Susan Dunlea is the new president of Rowing Ireland. She is the first woman to hold the post in the history of the organisation. Dunlea is a property surveyor at the State Valuation Office. She has a long history of behind the scenes work in rowing.
The proposal to have at least 40 per cent of female representation on the Rowing Ireland Board passed.
Proposals to effectively replace provincial representatives with independent directors and split the role of president and chair of the board drew strong support but fell short of the 75 per cent needed to pass under company law. A number of administrative changes were passed with big majorities.
High performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni addressed the meeting remotely and thanked those who had played a part in a successful period for the sport internationally. Dominic Casey was acclaimed for his role in Ireland’s Olympic glory.
The 2022 Irish Championships will be sited in July.
In his written report, Maurogiovanni listed “exclusive use of the National Rowing Centre” as a pillar of success for the international system – and maintaining this as a challenge going forward. He also said that the Irish Rowing Championships should be scheduled on a date so that all Irish international rowers could compete.
Maurogiovanni’s report, in common with others, stressed that international results were not just very good at senior level – including Olympic gold and bronze – but at under-23 and junior level.
John O’Keeffe, who has done years of work on developing rowing facilities at Blessington, was the recipient of the President’s Award