Craic is only mighty at Ventry Regatta
THE crews were back on land after the under-12 race that opened Regatta Fionn Trá and one of the young contestants from ‘Below the Hill’ was leaning against his mother for support, so exhausted from his efforts that he couldn’t trust his own legs to support him. All on his own, the youngster epitomised the tough, hard-fought nature of traditional naomhóg racing – and that at the start of what was a very competitive day in Ventry.
Eddie Hutch, a seasoned hand in naomhógs, believes that “you learn something new in every race”. The under-12 crews, many taking part in their first competitive race, certainly had learned a lot. The age-old skills of handling a skittish, canvas boat were imparted to them by their mentors inn Dingle, Brandon and the Maharees, but out on the sea they weree on their own. They cut their knuckles in that race; they did well and they’ll be back for more.
By comparison, the participants in the under-18 race took to the water with the ease that comes from experience. Still, a north easterly breeze blowingg from Mám an Óraigh made handling a naomhóg tricky and the leading crewss in the first, frenetic stretch of the racee became wedged in a tangled of oars andd colourful language. The Brandon boatsts dodged the worst of the melee and thehe crew of Micheal Lyne, Kayla O’Neill,ll, Muireann Ní Chathasaigh and Davidid Sheehan took the lead and the race. A gut wrenching effort was required to secureure third place and video evidence was neededded to separate the competitors.
In the senior men’s race the Mahareesees maintained their dominance, but the Dingle crew that came second weren’tt far behind… and they’re hungry to take upp the challenge when the contest moves on too the Dingle Regatta in August.
On the plaque presented to the winnersners of the senior women’s race in Ventry,y, the name ‘ Heidtke’ appears more often thanan in the telephone directory. And space willll hhave to bbe ffoundd ffor yet another etching this year after Monza (Karen) Heidtke and the Dingle crew continued to rule the waves.
The one man one woman race was a highlight of the day’s naomhóg racing with 10 crews fiercely contesting the title which was won by Joe Hussey and Siobhán Goodwin from the Maharees, less than a boat-length ahead of their nearest rivals.
But it wasn’t all about naomhóg racing at Regatta Fionn Trá, where the events are so numerous and varied that the whole shebang has become something of a community festival packed into two long days – and nights.
The regatta started on Saturday with 25 families taking part in a treasure hunt set by Éillis sheehy and Rachel Holstead whose hand-crafted maps were works of art in themselves.
Later on Saturday, Isabel Bennett delivered a fascinating and well-attended lecture on the Archaeology of Ventry Parish, and later still the regatta pub quiz brought a great hubbub to Quinn’s pub.
On Sunday over 34 families took to the beach, some starting early in the morning, to construct sandcastles while family sports under the steerage of Noirín Ní Chrualaíóch were run off against the incoming tide.
With events on the sea and sand wrapped up, the Feis Rince, organised by Therese Bn Uí Chonchúir, with Jamie Flannery as adjudicator, became the focus of attention in the village before people got down to the serious business of throwing horse shoes.
Ventry’s Comortas Caitheamh Cruite is a keenly fought contest in which Seán Ó Lubhaing has triumphed for the past two years. This year the shoes didn’t fall well for Seán and his great rival, Joe ‘Bán’ Ó Sé who has never been far in arrears, went on to claim a great victory for Cill i Ruith as the light faded on what had been as good a Ventry Regatta weekend as anybody could remember.