A number of Clare people played a pivotal role in the development of the new state-of-the-art €4.1 million boathouse facility at the University of Limerick (UL) last week.

Students from Clare and Limerick celebrated the official opening of the new boathouse by Minister of State Peter Power. They must have surely toasted the vision of the promoters including current alumni and rowing club president, Colin Byrne who lives in Killaloe and Dr Bob Strunz, who is one of the driving forces in the sub-aqua club and also lives near the Cathedral town.
Pat O’Brien from Stonehall in Newmarket-on-Fergus was president of the Students’ Union last year while former Clare minor and U-21 captain and Wolfe Tones stalwart, Paul Lee from Shannon is the clubs and societies development officer.
Mr Lee recalled the culmination of a project first discussed with the Students’ Union back in 1998 had now come to fruition.
He described it as a superb sporting addition to the campus infrastructure, which now accommodates their rowing, kayak, mountain bike and sub-aqua clubs respectively.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Power said that this was a great example of what could be achieved when government, university and students work together to provide a world-leading development that will provide a unique facility in Ireland for athletes and students alike.
“Limerick has been well established as a city of sport and UL has for some time been considered Ireland’s sporting campus,” said UL president, Professor Don Barry.
“We pride ourselves on possessing state-of-the-art facilities which contribute greatly to that status. The new boathouse facility is another excellent addition to the world class sporting facilities at UL.
“The students of UL deserve immense credit for their foresight and commitment to the development of this campus facility. To date, students have contributed over €12 million to the university’s infrastructure. The result and success of the building is a true illustration of the tremendous unity and student spirit we have here on campus,” he said.
The 1,900sqm boathouse, located on the banks of the Shannon is a unique project, which is largely funded by the UL student body. Members of the rowing club identified the need for such a facility and engaged in extensive planning and fundraising in partnership with the kayak, sub-aqua and mountain bike clubs. In 2003, the students voted to extend the student levy to pay for the facility.
The facility includes Ireland’s only indoor rowing tank, which can accommodate up to eight rowers at a time. This has the capacity to simulate various water conditions providing varied training opportunities for rowers in order to achieve international standards. The building also includes a launch jetty, pontoon and a café.
Students’ Union president, Ruan’s Dillon McLoughlin, described the boathouse as a world-class facility, the first project of its kind completed by students, for students.
“The opening ceremony marks all the hard work and foresight past students used in bringing this project to fruition. Over 10 years of hard work has been invested in this student lead and student funded project.”
Commenting on the birth of the project Professor Barry said, “The university received financial support from the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism to expand the boathouse infrastructure and there are plans to develop an all-weather sports complex that will be of direct benefit to many sports in Ireland.
“This world-class facility will be available to UL students as well local, representative and national squads,” he said.
The university will be dedicating significant energy and resources to assisting in the preparations of athletes for future international competitions, with a particular focus on the London Olympics in 2012.