Cover image by Mark Kelly (thewateredge).
The highlight of the Irish University Rowing season, the Irish University Rowing Championships, takes place this weekend at The National Rowing Centre in Cork for the first time in recent memory, having previously been held in Lough Rynn. After adverse weather conditions led to the cancellation of last year’s race, though this year, the championship is set to make a strong comeback with over 150 entries across 24 different events. With a highly competitive lineup, the men’s senior coxless four is one of the day’s most exciting races.
University College Cork Rowing Club (UCCRC)
The crew from University College Cork can only be described as a world-class crew, with three of the four members of this lineup having won bronze in this boat class at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Varese in 2022. Bronze medallists Andrew Sheehan, John Kearney and Adam Murphy are joined by Diarmuid O’Connor, who will look to add further speed to an already well-experienced combination. Will this crew be able to replicate their speed from Varese on the waters of Inniscarra?
University College Dublin Boat Club A (UCDBC)
After an impressive win against Trinity at their annual Colour’s Race, the stern four of the University College Dublin crew have moved into a smaller boat, the men’s coxless four. Winners of this event at the 2023 University Championships, this men’s coxless four at UCD will be looking to retain their title and maintain the momentum building for the men’s squad at UCD so far this season.
University of Galway Boat Club (UGBC)
Despite being a slightly younger lineup, the University of Galway crew has significant experience both on the national and international stage. With multiple national titles to their names, the stern pair of Alex McWeeney and James Murphy are no strangers to this event, having both won a national championship in this boat class at a junior level. They are joined by scullers Zach Meegan and Sean Morris, the latter having returned from the U19 World Rowing Championships in a different four-person boat, the quad, where he placed fourth.
Predictions
With only five entries, this event will be a straight final, one that I expect to be a dogfight between the UCC and UCD crews. When it comes to predicting the winner of this event, it is difficult to look past the experience and talent of Yale alum and Olympic bronze medallist Daire Lynch, who sits in the three-seat of the University College Dublin boat, so I expect them to take the win.
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