Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
KILLARNEY rowing enthusiasts will be heading south this weekend as Waterville rolls out the red carpet for crews and supporters attending the prestigious All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships.
The action gets underway on Lough Currane this Friday and the excitement will continue until well into Sunday with more than 2,700 rowers and 500 crews competing.
Crews from Donegal, Antrim, Belfast, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Cork and Kerry will battle it out.
The championship event is being hosted by the Kerry Coastal Rowing Association with in excess of 20 coastal rowing clubs involved in the mammoth task of organising a fantastic programme of rowing and entertainment.
A total of 25 categories of rowing from the under 12s crews to masters/veterans will be taking to the water and this year is a first for women competitors in the traditional Seine boat race, which is normally the preserve of the male crews of south Kerry.
The opening ceremony will take place in the village at 7.30pm this Friday with the annual parade of rowing clubs and after the championships medal ceremony on Sunday evening, a fireworks display will light up the night sky at 11.30pm.
Organiser, Mary B Teahan, said: “This year’s championships will be the biggest in the country and the event promises to be full of passion, pride and fantastic competition.”
