Image Credit: World Rowing
The 2026 Irish rowing season is underway and set to be another exciting and intriguing year of racing. Crews up and down the island will be continuing their preparations for the early season head of the rivers and summer regattas after the winter. The 2026 season will be particularly interesting as the rule changes from the recent Rowing Ireland EGM will come into effect, which will alter the eligibility for some athletes for certain categories.
For those unaware, Rowing Ireland operates on a points system where you obtain points by winning and cannot compete in events where the crew’s average points are above the threshold. This system was introduced in 2014 and has remained unchanged until now. The main changes to the system include that points won’t be awarded or deducted at regattas; they will only be awarded at the National Championships. Another change is that junior rowers will now only be awarded 200 points automatically when they turn 18 years old, down from 300 points, allowing any athlete to race in a club event until they win a National Championship. Unfortunately, the proposed addition of club double and quadruple scull events did not pass. With the sport in Ireland growing at the current pace, more events would have been a welcome addition to the National Championships.
The desired effects of these changes are an increase in regatta attendance, as athletes in recent years have opted not to race at regattas so that, if they win the regatta, they will not have to race in a higher category at the championships. The unfortunate consequence of increasing the number of athletes eligible for club events without adding additional events will make the club coxed four and single scull events even more competitive, despite them already being two of the most subscribed-to events in the championship program.
In addition to the changes from the EGM, the upcoming season promises to be exciting due to the numerous highly competitive squads across the country, many of which will be eager to build on their achievements from the 2025 season.
Student and Club Crews To Watch
University College Dublin Boat Club
Domestically, University College Dublin were unbeaten in the eight, winning at the University and National Championships, along with picking up the Gannon Cup during the Colours Boat Races and then the Leander Cup at Cork Regatta. Other notable victories from last season were the senior coxless fours and the intermediate eight at the National Championships. This season comes as close to a perfect season for the university, marking a bounce-back from their disappointing 2024 season. When writing the 2025 Crews to Watch article this time last year, I mentioned that 2024 was a transition year for the college, and the coaches have clearly guided the squad through that transition period, culminating in some exceptional results at the end of the year.
As is typical with university crews, there are a few graduations, and therefore, a few squad members will be leaving the club. This season, the group will be without a few of last year’s most important rowers, such as Fintan Earley, Mikey Campion, and Paul Flood, who have either taken a step back from the squad or have emigrated. With the end of this year marking the halfway point of the Los Angeles Olympiad, and the World Rowing Championships being held a few weeks earlier in the year than last year, it is unlikely that Daire Lynch will be able to remain fully integrated in the squad throughout the summer. However, the UCD coaches have always had a knack for elevating the standards of their athletes when necessary. Two athletes who will be primed to take up the mantle include Ross Mason and Andrew O’Leary, both of whom represented Ireland at the U23 European Rowing Championships earlier this year. These rowers have already put down an impressive performance on the water, placing fifth at Erne Fours Head of the River in a coxed four, beating all but one coxless four.
For this squad, retaining the Gannon Cup and winning at the University Championships shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge, and building on the success of last year’s championships will be the primary challenge. While the senior eight and four, along with the intermediate eight, are the most coveted categories for large university squads, this squad will likely be disappointed with only three pennants added to the wall and should be hoping to win even more championship pots in 2026. They will be a squad to watch in 2026, as they attempt to retain the “Big Pot” and aim for new wins.
Cork Boat Club
After the high point in the history of Cork Boat Club, winning the senior eight in 2024, the squad will likely have been disappointed to retain only one of their 2024 championships in the 2025 season. Despite the lack of silverware, the squad were still one of the top senior squads in the country, finishing second in the senior eight and four, and winning the senior pair. But Cork are also building depth, as seen by their second eight qualifying for the senior eight final, the only club to do so.
Despite Cork’s tendency to start the year off behind the pack, their top athletes had some decent results at the recent open Rowing Ireland trial. A talisman of the squad, Fionnan Tolan, is clearly setting out his stall to rejoin the national team; a blow to the squad should he be successful. Every cloud has a silver lining, however, and if Tolan is racing with the national team this summer, it frees Cork’s top crew to pursue a Henley Royal Regatta campaign in the club category. Cork has strong Henley Royal Regatta pedigree, semifinalists in The Thames Challenge Cup in 2018, returning in the same boat class in 2021, and racing in two fours in 2023. The allure of Henley Royal Regatta for Irish crews is often overshadowed by its proximity to the National Championships, with finals day at Henley Royal Regatta taking place only five days before the start of the championship regatta. Should Cork take the risk, I believe they could go a few rounds in a Thames, Britannia, or Wyfold crew.
Domestically, Cork will be aiming to recapture the senior championships they lost in 2025. The squad is built around a core group of rowers, and they are fortunate not to have the flux that university squads usually have year-on-year. One of the few changes to the squad is the addition of Colm Hennessy, who moved downriver from Shandon Boat Club. Hennessy has multiple Irish championship wins, has represented Ireland as an U19 and U23 lightweight, and has raced at Henley Royal Regatta. He will undoubtedly bring some clever racing experience and internal competition for seats, which will benefit their entire squad. Maybe a cat amongst the pigeons is exactly the jolt this crew needs to rebound from their 2025 season. Whether or not Cork Boat Club crews will feature on the Henley Royal Regatta live stream, they will be a crew worth watching.
Commercial Rowing Club
Commercial Rowing Club of Dublin look set to blast off the blocks early in the year, as they also did last year. Ronan Brennan and Thomas Stevens placed first and second, respectively, in the Dublin Sculling Ladder in October. Stevens also had an impressive performance in the single at the Rowing Ireland open trial, and a Commercial coxless four placed third at the Erne Fours Head of the River, the fastest sweep crew. Translating this impressive early speed to results in the summer will be Commercial’s primary focus for the 2026 season.
