Part of St Michael's Sporting Club which dates back to 1839,[1]St Michael's Rowing Club is a rowing club located in Limerick, Ireland.[2][3][4] It is affiliated to Rowing Ireland.[5] In addition it has a satellite training facility in O'Briensbridge, County Clare.[6] The club colours are royal blue and old gold.[7][8]
 | |
| Location | O'Callaghan Strand, Limerick, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°39′47″N 8°38′08″W / 52.663158°N 8.6355897°W |
| Home water | River Shannon |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Affiliations | Rowing Ireland |
| Website | www |
| Events | |
| St Michael's Head of the river | |
History
editFounded in 1901,[9] St Michael's Rowing Club started life in a small timber boathouse in the west end of the docks, close to the current dock gates. The first club Captain was the Nationalist MP for Limerick Michael Joyce. In the 1930s it was served with notice to quit as the land on which the boathouse stood was required for the dock expansion. After a period of inactivity and great uncertainty, a new boathouse was constructed at O'Callaghan Strand in 1940. Since then the club has grown and developed, and is currently one of the largest clubs affiliated to Rowing Ireland.[citation needed] In 2013 the club purchased a site in O'Briensbridge, County Clare adjacent to the Limerick Regatta field. This non-tidal facility can be used when weather conditions prohibit training on the lower Shannon. The club history was documented in "Band of Gold" which was published in November 2016.[10]
National achievements
editThe club is the most successful club in the mid-west region having won 60 National Championships.[11][12][13]
International achievements
editIn excess of 300 green singlets have been won by club members. Sam Lynch was World Lightweight Single Sculls Champion in 2001 and 2002.[14][15][16] Sinead Jennings won a silver medal in the women's Lightweight single sculls Championship in 2008.[17]
Olympians
editThe club has had members represent Ireland on four occasions - Sam Lynch (Atlanta & Athens),[18] Sean O'Neill (Beijing).[19][20] and Sinead Jennings (Rio)
St Michael's Head of the River
editSt Michael's Head of the River race was first run in December 1981 with 34 crews. Since then it has grown to be the largest Head of the River event in the country, frequently attracting over 500 entries. Due to the difficulty in facilitating such large numbers in the reduced daylight in December, the Head was subsequently moved to February.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ Limerick Leader - St Michael's proud 150 years of sport
- ^ Limerick.ie - listing of sports clubs Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Yelp.ie - listing of sports clubs
- ^ Limerick, rate my area - St Michael's Rowing Club Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rowing Ireland – Lets's row for gold".
- ^ Club Website - announcement re new facility in O'Briensbridge
- ^ SMRC website giving history and club colours
- ^ History of Boat Racing in Ireland - T.F. Hall 1939
- ^ Limerick City Library - A Century of success for St Michael's
- ^ Kerr, Kieran (2016). Band of Gold. Ireland: Yellow Hedgehog Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5272-0366-2.
- ^ www.irishrowingarchives.com
- ^ 2015 Championship Programme
- ^ Youtube - 2011 WJ4- crew winning the National Championship
- ^ Sam Lynch
- ^ Irish Independent - Rowing the pain and the glory of virtual anonymity
- ^ FISA Athlete Bio - Sam Lynch
- ^ FISA Athlete Bio - Sinead Jennings
- ^ FISA Athlete Bio - Sam Lynch
- ^ FISA Athlete Bio - Sean O'Neill
- ^ Limerick Leader - Olympic Rowing delight for Sean O'Neill
- ^ Rowing Ireland Fixtures List
- ^ Limerick Leader - St Michael's Head of the River