Clonmel Rowing Club - Clonmel | Irish Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Clonmel Rowing Club rows on the River Suir from Moore's Island at Upper Irishtown, Clonmel. Founded there by local boating enthusiasts in 1869, the club still occupies the same site, which generations of local people have called the Island.

The 1880s and 1890s were successful racing decades. In 1920 Clonmel won its first Irish eights championship and also secured the Leander Trophy at Cork City Regatta. Its annual regatta attracted rowing crews and swimmers from around Ireland during the 1920s and 1930s.

Rowing declined after the Second World War, although Clonmel won the Blue Riband at Dublin's Metropolitan Regatta in 1958. The club closed during the 1960s, then local businesspeople and former members revived it for its centenary in 1969. A new club and boathouse opened in 1979.

Membership is open to adults and children, from absolute beginners to seasoned rowers. Current categories include juniors, seniors, masters, families and Dragon Paddlers, and the club participates in recreational and competitive events in Ireland and internationally throughout most of the year.

Clonmel won its first junior schoolboy four championship in 1980 and its junior women's eight captured the club's second eights championship in 2005. By 2019 it had won 15 national championships, six of them during the 2010s.

Daire Lynch won three national single-scull titles in 2016, then took European under-23 double-scull gold in 2020 and the Irish senior scull title in 2021. The club records his 2023 world double-scull bronze with Philip Doyle, which qualified the boat for the Paris Olympics, and Donnacha Keeley's under-23 lightweight double-scull world gold in 2024.