SKIBBEREEN Rowing Club rubber-stamped their position as the country’s most successful rowing club with another huge haul at the Irish Rowing Championships.

BY ELLEN McCARTHY

Held at the National Rowing Centre in Farran from Friday to Sunday, the three-day event brought together clubs from across Ireland, with large entries in many events requiring an initial time trial to select the fastest 12 boats to progress to the heats.

The championships were held in demanding conditions, with high temperatures throughout the weekend and short turnaround times between heats and finals for many athletes. Racing became increasingly difficult as an ever-strengthening headwind developed over the course of the regatta.

But Skibbereen rowers adapted, and brought home nine more national titles to take the club’s overhaul haul now to a record 213.

The Skibbereen/Lee composite crew that won the women's senior quad scull title; from left, Mags Cremen, Emily Hegarty, Aoife Casey and Aisling Hayes.

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DAY 1: FRIDAY

Mattias Cogan and Sam Wheeler-O'Brien were first into action for Skibbereen on Friday morning in the men's junior 18 single scull. Both athletes secured their places in the final after negotiating the time trial and heats.

Cogan's victory was never in doubt as he burst into a commanding lead from the opening strokes and controlled the race from start to finish. He crossed the line five seconds clear of Methodist's Harry McCartney to claim the national title. Wheeler-O'Brien also produced a strong performance, challenging throughout the race to secure the bronze medal.

Aoife Hendy also secured the national title on Friday morning in the lightweight women's single scull. Having moved up from junior racing last year, Hendy competed in this event for the first time and finished first. Orla Hayes also featured in the event, finishing third.

Irish internationals Emily Hegarty and Aisling Hayes won the women's senior double scull.

The junior 16 women's quad of Labhaoise McCarthy, Mae Ryan, Una Waugh-O'Brien and Anna Connolly, coxed by Laoise Hamilton, were unable to complete their race following a boat malfunction, ending their hopes of reaching the final.

Later that afternoon, Hamilton, Fia Foley, Ryan and Waugh-O'Brien competed in the coxed four, with Connolly coxing. The crew finished fourth in their heat, narrowly missing qualification for the final.

The women's club four of Kelly Oforji, Sarah Coughlan, Mia Maguire and Saoirse O'Donnell, coxed by Orla Hayes, secured one of the two qualifying places from their heat. In the final, they finished fourth, with UCD taking the title.

Skibbereen entered three crews in the men's senior double scull. Fintan and Jake McCarthy crossed the line first to claim the national title, but were pushed all the way by clubmates Kealan Mannix and Finn O'Reilly. The two Skibbereen crews raced closely throughout, with just five seconds separating them at the finish as Mannix and O'Reilly came home second. Kenneth McCarthy and Oran Roycroft also competed in the event, finishing fifth.

The masters women also competed in the novice events at the Irish National Rowing Championships, taking on strong university opposition over the 2,000m course and gaining valuable racing experience. On Friday morning, the women’s novice 8+, comprising of Marie Hourihane, Norma Browne, Geraldine Barr, Mairead McCarthy, Sabine Cronin, Florencia Santana, Claire O’Sullivan and Niamh Connolly, coxed by Mairead O’Shea, raced in ideal conditions against five university crews. While the result was not what they had hoped for, the crew were proud to represent the club.

The victorious Skibbereen junior 18 men's quad scull of Sam Wheeler-O'Brien, Mattias Cogan, Desmond Keane and Ultan Kearney.

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DAY 2: SATURDAY

Holly O'Flynn and Abigail Fowler began Saturday's racing for Skibbereen in the women's junior 18 double scull. After progressing confidently through the time trial and heat, they lined up against Fermoy in what proved to be one of the closest races of the weekend. The two crews traded strokes through the middle stages, neither able to establish a decisive advantage as they battled down the course. In a dramatic finish, Fermoy edged ahead in the closing metres to take the title by just 0.6 seconds.

The result was reminiscent of last year's final in the same event, where another Skibbereen crew was also denied the championship by the narrowest of margins on the line. It was another reminder that, at championship level, the smallest margins can make all the difference.

In the junior 18 men's quad scull, Mattias Cogan, Sam Wheeler-O'Brien, Ultan Kearney and Desmond Keane faced Methodist. The Methodist crew moved into an early lead, but Skibbereen maintained their pace and moved ahead during the third 500 metres. Methodist closed the gap in the final section, but Skibbereen crossed the line first by 0.7 seconds.

In the junior 16 double scull, Fia Foley and Laoise Hamilton missed out on qualification following the time trial. Anna Connolly and Labhaoise McCarthy, rowing above their usual age category, produced an impressive performance to progress through the earlier rounds before finishing fourth in the final. Their result against older opposition highlighted the promise they possess and suggests there is plenty more to come in the years ahead.

The Skibbereen women's club eight of Irene Aguirre Barrero, Kelly Oforji, Moya Knowles, Mia Maguire, Mimi Jacob, Orla Hayes, Ellen Connolly and Saoirse O'Donnell, coxed by Nadine Hourihane, faced Queen's University Belfast in their heat. The crews battled closely throughout the race, with Skibbereen edging ahead in the closing stages to secure the all-important qualifying place for the final. The crew later finished fifth in the final.

