Athy Dragon Boat Regatta taking place this weekend
THE visual spectacle that is the Athy Dragon Boat Regatta is to be held on the River Barrow on Sunday 3 May, with the first race off at 11am.
The could be up to 300 paddlers descent on the town for the day, as 10 teams compete across three boats as the power down the river, in an event hosted by the local club but run by the Irish Dragon Boat Association.
“I coach the juniors and recruit for the seniors, and we’re always looking for new members,” said local organiser Lynn Whelan.
“The juniors are aged between eight and 16, and we train twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5.45-7pm out of the the Sports Hub opposite Aldi.
“These are substantial 20ft carbon fibre boats, and the ethos is for fun in a boat. It’s all about interaction and teamwork.
“The Dragon Boats have been a success in Athy for a number of years now, and we have on the nights between 16 and 22 paddlers, but we could always do with new recruits to come down and get jacketed up – no experience required, and membership is only €50 per year.
“I’m also recruiting for the women’s boat and the mixed boat to get back out on Monday nights, and for a club pull on Sunday.
“The Athy Dragon Hearts is our women’s boat, and it has operated out of Athy for nearly 10 years now.
“The 3 May will be a great day for Athy to see three boats pulling past the Courthouse, and we have our juniors entered that day.
She added: “We do have some members come down from Monasterevin, but we are reliant on community members,” Lynn said.
Chair of Athy Dragon Boat Dan Curtis outlined how the club was started by in 2012 by Aidan McHugh “and we’ve gone from strength to strength since”.
“If we ever need any help we’d ring him for advice, he’s been on the water all his life,” said Dan.
“Our juniors are very strong, and win plenty of races. Some of our early juniors or now on helms, or have moved up to the seniors,” he said.
“We have fun in the summer months,” say Lynn, “happiness is being on our River Barrow”.
Anyone interested in joining the Athy Dragon Boat Club can contact Lynn on 087-8478470.
