A large rowing contingent from Galway participated across various grades in the first Grand League Regatta of the Irish Rowing season, the two-day Skibbereen event.
Galway RC travelled with a mixture of youth and experience, teaming some J16/17 rowers with some slightly older rowers in the Club 2 section, as well as rowers in the women’s division 2 4X+ racing for the first time over a full 2000 metre course.
Saturday’s racing got off to a strong start for master single sculler Sean Heaney, who, in his first regatta outing this year, finished second in his final, while later in the day the women's division 2 4X+ performed superbly in their first 2000 metre event, winning the novice section outright in a great row.
A St Joseph's 4+ composite with Cork/Shandon/Galway also came second in their race, while the men’s J18 4X- raced in the afternoon, but failed to make the A final in a highly competitive field.
On Sunday, J16 rower Lyndon Lydon, in his first 2000 metre race in the single, competed in the men's div 2 1X, along with 45 other scullers, while the final race for the club was the women's div 2 4+, where a mix of J17 and young adult rowers combined to make a club 4+, and duly went on to win the event in fine style against nine other crews.
There were also strong performances from St Joseph's Rowing Club, with wins in the men's J18 8+, 4+, J16 8+, J16 4+, and J15 4X+. The Bish lads enjoyed a great race in the div 1 8+, pushing the men's senior crew from Cork BC in both the heat and final in a great display of rowing for these juniors.
Colaiste Ioganid enjoyed some great tussles in their events, winning the women’s J18 2-, while there was a great win for Tribesmen RC in the women's senior 1X with Siobhan McCrohan recording victory over a very strong field.
