Lively day of racing at annual Regatta

Posted on: 18 April 2017

This year’s annual Trinity Regatta featured 181 national and international crews, who provided a lively day of racing on the 1,800m course along the Liffey.

The Islandbridge boat house, located in the picturesque War Memorial Gardens, was a hive of activity throughout the day, from the first race at 7.30am right through to the final race at 6pm.

Trinity’s men’s and women’s crews were hoping to win this, their home regatta. However only the novice women managed this feat, emerging victorious from their final against Dutch side KSRV Njord.

The novice men lost out to Queens, while the women’s senior 8 were disappointed not to have beaten Commercial. A poor start by the men’s senior 8 meant they never made up sufficient ground to overtake their main rivals, UCD, in the penultimate race of the day. 

None of this detracted from the event, however, which also featured a regatta lunch in the boat house, jointly hosted by DUBC and DULBC. DUBC alum and DUCAC Chair Donagh McDonagh said a few words to welcome guests, which included DUBC alum Adam Browne, Director of Student Services Alison Oldam, Chair of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Cathal Moran, Dean of Students Kevin O’Kelly and Head of Sport Michelle Tanner.

Other special guests included the new President of Rowing Ireland, Eamon Colclough, as well as the Dutch Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Paul Schellekens.

The first Trinity Regatta was held back in 1898 to celebrate the boat club’s move, at the time, to Islandbridge from Ringsend. For many years the event was known as the Irish Henley. The regatta retains its unique status in the Irish rowing calendar, combining side-by-side racing with entertainment on the bank.