The National Rowing centre, in Cork, home to a record number of Irish international athletes, including Galway's own Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh, who are preparing of the Paris Olympics in little over a week’s time, hosted a huge Galway contingent over the weekend at the National Rowing Championships (July 12th-14th 2024).
On Saturday afternoon, the culmination of a year's toil saw the eight top oarsmen from both Galway Alma Maters go head-to-head in the final with four other junior crews, Enniskillen Royal Grammar, Methodist School, Castleconnell, and Neptune who had made it through the gruelling qualifying heats earlier in the day.
It soon became evident that it was the two Corrib based schools who had an edge over the rest of the field and with Jes leading all the way down the 2k course. It was the Bish who ultimately pulled through in the very last few meters to cross the line 0.1 of a second or a bow ball in rowing parlance, to take the coveted top honour.
There was no shortage of tears from both camps in the enclosure and perhaps a fitting end to a highly competitive season which saw a sharing of the rowing spoils following the Bish's loss to the Jes in the Anderson Trophy at Galway regatta just last month.
Total respect by the crews for each other was evidenced by the standing ovation giving to the Jes by the Bish camp at the presentation ceremony in the winner's enclosure.
Bish Club President, George Finnegan, spoke afterwards about the healthy rivalry which has existed through the generations between both schools and that rivalry is matched only by the absolute respect which has existed alongside it.
The Bish's win crowned a weekend to remember for the club, following a long awaited win in the Junior Pairs on the Friday when Ross Bradley and Martin Siltanen brought the National Pairs Title back to the Bish after a 19-year drought. It proved to be a very tough final against the reigning champions and course record holders from Skibbereen Rowing Club.
Title winning coach, Aidan Fleming, who heads straight into International duties, heading up the Irish Coaching ticket for the forthcoming Homes Internationals in Scotland at the end of the month, spoke of the winning attitude pervasive throughout the club and spoke of the gargantuan effort of all those involved in keeping the Bish at the very pinnacle of Irish Junior Rowing.