Kealan Mannix and Finn O'Reilly teamed up with Michael Hourihane and Jake McCarthy in the men's senior quad scull to take on a University of Galway crew boasting a formidable pedigree. In a race of the highest quality, the Skibbereen quartet matched their rivals stroke for stroke, refusing to let the Galway crew break clear. Emptying themselves over the closing stages, they pushed all the way to the line, but victory slipped away by the narrowest of margins as University of Galway claimed the title by just 0.2 seconds. It was a heartbreaking result for the Skibbereen crew, whose outstanding performance deserved little less than gold on another day.

A Skibbereen/Lee composite crew claimed the women's senior quad scull title. Aoife Casey, Emily Hegarty and Aisling Hayes combined with Irish international Margaret Cremen of Lee Rowing Club to finish first.

Mark Yaskozhuk and Brion Hurley competed in the men's junior 16 double scull, alongside fellow Skibbereen crews Olan Ferguson and Odhran Keane, and Oscar Ferguson and Peter Grant. Ferguson and Grant, also competing above their age category, were the only Skibbereen crew to reach the final, where they produced an excellent performance to finish fourth. Their run to the championship final against older crews underlined the strength of Skibbereen's emerging junior talent and offered plenty of encouragement for the future.

Skibbereen was also represented across a number of the championship single scull events. Tomás Burchill, Mark Yaskozhuk and Brion Hurley competed in the club single scull, while Oran Roycroft lined up in the men's intermediate single scull. Despite determined performances in highly competitive fields, none of the quartet was able to progress beyond the time trial stage.

The masters women lined out again in the women's novice 4+, with Sabine Cronin, Florencia Santana, Claire O’Sullivan and Niamh Connolly, coxed by Laoise Hamilton, where they faced more strong university crews and gained more valuable championship experience.

Aoife Hendy won the women's lightweight single sculls title.

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DAY 3: SUNDAY

Sunday's racing took place in stronger winds, with slower times recorded as crews raced into the headwind.

The men's junior 16 single scull opened the day's programme, with Olan Ferguson, Desmond Keane and Odhran Keane competing for Skibbereen. Keane secured the final qualifying position from the time trial and went on to claim the silver medal in the final, while Ferguson and Odhran Keane narrowly missed qualification.

Skibbereen filled the top three places in the men's senior single scull. Defending champion Fintan McCarthy finished first, followed by Kealan Mannix in second and Finn O'Reilly in third.

Ellen Connolly and Irene Aguirre Barrero both reached the final of the women's junior 16 single scull, finishing fourth and sixth respectively in the changing conditions.

Two Skibbereen crews featured in the men's junior 18 double scull final. Mattias Cogan and Sam Wheeler-O'Brien advanced after winning their heat, while Ultan Kearney and Desmond Keane secured the final qualifying place after a close race with Clonmel. Cogan and Wheeler-O'Brien were crowned junior 18 men's double scull champions after winning the final by eight seconds over Methodist making it a hat-trick of victories for Mattias across the weekend and Sam's second.

The women's junior 18 quad scull included two Skibbereen crews. Nadine Hourihane, Sarah Coughlan, Holly O'Flynn and Abigail Fowler finished fourth behind winners Fermoy. The development crew of Labhaoise McCarthy, Anna Connolly, Mia Maguire and Saoirse O'Donnell finished fifth in their heat and did not reach the final.

The final win of the championships came in the form of the women's senior eight. The Skibbereen/Trinity composite crew of Aoife Casey, Emily Hegarty, Aisling Hayes and Aoife Hendy, coxed by Skibbereen's Orla Hayes, led from the start and crossed the line first.

This brought Skibbereen Rowing Club's total number of national championship titles for the weekend to nine.

The National Rowing Championships marked the conclusion of Skibbereen Rowing Club's domestic racing calendar for 2026, bringing to a close one of the club's most successful seasons in recent years. Across the weekend, both junior and senior athletes secured national titles, reached finals and gained championship racing experience.

Attention now turns to the international programme, where Skibbereen athletes will represent Ireland at the Home Internationals, the Junior World Championships and the Senior World Championships.

Skibbereen rowers who were part of the victorious women's senior eight; from left, Aisling Hayes, Emily Hegarty, Orla Hayes (cox), Aoife Casey and Aoife Hendy.

It was a Skibbereen one-two-three in the men's single scull; from left, Kealan Mannix (second), Fintan McCarthy (winner) and Finn O'Reilly (third).

Skibbereen's senior men's double sculls winners Jake and Fintan McCarthy with the club's senior women's double scull winners, Aisling Hayes and Emily Hegarty.

Skibbereen's women's masters novice eight crew.

Mattias Cogan won the men's junior 18 single scull.

Skibbereen's Dominic Casey, racing for NUIG, won two titles at the nationals – the men’s intermediate coxed 4+ and the lightweight men’s single scull that his dad Dominic (pictured) also won in 1987 and 1988.