Both Lough Rinn Regatta and the first day of the Ghent International May Regatta proved happy hunting grounds for young Irish crews.
Lough Rinn, which is a Grand League regatta, had a disappointing entry – not least because so many Irish clubs were in Belgium in huge numbers.
There were big wins for the raiders, often in events where the majority of the contenders were also Irish. Castleconnell (pictured) won the women’s Under 19 eight – of the nine boats in the final, only one of them was not Irish. However, Castleconnell also won the men’s under-19 four, where only three of the eight crews in the final were Irish.
Skibbereen won the women’s four, from St Michael’s, where nine of the 12 crews were Irish, and the west Cork club also won the men’s under-19 coxed four – five of the six crews were Irish.
At Lough Rinn Regatta, St Joseph’s junior 18 crew were the fastest men’s eight, while Enniskillen’s junior 18 girls were also impressive winners. There were no senior entries in Division One of the men’s or women’s eights.
St Joseph’s juniors also won the men’s coxed four, while the men’s quadruple went to Muckross. The men’s pair went to Commercial, while University of Limerick won the men’s double and single (Kealan Mannix), while Bann took the women’s single and Shannon the women’s double.