Victories for Vartry
Wicklow club tastes success at coastal All-Irelands
THE members of Vartry Rowing Club, Wicklow headed off to Wexford last weekend to take part in the 2018 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships. The club sent 19 crews to take part in 13 race categories and over the weekend and they exceeded all expectations by returning to Wicklow with nine sets of All-Ireland medals.
The first medals came on Friday evening when the Ladies crew of Polly Keating, Liz O’Toole, Leona Franey, Kathleen Curran and Cox, Ray Howes crossed the line in a comfortable first place in the Ladies Celtic Longboat category. This was the only race that started from Wexford Bridge and rowed the length of the quays before rounding the end of the breakwater and heading towards the Wexford slobs and then heading back to the finish line.
Next came the men’s Celtic Longboat race where the Vartry had two crews entered.
First across the line was the crew of Gareth Whittington, David Collard, Joe Quinn, Michael O’Toole and Cox Ray Howes who valiantly held off the second Vartry crew of John Byrne, Tommy Hammill, Jack Doyle, Jordan Ryan and Cox Leona Franey to make it a Vartry one-two. This race was especially exciting as the darkness was falling as the two boats crossed the line with less than a length of a boat between them.
On Saturday, the club took part in three races taking silver in both the pre-veteran mixed race and the Intermediate mens’ race. In both of these races the Vartry crews lead for most of the races only being pipped at the line by the much more experienced crews of Workmen’s Rowing Club from Killarney, in Co. Kerry.
The Intermediate result was especially disappointing as Vartry had won this race in both 2016 and 2017 so the club was targeting three in a row and only failed to achieve that target in the dying moments of the race.
The silver medal winning crews were: Pre-Veterans: Nicola Fitzgerald, Gareth Whittington, Joe Quinn and Liz O’Toole and Cox Ray Howes. Intermediate crew were: David Collard, Joe Quinn, Dave Brett, Ryan Corcoran and Coxed by Ray Howes.
Sunday saw the club have crews take part in a number of races including the Novice ladies of Sinead Boddy, Hilda Cullen, Mary Scales and Roisin Scales and the Under-16 girls of Leah Byrne, Leah Duffy, Leah Flynn and Hannah Murray, who did not just do themselves proud but Vartry Rowing Club and the town of Wicklow can regard these ladies as great ambassadors of he town and county.
The Senior mixed crew of Emanthas Gregalius, Ryan Corcoran, Eimear Moran, Helen Hannigan and Cox George O’Brien stormed to victory leaving one of the largest fields of competitors in their wake finishing well ahead of their nearest rivals.
Two crews represented the club in the Junior ladies race and the crew of Eimear Moran, Helen Hannigan, Stephanie Corcoran, Clara Thornton and Cox George O’Brien fought off stiff competition to achieve a hard-earned bronze for the club.
The Junior Men’s race proved to be the club’s biggest surprise and its greatest triumph over the weekend of fabulous racing.
Two crews comprising of Jack Doyle, Gareth Whittington, Shay Dunne, Jordan Ryan and Cox Ray Howes and Joe Quinn, David Collard, Michael O’Toole, Luke Whelan and Cox George O’Brien.
Both crews entered this race with the ambition of doing their best, but no realistic expectation of achieving honours, at least that’s everyone else in the club thought.
But both crews had devised a plan where one was going to try take the lead from the outset and aggressively hold off that lead right to the finish and the second crew were to stay just off the leading pack and in the last leg of the race make their move for glory and that is exactly how the race worked out and boat No. 42A, the Vartry Contender, crossed the line in first place closely followed by boat No. 42B, the Vartry Challenger, to give Vartry Rowing Club a hugely impressive one-two in one of the most highly rated classes in the competition.
The final race of the day was the Senior Men’s race and the Vartry Senior Crew of brothers Ryan & JP Corcoran, Emanthas Gregalius and Dave Brett lead the race for the first three legs and who finished in fifth place in a tightly bunched group of boats where the second placed boat from Carnlough in Co. Antrim pipped them by less than half a length of a boat.
Vartry Rowing Club was founded in 2013 after a bunch of individuals lead by Club Chairman got together to organise a charity row for the Wicklow Hospice for which they raised over €16,000. Following the success of that endeavour they fundraised to put together the price of a boat and so started the Vartry Rowing Club in Wicklow.
Since that time the club has raised considerable sums for charities such as the Marie Keating Foundation, the Wicklow RNLI and for Suicide Awareness.
The club would like to thank everybody who has supported them over the last few years and they would like to single out the generous sponsorship and support of their main sponsor, Flogas, who have been amazing in their support of the club.
Having searched high and low and pleaded with local politicians for assistance the club is still without a home.
They don’t have a roof to put over their heads and without the goodwill of friends like the Webster family in Silver Strand and Joe Kavanagh of Wicklow, the club’s boats would be sitting by the side of the road.
Vartry Rowing Club has achieved phenomenal success working off the back of a trailer, imagine what they could achive if they had a proper base. Rather than turning away kids through lack of facilities, the club would be able to help and nurture the youth of Wicklow town and its surrounding areas.
‘Vartry Rowing Club would like to express its sincere gratitude to the organisers and promoters of the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships which are in their 27th year of operation.
‘The atmosphere in Wexford was electric and the club thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and are looking forward to next year’s event already. Wherever that may be,’ said a club spokesperson.