Commercial boasts a huge squad, especially for a club of its size. They raced in seven fours at Erne Fours Head and in four eights at Dublin Head of the River. An environment this competitive is a rising tide that should elevate the quality of the squad across the board, and come the end of the year, the coaching team will have a glut of quality athletes to select from. The standout crew last season was the senior coxless four, which had turned many heads with some impressive racing at the Metropolitan Regatta in Dorney last June. There were high expectations for this crew as they embarked on a Henley Royal Regatta campaign, only to be beaten by a gutsy Thames Rowing Club crew on the first day. This experience will stand out to the Dubliners, and they will undoubtedly return with more racing knowledge in the coming season.
Commercial’s only championship came from their club eight, an impressive feat for a non-university club, as the points system favours universities for club events. Last year, Commercial was the first non-university club to win the club eight since the inception of the event in 2014, before which the category was known as maiden or novice. Other crews that put together an impressive row were the intermediate four and intermediate pair, who both placed third. Similar to the senior four, the intermediate four raced well at the London Metropolitan Regatta and was knocked out on the first day of Henley Royal Regatta. Clearly, from last year’s results, Commercial’s large squad enables it to compete competitively across various events and levels. This broad level of competitiveness is why they will be a crew to look out for, in more than just the senior categories.
University of Galway Boat Club
The University of Galway squad was the most successful men’s squad at the championships last year, in terms of the number of championships won, winning four intermediate and one club pot. They were also successful on the international stage, with Martin O’Grady and Donagh Claffey winning a fantastic bronze medal at the U23 World Rowing Championships. Another four UG athletes participated in the quadruple sculls at this regatta, and four of these six athletes raced in the Irish men’s eight at the U23 European Rowing Championships later in the summer. The Corrib-siders will be regrouping ahead of 2026 with immense pride in what they achieved last season.
To match or exceed last year’s achievements will be a challenge for the Galwegians. On the international front, their medallists will be ageing out of the U23 category, but based on their results at the recent trials, it should be within their abilities to make the step up to the senior ranks. Three of the four athletes who represented Ireland in the quad will be eligible to race at the 2026 U23 World Rowing Championships. They will be eager to show the country they are better than the second-to-last place they obtained in 2025. Assuming these athletes surpass their standards from last year, there should be plenty of international representation from the University of Galway.
The challenge to match or exceed last year’s domestic results is the greater of the two. For large universities, it is the big boats that are always the desirable wins, and given UG’s history of winning senior eights, this is where this institution should be striving towards. Despite the impressive five championships the squad won last year, finishing third in the intermediate eight and fifth in the senior eight would have been a colossal disappointment. The step up from winning intermediate small boats to winning the senior eight is a significant jump, and if UG’s top athletes are preoccupied with rowing for Ireland, it seems it will be even more challenging to make this jump. Both UCD and Cork Boat Club came second in the senior eight three times, and each won the intermediate eights twice, before their first (of recent) senior eight wins in 2019 and 2024, respectively, so I would be surprised if UG can be at the top end of senior rowing this year, given their placings in the eights last summer. Being in the top three in the senior categories will likely be their level this season, with some intermediate wins if they can create crews below the points threshold. If they continue improving, they will certainly be a senior crew to watch in the coming years.
Sculling Categories
Not as many large squads across the island focus on sculling events domestically, which makes covering the categories difficult this far out from the racing season. The University of Galway has been cultivating a robust sculling program in recent years, which has paid dividends with many athletes from UG representing Ireland in sculling events. They have kept this form up into this racing season, topping the timing sheets at Erne Fours Head in a coxless quad. Queen’s University Belfast have also had a focus on sculling in recent years, and they placed second at Erne. Two individual athletes moving up from junior rowing are Jack Rafferty of St. Michael’s Rowing Club and Jonah Kirby of Kenmare Rowing Club, Ireland’s first U19 world champions. They both delivered exceptional performances at the recent open trials, putting themselves in the conversation for not only U23 team selection but also senior team selection. While their participation in the National Championships will be determined by which international races they take part in, they will both be worth gathering at the waterfront to watch during the earlier domestic regattas.
Junior Crews to Watch
Sweep
Enniskillen Royal Boat Club is the reigning champion in the junior eight, and Coláiste Iognáid (The Jes) won the junior coxed four and pair last July; however, most of these athletes from The Jes crew have since aged out of the age category. After the recent Erne Fours Head of the River, the Enniskillen squad looks to be as strong as ever, winning the junior coxed four category. Placing second was Athlone Boat Club, who are usually a strong sculling club; whether they will continue to pursue a sweep championship or revert to their more traditional sculling categories will be interesting to watch throughout the year. Neptune Rowing Club, who placed second in the junior eight championship last year, carried their speed from last year into the Rowing Ireland open trial, where they performed well in the pair. They will also be worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.
Sculling
The junior sculling categories were swept by St. Michael’s Rowing Club last year, an impressive feat that is only reserved for exceptional athletes. Two athletes from this championship quad will be eligible for junior racing this season: Art Thornbury and Evan O’Byrne, the latter of whom also won the double scull. They will certainly be a crew to watch to see if they can retain their titles. Another crew to watch in 2026 is Methodist College Belfast (Methody), who placed second in last year’s quad championship. The Methody rowers have started this season out strongly, with a win in the quad at Erne Fours Head and some excellent individual results at the open trial. More crews to watch include Commercial Rowing Club, who performed well at Erne Fours Head, and Skibbereen Rowing Club, with a second and third place at the open trial. 2026 will have some interesting and exciting races in store for us.
