Philip Buckley, Barra Convery, Seamus O'Donoghue, Daragh Coen and Thomas Power (cox)
There were also some excellent performances from the girls. Aoife Cushen finished second in the final of the J18 single scull and Deirdre Coyne was also placed second in the J16 single scull final. Both results were exceptional given the large number of competitors in each event.
J18 sculler, Aoife Cushen
J16 sculler, Deirdre Coyne, heading to the start for her final
The J15 boys also did well again. In the J15 quad, both crews won their respective heats with the crew of Darragh Coughlan, Darragh Coen, Thomas Power, Luke Mulliez and Adam de Burca (cox) coming first in the final. In their first regatta of the year, the J14 boys came a highly creditable second in their final.
The winning J15 quad crew (l to r): Darragh Coughlan, Thomas Power, Darragh Coen, Luke Mulliez, Adam de Burca (cox)
J15 quad crew (l to r): Cian Gleeson (cox), Mark Ryder, Shane O'Halloran, Brian Maye, Philip Buckley
The J14 quad crew (l to r): Mark Ryder, Cillian Blacoe, Conor O'Sullivan, Cian Gleeson and Luke Mulliez(cox) (standing)
Skibbereen Regatta
After many months without competitive action due to the bad weather, the Jes rowers finally got back on the water and took part in the Skibbereen Regatta. Despite the long break, the rowers performed very well in a highly competitive regatta.
The J15 boys had some very impressive performances and picked up from where they left off last year. They had two coxed quads on the water and recorded a win and a second place. The crew of the winning quad was Darragh Coen, Philip Buckley, Thomas Power, Mark Ryder and cox Cian Gleeson. Philip rowed in a single scull later in the day and was very narrowly beaten into second place. The J15 girls also put up a creditable performance in their race.
The Jes had two fours rowing in the J18 boys. This was an extremely hard fought event with the Jes A crew just three seconds off a strong pace set by Portora. Nevertheless. it promises to be a good summer for the boys in the J18 four and eight with much to look forward to. The girls crews also rowed with distinction - the J16 double (Deirdre Coyne and Laoise NiGhriofa) made the A final in Division 2 while Aoife Cushen made the C final in Division 1.
Full results may be accessed here
The senior boys get some advice from their coaches; John Lawless (2nd from right) and Liam Molloy (far right)
last minute tips for the J15 boys from coach Luke Smyth (right)
A J15 crew heading out; (l to r) Mark Ryder, Thomas Power, Daragh Coen, Philip Buckley and Cian Gleeson (cox)
The winning J15 quad about to collect their medals (l to r) Cian Gleeson, Philip Buckley, Daragh Coen, Thomas Power, Mark Ryder
Another J15 quad crew rigging their boat (l to r) Luke Mulliez, Shane O'Halloran, Adam de Burca, Brian Maye and Daragh Coughlan
Heading down to the water (l to r) Luke Muliez, Brian Maye, Daragh Coughlan
The girls J15 quad just crossing the finish line (l to r) Rachel Trench, Molly Curtis, Sarah Curtis, Imogen Silke and Hannah Power (cox)
Philip Buckley in the J15 scull heading down to the start
Irish Indoor Rowing Championships
The rowers of Colaiste Iognaid had great success at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships that were held at the University of Limerick on November 23rd bringing home a total of six individual medals. This event was definitely different to your normal regatta with 24 races held during the day starting at 9am and ending at 4.30pm. Races were spread over 36 ergs on two screens, each ‘hosting’ a race after which individuals’ times were amalgamated and prizes awarded. The rowers were able to monitor their prograss against fellow competitors as they raced.
In the Mens J18 category, the Jes had three podium finishes; Eoin Walls-Tuite taking gold in the J18 500m and Kai McGlacken taking a bronze in the same event while Kai raced to a very impressive 2nd place in the J18 2000m. In the Womens J18, Aoife Cushen took gold in her 500m race. There was also success at the Mens J15 level with Seamus O'Donoghue picking up medals in his two races; a silver in the 5 minute time trial and a bronze in 500 m sprint.
Full results may be accessed here
Some pictures follow below.
Coach John Lawless gives some last minute advice to Donal Coen (centre) with Eoin Walls-Tuite (left) and Luke Rigney (right)
Two on the podium for the Jes - gold for Eoin Walls-Tuite and bronze for Kai McGlacken in the Mens J18 500m
Seamus O'Donoghue with his silver for the five minute u-15 trial
Aoife Cushen showing complete focus
And her reward is a gold medal in the J18 500m event
David Young about to start with support from Philip Buckley
The 5th year relay team (l to r) Alex Coyne, Eoin Walls-Tuite, Kai McGlacken, Luke Rigney
The 4th year-3rd year relay team; Barra Convery is giving it everything with help from his teamates (l to r) Philip Buckley, Seamus O'Donoghue and Donal Coen
Castleconnell Head of the River
A new season began at the Castleconnell Head of the River on November 2nd. The day was very windy and wet and the conditions for rowing were very difficult. However, the rowers were delighted to get out for competitive action after two months of training on the Corrib and a good day was had by all.
On the day, there were a number of notable successes for the girls. In the Junior 15 double, with Laoise Ní Ghríofa (bow) and Deirdre Coyne (stroke), there was a highly impressive win over a strong field. The other wins were for the Junior 18s - in the coxless quad and in the pair. The 4X- crew was Deirdre Coyne (bow), Kayleigh Power (2), Ailbhe Ní Ghríofa (3) and Síle Lenihan (stroke) and the 2- consisted of Kayleigh Power (bow) and Síle Lenihan (stroke). This represents a very positive start to the new season for the girls.
While the boys did not record any wins, there were a number of very impressive results nonetheless. There were some experimental crew combinations on the water with several boys rowing up in older age groups. At this time of the year, it is more about performance than results and in that they can be extremely pleased with some really good times.
A feature of the regatta from the Jes perspective was the participation of the younger rowers. It was the first time out for the new 1st year students and a large number of boys and particularly girls participated. The octet was used on four occasions by the Junior 14s (three girls crews and one boys crew). It was great to see so many enthusiastic young rowers and they must all be commended for the excellent times achieved in difficult conditions. Hopefully the weather was not too offputting for them and that we will see them competing for the Jes again in the New Year.
Full results may be accessed here
We do not have very many photos of this Head of the River and this was in part down to the conditions. However, we did capture a few good photos of the new 1st year rowers.
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