Racing Report: School's Regatta and Skibbereen Regatta

Tribes Head of the River 2010

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Bish rowers win two National Championships Titles

The peak of the national rowing calendar in Ireland, the National Championships, was held last weekend (10th-12th July) at the National Rowing Centre, situated in the Lee Valley near Coachford, Co. Cork. These Championships saw the return to the traditional form of St. Joseph's College “The Bish” in taking one third of the Junior Championship (i.e. Jr 18) events as well as success at younger levels, after a dry spell of a couple of years. Over forty oarsmen travelled to the championship venue, with ages ranging from 13 to 18, together with coaches and committee member, to race clubs and schools from all over Ireland North and South.

Success for The Bish began early on Friday morning with the Mens Junior Coxed Four cruising to a second place finish in their semi-final to place themselves in the final later that afternoon along with St. Michaels RC, Presentation College Cork, Lee RC, Portora Royal School and Clonmel RC. The much anticipated final took place with heavy rain and a slight cross wind, conditions which made racing all the more difficult. All boats moved away cleanly from the start with nothing between them after the first 100 meters. The Bish then began their stride, moving to the front of the pack by a canvas (approx. 6 feet). Between the 250m and 1000m marks the Bish held their lead, rebuffing several pushes from Presentation College and Portora Royal School while St.Michaels fell away from the pack. Still with a canvas lead at 1000m over Portora, Presentation, Clonmel and Lee, all of whom were dead level, the Bish took a massive push, extending their lead to just over a length in less than 20 strokes. Bish began their sprint as they passed the 1500m mark as did Clonmel. Both crews moved ahead of the pack. Clonmel made a hard push for the line, but the Bish held their power and cruised to victory, a length and a half ahead of Clonmel. Hundreds greeted the crew as they return to the slip to receive their prizes, the much coveted “Pot”, a success which the club had not achieved since 2005.

The next day the weather deteriorated further which resulted in many races being move forward, to avail of the better weather in the morning. Mens Junior 8s were brought forward from half past five to half past one. The Bish's victory in the 4s had clearly shaken some of the opposition, with a couple of crews making drastic changes to their 8s. The 8s was a straight final with 5 boats lining up at the start, The Bish, Bann RC, Portora Royal School, Presentation College and Clonmel. The wind has picked up from the previous day as had the rain. Due to the conditions a quick start was called, meaning that all crews had less time to prepare themselves at the stake boats. Despite this, all crews got away cleanly with Portora and Bann pushing out to take a half canvas lead over the rest of the pack. Over the next 750m, the Bish ate away at their lead, reeling in both crews to draw level at the 750m mark. By the 1k mark the Bish had a lead of half a canvas. At this point the Bish took their push, just as they had done in the 4s the previous day. Again, this push left the other crews for dead with the Bish extending their lead to about 1 length. Now with 750m left, the Bish took a series of pushes to fight off all attempts by Bann and Portora to gain ground. Coming into the final 250m, passing the hundreds of supporters on the bank, the Bish were cruising, keeping their length and power. St. Josephs crossed the finish line a length and clear water ahead of Bann, with Portora coming in 3rd place. Coaches, Parents and hundreds of ex-oarsmen lined the slipway as St. Joseph's went to collect their Pots, the second of the weekend, an amazing result for such a young crew, with 7 of the crew eligible to row junior again next year. The two Pots won this year brings the total Irish Championships won by the club to an outstanding 24, the most successful school's club and placing it within the top 20 of all rowing clubs on the island of Ireland.

As well as the success at Junior 18 level, The Bish achieved great success at younger age groups. Two Junior 14 Quads came first in the A and B finals and a win was also recorded with Jr 15 Sculls.   The Junior 16 Eight came 2nd to Portora as did the Junior 15 Sculler who was unlucky to come second in a very tight race.


Jr 18 8+: Lubos Simo, Conor Egan, Oisin Hennigan, Ellery Smith, Andrew Kemple, Eoghan Murphy, Richard Bennett, Robert O'Callahan. Cox-Michael Fleming.

Jr 18 4+: Fionnan Tolan, Eoghan Murphy, Andrew Kemple, Robert O'Callahan.

