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

Sligo Rowing Club is based at Doorly Park beside the Garavogue River in Sligo. The club's own site dates its foundation to 2005, while Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership records its formal establishment with local and national support in 2006.

The idea began during Frank Durkin's 2005 visit to Sligo. He launched a single scull from a town jetty, rowed up the Garavogue and onto Lough Gill, then proposed a sliding-seat rowing club to the local sports partnership.

Deirdre Lavin and Diane Middleton supported the proposal and arranged a public open day. Durkin and John O'Keefe of Old Collegians brought boats and oars, and the Irish Amateur Rowing Union followed with a three-day rowing event in March 2006 combining classroom introductions with sessions on the water.

The club supports junior rowing as well as adult participation. Its safeguarding statement covers members under 18 and applies to training, competitions, regattas, camps, trips and social events, with trained coaches and volunteers required for junior activity.

Sligo runs a Head of the River from its Doorly Park base. The club's 2025 event notice called for members to support catering, parking, traffic management and launch operations.

Its recent community programme has included Sligo Schools Rowing, advertised as open to all children, and a 20-person athlete-and-coach group travelling to the 2025 Irish Indoor Rowing Championships. A separate development campaign is seeking a purpose-built shared base from which Sligo Rowing Club and Sligo Kayaking Club can grow.