West Clare currach racing goes from strength to strength

THE season for the West Clare Currach Club is now well and truly underway.
This year has already seen the club attend regattas in Limerick, Carrigaholt, Clarecastle, Quilty and Doonbeg and most recently, last weekend, a regatta was hosted by Kilrush Currach Club. The All-Ireland at Doonbeg on the August Bank Holiday Monday will mark the high point of the racing season.
Even though the weather was not ideal, the sea was calm and the stunning Celtic Mist was sailing at the pier at the commencement of the regatta in Kilrush last weekend.
It saw close on 30 teams taking part and including heats and finals. The day included 11 races, which began around noon with the men’s Clare league heats and final, which was won by the young Doonbeg team made up of Alan Honan, Eoin Honan and Kieran Browne, followed in second by another Doonbeg team comprising Joseph Kelly, Tommy O’Brien and Shaun Hayes. Third place was taken by Fergus1 from Clarecastle with Eamonn Enright, Peadar McMahon and Shane Lynch. 
This race was followed by the ladies’ Clare league heats and finals, which had six teams taking part in two heats with four in the final. The final was won by Fergus 1 from Clarecastle, which was made up of Síle Ní Dheargain, Suzanne Quinn and Melissa Whelan. In second place was Kilkee with Theresa and Mary Stanford and Lillian O’Donnell and third was pulled in by local team, Kilrush comprising of Caroline Walsh, Tracey McNamara and Malin Kelly.
This is the first year Kilrush has hosted a Clare league event with points for the ladies’ crews taking part, which has seen a great boost to the competition.
The men’s and ladies’ races were followed by the fear agus ban races, which have increased in popularity in the last couple of seasons. This event was no different with 10 teams spread over three heats. The first heat out saw a dramatic clash at the buoy with the hearts of the rowers as well as spectators beating on the double.
The winners of the fear agus ban was the upcoming Fergus team comprising of Kerry Power and Eamon Enright, followed by Kilrush’s Malin Kelly and Tom Blunnie with Ray and Ruth O’Leary, also from Fergus, just a shade behind in third.
At the end of the racing day, a local confined race was held for the Kilrush members, which had four currachs heading out with one woman and two men in each team. This race was won by Catherine Blunnie, Mark O’Brien and Diarmuid Whelan, followed by Sinon Madigan, Caroline Walsh and Paddy Keane and in third were Anne Marie Doyle, Martin O’Gorman and John Keane.
This saw a great finish to the day, which was closely supervised by Pat Honan as referee and safety officer together with a fantastic commentary from Eugene Costello from the pier.
The West Clare Currach Club is now looking forward to the All-Ireland, which will be running in Doonbeg this Bank Holiday Monday. Teams from Clare will be pitting their skills against top class competitors from Connemara, Kerry and Donegal.