St. Michael’s Rowing Club was founded in Dun Laoghaire Harbour in the early 1920s. Today the club consists of over 100 members, from all walks of life, with all abilities catered for, from complete beginners to experienced rowers.
Crews train Monday to Friday from March to September, from 6 pm to sundown, in five traditional wooden boats: the Dunleary (1972), the Eileen (1981), the St. Michael (1999), the Dun Laoghaire (2014), and the Naomh Micheal (2015).
St. Michael’s Men won St. Michael’s Long Race 2018, the race was a grueling 27km Course, Six crews from four east coast rowing clubs competed in this year’s race Crews comprised of all female, mixed, and male categories course
The Hobblers Challenge Trophy went to St. Michael’s Men and the brand new Hobblers Challenge Ladies Trophy goes to St. Michael’s Ladies. The race commenced at 10:20 on 1 September, 2018. St. Michael’s Men completed the race in 2 hours and 47 minutes. Six crews from four east coast rowing clubs competed in this year’s race.
The race builds on the tradition of the ‘Hobblers Challenge’ race, hosted by St. Michael’s Rowing Club at various times since the 1990s, which used a number of courses, predominantly from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to the Kish Lighthouse and back.
The 2018 course followed an inshore course of the same length, but still begins and ends in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
East coast rowers use a traditional clinker-built boat called a skiff, which takes four rowers, one per oar, and a cox. With fixed seats, wooden oars, and clinker-built boats, the sport as we know it differs significantly from our freshwater ‘Olympic-style’ cousins. The traditional style boat build is not only beautiful but powerful.
The course is 27 km long and starts at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, at the east breakwater beneath the Hobblers Memorial, out the harbour mouth, around the landward side of a ‘gate boat’ off Merrion Strand, around Poolbeg Lighthouse, up the Liffey as far as the ESB towers, before doubling back, across the mouth of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, across Scotsman’s Bay, past Sandycove and Bullock Harbour, turning at Coliemore Harbour, before returning to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, finishing at the end of the East Breakwater.
Race times
St. Michael’s Men – 2 hrs 47 mins
Skerries Mixed – 3 hrs 1 min
St. Michael’s Ladies 1 – 3 hrs 3mins
Dalkey Ladies – 3 hrs 9 mins
St. Michael’s Ladies 2 – 3 hrs 47 mins
Fingal Ladies (Short course) 2 hrs 7 mins
The Hobblers Challenge Trophy went to St. Michael’s Men and the brand new Hobblers Challenge Ladies Trophy goes to St. Michael’s Ladies 1.
Ger Ryan, Club Chairperson of St. Michael’s Rowing Club – Dun Laoghaire, said: “Congratulations to St. Michael’s on winning this year’s long race and well done to the clubs and the crews who competed in the race. It’s no easy feat to complete the grueling 27 km race, it’s a real test of fitness, power, and mental strength. Unfortunately, last year’s race was called off at the last minute due to poor weather conditions. It was great to see this year’s race go ahead and we look forward to inviting east coast rowing clubs to compete again next year.”
For more information, visit DunLaoghaireRowing.com or contact Eoin Clarke on 086 824 5800 or dunlaoghairerowing@gmail.com