Rowing Ireland

Rowing Ireland, formerly the Irish Amateur Rowing Union, is the governing body of rowing for Ireland. It is a cross-border organisation administering the sport in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Rowing Ireland is a member of the Olympic Council of Ireland and the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron (FISA).

Membership
In excess of 100 clubs are affiliated to Rowing Ireland. These are from every part of the island and include schools, third level institutions and open clubs.

In 2019 Rowing Ireland launched its strategy until 2024. This has four pillars: Supporting clubs, High Performance, Rowing for all and Leading our sport.

National Rowing Centre
The National Rowing Centre (NRC) in Farran Wood, Cork is the headquarters of Rowing Ireland and is also the base of the High Performance team. The centre has an eight-lane Albano course and hosts a number of regattas and the Championship Regatta each year. Every four years it hosts the Home International Regatta. In 1999 and 2008 it hosted the Coupe de la Jeunesse It successfully hosted the event again in 2018.

Irish Championships
Established in 1899 as the Irish Amateur Rowing Union, the association hosted its first championship in 1912. At the 1912 AGM, which was held in February, it was agreed that a cup be purchased for £100 for the Union to be presented for annual competition amongst senior eights. This would in time become known as "The Big Pot". The inaugural Senior eights championship took place at Metropolitan Regatta in Ringsend on the Lower Liffey in July 1912 and City of Derry Boating Club were the winners. It would be 1934 before the Junior (Intermediate) eights championship was added. Since then many additional championships have been added and 44 are now contested each year at the Championship Regatta. In 2017 it added the Irish Offshore Rowing Championship and in 2018 the inaugural Irish Coastal Rowing Championships took place. The results of all championships can be found at www.irishrowingarchives.com

National team
Rowing Ireland is responsible for the selection and management of the Irish national team, through its High Performance programme. Crews are selected for regattas such as the Olympic Games, World Rowing Championships, European Rowing Championships, and the World Rowing Cup.

National squad
This was the team selected for the 2023 World Rowing Championships, held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Personnel
This was the coaching and management personnel selected for the 2023 World Rowing Championships, held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Olympics
Ireland first sent a boat to an Olympic regatta to the 1948 Summer Olympics, where they sent a men's eight. The IARU received its affiliation from FISA on the 3rd of August, 1948, two days before the start of the regatta, allowing Ireland to send a crew.

Ireland would not appear at an Olympic regatta until 1972, when Seán Drea entered the men's single sculls, coming seventh. Ireland would go on to field at least one crew at every Olympic regatta except 1984. Four years later, Drea came fourth in the same event.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, the crew in the men's lightweight coxless four consisting of Derek Holland, Sam Lynch, Neville Maxwell and Tony O'Connor also came fourth.

It was not until 2016, when brothers Gary and Paul O'Donovan broke through and won Ireland's first Olympic medal in rowing: a silver in the men's lightweight double sculls. The O'Donovans' relaxed interview style endeared followers and they became internet sensations in the wake of their success, and they were invited on to The Graham Norton Show for its 2016 New Year's Eve special.

At the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, Ireland entered thirteen athletes across six boats. The women's coxless four, consisting of Emily Hegarty, Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, and Fiona Murtagh, won a bronze medal, and Paul O'Donovan joined Fintan McCarthy to win Ireland's first rowing gold in the men's lightweight double sculls.

For the 2024 Summer Olympics, Ireland has qualified sixteen athletes across seven boats, more than any other Olympic regatta.

Paralympics
At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Ireland fielded a crew in the mixed coxed four. For the 2024 Summer Paralympics, Ireland has qualified a boat for the PR2 mixed double sculls.

World Championships
Ireland has won sixteen gold, eight silver and eleven bronze medals at the World Rowing Championships.

European Championships
The European Rowing Championships were re-established in 2007, after a hiatus dating to 1973. At these, Ireland has won six gold, six silver, and five bronze medals.