West Cork rowers help smash world record

TEN rowers from West Cork helped break an indoor world rowing record.

Putting aside their rivalry on Easter Sunday in Clonakilty, rowers from Ring, GalleyFlash, Kilmacsimon, Castletownbere and Courtmacsherry joined forces with rowers from Passage West, Blackrock, Whitegate and Fenit rowing clubs to smash the previous world record when they rowed 100,000 metres on a Concept2 indoor rowing machine in four hours 31 minutes and 15.8 seconds.

This world record attempt by The Coastal Buoys at O’Donovan’s Hotel in Clonakilty took months of planning as 18 Cork rowers, all well known within the indoor rowing and coastal rowing circuits, joined forces to set a new world record on the rowing machines.

The previous world record – in the 30 to 39-year-old category – was set by a group of UK rowers in May 2016, but The Coastal Buoys knocked three minutes off that record. Passage West Rowing Club’s Pa O’Sullivan commented, ‘I’m very proud to have been part of the coastal buoys team. 

‘The world record split time of 1:22.4 was always going to be a tough challenge and to finish with an overall split time of 1:21.3 was just brilliant and goes to show the excellent strength and heart amongst the team. 

‘It was great for all of the coastal clubs to come together to complete this challenge as a team as we would usually row against each other during the season.

‘It was a great day to remember and a sign of the many positive movements happening in coastal rowing at the moment.’

The rowers involved included Patrick O’Sullivan, Jason O’Connell, Gavin O’Flaherty (Passage West Rowing Club), Eugene Dorney, Robert Diffley, Noel Carey (Blackrock Rowing Club), James McMurty (Whitegate Rowing Club), Dave Sheehy, Michael Murphy, Padraig Griffin (Ring Rowing Club), Paul Deasy, John Harrington (GalleyFlash Rowing Club), David Duggan (Kilmacsimon Rowing Club), Fintan Gilsenan (Castletownbere Rowing Club), Damien O’Leary, Joe O’Leary, Daniel Whelton (Courtmacsherry Rowing Club) and Kevin Crowley (Fenit Rowing Club).

In addition to breaking the world record, the rowers also raised over €2,000 for local charities, West Cork Rapid Response and Cancer Connect.