Jr 16 8+: Conor Breen, Emmett Long, Arron Kelly, Dean Madden, Fionnann Tolan, Daniel Hindel, Lubos Simo, Conor Egan. Cox: Gavin Clarke

Jr 15 1x: Fionnan Tolan

Jr 14 4x A: James Egan, John Flynn, Eric McEvoy, Ross Maxwell Cox: Michael Flatherty

Jr 14 4x B: Jack Bennett, Adian Kinneen, Dylan Delargy, Mark Istomin. Cox:Eoin Power

Jr 14 1x: James Egan

Bish rowers fly the flag at British Champs

Twenty-eight oarsmen from St Josephs Rowing Club competed against the elite of English rowing in the British Schools Championships in Nottingham recently. The Bish was just one of the 153 competing schools and 3,973 rowers at the three-day event that began with the Junior 15 4x. The Bish crew, not long in this combination, rowed a terrific race to qualify for the semi-finals, but drawn in a tough group, they failed to advance. Two eights crews were in action on Saturday, the Junior 15 8+ and also a Junior 18 8+. Both had to row a qualifying time trail race to cut the field down with the Junior 15 8+ just missed out by a mere five seconds. The Junior18 8+ had 20 crews in their time trial and needed to be faster then eight of the top British schools. This powered down the course to qualify for the semi final in whichhey struggled initially. In fifth place after 500m, they surged ahead at the 1,000m mark to come from fifth into fourth, snatchting the last qualifying place by half a canvas.

Twenty years since the Bish won this same event and brought the Child Beale trophy back to Galway, the class of 2009 did their best to emulate this achievement. Again they found themselves in fifth position before pushing themselves into bronze medal position. However in the end they lost out on a podium finish, crossed in fifth place. This crew has six oarsmen who eligible to compete in this event next year. On Sunday the Bish had representations in the Junior 18 Championship 4+, the Junior 16 4+, and the Junior 16 2-. All of the crews rowed admirably, with the Junior16 4 + qualifying for the last eight. The Bish will now contest events in Athlone, Galway, and Cork before the Irish Championships in July. Competing Crews: Junior 18 8+ Cox Michael Fleming, Stroke Robert O Callaghan, Richie Bennett, Eoghan Murphy, Andrew Kemple, Ellery Smith, Oisin Hennigan, Conor Egan, Fionnan Tolan McQuillan.

Junior 18 4+ Cox Michael Fleming, Stroke Robert O Callaghan, Andrew Kemple, Eoghan Murphy, Luis Simo

Junior 15 8+ Cox Gavin Clarke, Stroke Dara McKee, Conor Breen, Conor Egan, Aron Kelly, Stephen Clifford, Joey Irwin, Gary Higgins, Evan Lydon.

Junior 16 4+ Cox Gavin Clarke, Stroke Emmet Long, Aron Kilroy, Daniel Hindle, Gavin McGuigan

Junior 16 2- Stroke Dean Madden, Aron Kelly

Junior 14 4x Cox Michael Flaherty, Stroke James Egan, John Flynn, Eric McEvoy, Ross Maxwell.

ROWING REPORT MARCH 2009

Two ‘Bish’ 8’s crews travelled to Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh last Saturday to participate in the 52nd Erne Head of the River, home course to Portora Boat Club. In the Men’s J16 8+’s the ‘Bish’ J16 8+ raced away from the start leaving Coleraine behind. The crew performed well, closing Portora’s lead of 10 seconds off the start within the first 300m. ‘Bish’ shadowed Portora down the long straight (approx. 1.5km) until close to the first severe bend, when they pulled alongside on the inside and held position. Once around the corner ‘Bish’ eased forward of Portora until the next bend when Portora attempted to cut across ‘Bish’. However, Gavin Clarke, coxing ‘Bish’ held position, forcing Portora to concede the bend, and ‘Bish’ went on to take the honours and the Kemp Trophy. The ‘Bish’ J15 8+ also participated in the J16 (as there was no J15 event run on the day) event and produced an excellent time showing that they are a force to be reckoned with and have high hopes for their J16 chances next year.

St. Josephs College Rowing Club

St. Josephs College Rowing Club, more commonly referred to as 'The Bish', is located opposite Woodquay pier on the River Corrib in Galway, Ireland. Its membership is closed to pupils of the all-boys secondary school which is situated nearby in Nuns Island. The Club caters to students from J15 level up to the highest Junior level in Ireland, Junior 18A. St. Josephs has a proud history and is one of the most successful junior clubs in Ireland. The Bish almost exclusively competes in Sweep rowing events, although the recent purchase of single sculls has led to renewed participation in this field as well.

Early history
The first appearance of St Josephs College Rowing Club came in 1932 where they competed in the Schoolboy Fours event against St. Patricks. A compelling rivalry with another Galway school club, Colaiste Iognaid (The Jes), was quickly formed and this tense rivalry continues today. 1936 saw the first meeting of the two clubs in an Irish Championship and it was the Jes who emerged victorious, winning by 3 lengths. The Anderson Trophy for Junior Eights raced at Galway Regatta has produced some fantastic racing between the two clubs over the years. The Bish acquired its own clubhouse in 1955, with the old Emmets club donating their existing premises to be used by the developing school club.The Junior category was not offered at Irish Championship level until 1964 and The Bish enjoyed some notable success in the early stages of this new rowing level. The club completed a remarkable 3 in a row in the Junior 8 event in 1969, 1970 and 1971 and these wins were also accompanied by success in the Junior 4 event in 1970 and 1971.Another golden period for the club came in 1982-1985 where the club again dominated the Junior 8 category by becoming champions in each of the 4 years. Another Junior 4 championship was acquired in 1987.

