A day by the river

CROWDS braved the elements on Saturday afternoon to support the return of the Clarecastle Regatta.
As a group gathered to take part in the 10km road race, conditions were dry but not much of a distance was complete when the rain started.

“People battled on in the lashing rain anyway and whether it was their willpower or their wishes for the rain to stop that worked we’ll never know but the rain did stop and held off until the rest of the day’s events were done,” chairman of the regatta organising committee, Donal Carey said.
Once the road race was over, attention turned to the quay side, for a dog show. “We had expected a greater participation in all of the events, including the dog show, but given the downpour there had been before hand, it was well attended,” he added.
All of the events went ahead as expected, with the bonny baby competition particularly well supported. People also thoroughly enjoyed the puc fada competition across the river.
Mr Carey said that the currach racing went very well and was well attended. “We had eight boats from our own club, Fergus Rowing Club, taking part, with teams from Doonbeg, Kilrush, Dingle and Coonagh also competing. It was wonderful to see so many rowers on the river again,” he remarked.
A range of children’s sports competitions were also held, with parents and families delighted to cheer them on from the sidelines.
The clay pigeon shooting was also very popular and so many entered the competition that it went on for over four hours, with Jacko Healy emerging as the overall winner. People were also very interested in the vintage cars on display at the event.
One of the more humourous events of the day was the rubber duck race.
“Almost 900 rubber ducks were set afloat down river from the quayside. It was some sight and definitely got people smiling. The children were delighted with this event. The local civil defence were on hand to steer the ducks downstream when they ran into difficulty. It was very much a fun event,” Mr Carey remarked.
Throughout the afternoon crowds were also entertained by a number of bands, including the Clare Celts, David Hanrahan and band, and local traditional musicians including the Frawley girls and Thomas Ryan.
Clarecastle GAA Club and Fergus Rowing Club are hoping that the regatta will be an annual event.