After a long season of intense, exciting racing, the 2025 season will conclude this coming weekend as the Irish Rowing Community descends upon the banks of Inniscarra for the 2025 National Rowing Championships. With almost 1300 competitors and over 900 crews, competition will be fierce, and the inclusion of members of the Rowing Ireland Senior squad, who are usually unable to race at the Championships due to international competition, will ensure that world-class racing will be on show across the weekend. With six entries, the men’s intermediate eight will be a straight final, which means the crews will only have one shot to get their bow ball across the finish line first
University of Galway Boat Club (UGBC)
The men’s intermediate eight from the University of Galway Boat Club, under the guidance of new head coach, Paul Thornibrook, have climbed the ranks of this event this past season, after a disappointing fourth place finish at last year’s National Championships. They have shown impressive form so far this year, with their penultimate race at Cork Regatta seeing them finish only three seconds behind UCD’s senior eight. With three members of last season’s crew regaining their seats, strokeman Cormac Benson, James Murphy and Mick Farrell, they will have their eyes set on claiming the title.
University College Dublin (UCDBC)
Another crew looking to make amends for their underwhelming performance last year is University College Dublin’s intermediate eight. After failing to win any men’s senior or intermediate pots last year, UCD have regained control over the men’s sweep scene in Irish Rowing, winning both the men’s senior and intermediate eights at the University Championships, as well as the senior eight at last month’s Cork Regatta. This crew has no talent shortage, and it has multiple national championship winners, including Dach Murray, Paul Flood, and Fintan Early.
University College Cork Rowing Club (UCCRC)
Whilst the crew from University College Cork Rowing Club (UCCRC) has no shortage of talented rowers, their form is a relatively unknown entity as we have yet to see this lineup race so far this year. Their intermediate crew seems to have undergone a significant overhaul, following their disappointing result at Cork Regatta, where they failed to qualify for the finals. Reinforcements in the form of multiple U23 medallists, John Kearney, as well as Ethan O’Neill and Rory Buckley, who both narrowly missed out on selection for the U23 Irish Squad, have been added to the crew, which will undoubtedly bring more speed and experience to this crew. However, with so little time between Cork and the championships, it will be a big ask for this crew to turn their performance around and stand atop the podium.
Commercial Boat Club
The reigning intermediate eight champions, Commercial BC, return to the waters of Inniscarra this weekend and will be eager to relive the highs of their victory last year. To do so, however, could pose a significant challenge for the boys from Blessington, as their recent performance at Cork Regatta would suggest they may be in the trailing pack, after a fourth-place finish, over ten seconds behind UGBC and UCDBC. Colum Brennan and Christopher Dehaene are the only two returning victors from last year’s crew, and will lead Commercial’s charge this weekend as they try to claim their second consecutive victory.
Prediction
Whilst UCDBC would appear to be the obvious choice, the upward trajectory of the Galway crew cannot be overlooked, and I believe that we will see the boys from UGBC ascend the podium this weekend.