Modern times 1992-2009
A talented young crew captured a coveted double of Junior 8's and 4's in 1992, with the Junior 8 event producing a fantastic racing spectacle. Bish battled with Limerick BC throughout the 2000m Blessington course to emerge victorious by a canvas. The Junior 4's was a less exciting affair with a strong Bish crew easily dispatching of St. Michaels in the final.
The next success for the club came in 1995 where they once more captured the Junior 8 title. However, most people will remember the 1995 championships for the enthralling Junior 4 event where excellent crews from Portora and Bish produced a race of the highest quality and excitement. The crews could not be separated over the 1400m distance and a dead heat was adjudged; the first ever to be declared in Junior 18 championship racing. A re-row was ordered and this time Portora secured the title, winning by clear water. Although understandably devastated by the loss, it is testament to the character of the oarsmen that they were able to recuperate and win the Junior 8 event the following day.
1996 saw victory for the club in a previously unsuccessful field, the mens Junior 2-. The combination of M. Wison and T. Lohan proved an exceptionally strong one and they delivered the club's first championship in this category. 21st century success

St. Josephs College Rowing Club Junior 18A 8+, Champions of Ireland
The Club would continue its proud legacy in the early stages of the new century. 2000 saw the purchase of a new Empacher 8, signalling the intent of the club members to continue to compete at the highest level. The following year proved to be a highly eventful campaign for the club. A thrilling race at Enniskillen Regatta in 2001 saw St Josephs narrowly defeated by the heavily fancied Neptune Rowing Club Junior 8 crew. The Anderson Cup at Galway Regatta that year also proved to be a memorable affair. The Bish went into the final against The Jes as strong favourites but were beaten by an extremely motivated Colaiste Iognaid crew by a distance of 1 length. The Bish crew then went into intense training ahead of the National Championships in Iniscara and this paid dividends when they caused an upset by winning the Junior 4 event ahead of the fancied Neptune crew. However, the crew were left disappointed when they were beaten by Neptune in the blue ribbon Junior 8 event the following day.

A young crew emerged in 2002 to challenge for the coveted Junior 8 title. They achieved notable success in Ghent regatta where they won the Junior 8 section ahead of a strong German crew, Frankfurter RS Germania. This win was even more impressive when one observes that 6 of the members of the squad were still eligible to compete at Junior 16 level. Unfortunately the squad would experience intense disappointment at the National Championships where they lost a classic Junior 8 race to Neptune by a negligible distance. The potential of this crew however was there for all to see and the Bish would once more enter a golden period which would see them dominate the Junior Sweep categories over the next 3 years.
In 2003 the Junior 18 squad travelled to the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta where they competed in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. The crew were unlucky however, to be drawn against a seeded american crew, Belmont Hill School. The Bish were eliminated in the first round after losing by a length and a half. The squad remained confident of success in the national Irish Championships however, and this confidence was justified as they secured the Junior 4 and 8 titles easily.

2004 saw another season of dominance by the Galway club, once again completing the double of Junior 8 and 4 at the National Championships. Club members Ronan Sweeney and Padraig Hawkins would also achieve notable success with the Irish national squad by winning the coxed 4s event at the Coupe de la Jeunesse held in Ravenna, Italy.

In 2005 the club finally completed the clean sweep of Junior events at the National Championships when they won the Junior,2-,4+ and 8+. Another club first was achieved when two St Josephs oarsmen were chosen to represent Ireland at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. The pair consisted of oarsmen Matty Carroll and Vincent Ruane.

July  2009 sees the school continue this proud record with National Championship wins in the Junior 4+ and 8+.

Future prospects
A massive investment in new equipment by the club in 2003 showed The Bish's intention to remain at the forefront of Junior Mens rowing in Ireland. A strong network of Alumni and parents allows for the effective training of new oarsmen every year with the goal of developing them to compete at the highest levels in Junior 18 standard and beyond. Many Bish oarsmen have gone on to achieve success with the national squad in subsequent years including Neville Maxwell (competed at 1996 Atlanta Olympics) and Alan Martin (current member of Irish Hwt 4- squad).

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A HISTORY OF BISH ROWING –  Mike McCrohan