The annual Galway Regatta, which holds a special place in the annals of Galway history and an important fixture in the Irish Rowing calendar, takes place on Sunday (June 19 ).
Local crews from NUIG, Tribesmen, hosts Galway Rowing Club, Colaiste Iognaid, and St Joseph’s College (Bish ) will be out in force to continue a tradition that dates back to 1884.
This year’s event will once again take place on the Menlo strait of Lough Corrib with NUIG grounds at Dangan hosting the race facilities and spectator viewing.
The 127th Galway Regatta begins with the first race at 9am on Sunday in what promises to be a full day’s competitive racing that traditionally boasts some of the up-and-coming names in Irish rowing, in addition to a few “masters”.
This year the regatta will feature Ireland’s latest international success story, the youngsters from the Bish who won the first eights at the British National Schools Regatta. That crew of Conor Breen (bow ), Conor Egan, Aran Kelly, Dan Hindle, Fionnan Tolan, Robert O'Callaghan, Loubos Simo, James Egan (stk ) and Colm Conneely (cox ), ovecame a two second deficit at the 1,000m to claim the blue ribband event which last year was won by the world’s most famous public school, Eton College.
Three of the crew James Egan, Aaron Kelly and Dan Hindle, in addition to Galway Rowing Club’s Kellie Wade and Fiona Murtagh, and Andrew Bell of Colaiste Iognaid, have been selected to row for Ireland at the Home International which takes place in Scotland next month.
The Galway Regatta holds a special place in Galway history, once rivalling the Galway Races as the social event of the year. First based in the grounds Menlo Castle in 1884, for some years now the enclosure has been based in the NUIG grounds in Dangan.
