Ireland will send 10 crews to the European Rowing Championships, which run from May 25th to 28th in Bled in Slovenia. The team, named on Friday, features some changes from the entry submitted.
Hugh Moore and Fintan McCarthy form the men’s lightweight double. Jake McCarthy was initially named in this crew but misses out. Ireland are the defending champions, but the Paul O’Donovan-Fintan McCarthy crew were not contenders as O’Donovan had exams.
The women’s four also features a new line-up. The Olympic-medal crew was stroked by Emily Hegarty, who is injured. Tara Hanlon comes in, and Eimear Lambe moves to stroke. Natalie Long teams up with newcomer Imogen Magner in a pair.
Zoe Hyde and Sanita Puspure resume in the double, but Alison Bergin, though named in the entry in a single scull, will not now compete. Lightweight sculler Siobhán McCrohan gets her chance at a major international event after a seven-year absence, while twenty-year-old Brian Colsh takes on the formidable challenge of the men’s single.
Two of the strongest-looking entries are the women’s lightweight double (Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen) and the men’s double of Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle (pictured at the Memorial Paolo d’Aloja this year). The progress of Katie O’Brien and Steve McGowan in the mixed PR2 as they look to the Paris Parlympics will be interesting.
The men’s four showed plenty of promise at the World Championships last year, but this is the crucial season for them if they are to realistically target Olympic participation next season.
Ireland Team For European Rowing Championship:
Men
Four: Fionán McQuillan-Tolan, Nathan Timoney, Ross Corrigan, John Kearney
Double: Daire Lynch, Philip Doyle
Lightweight Double: Hugh Moore, Fintan McCarthy
Single Scull: Brian Colsh
Women
Four: Aifric Keogh, Fiona Murtagh, Tara Hanlon, Eimear Lambe
Pair: Natalie Long, Imogen Magner
Double: Zoe Hyde, Sanita Puspure
Lightweight Double: Aoife Casey, Margaret Cremen,
Lightweight Single: Siobhán McCrohan
Pararowing
PR2 Mixed Double: Steven McGowan, Katie O’Brien