David Lynch of Tralee Rowing Club describes his visit to the Olympics in Paris last week to watch the Irish contingent…

An historic day for Irish rowing- the 2nd of August 2024 will always be remembered thus. For those of us who have travelled far and wide across the country to scenic venues for regattas, the fresh air, azure skies and crystalline water at the Parisian rowing venue were familiar sights.

Familiar, too, was the lengthy treck from the main road to the secluded racing venue, recalling, at least to my mind, nervous mornings trudging from Farran Wood car park towards an electric National Rowing Centre on Champs mornings.

As such, I think any rower’s experience would have been enriched on this day of days, as any of us who have trembled with anticipation at a stake-boat could clearly imagine the nerves coursing through the veins of our star athletes that morning.

First came Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney, the debut Men’s Pair boat, and their sparkling potential as a duo showed in their impressive opening 500m. I hope that they relished the experience of having a sea of Irish supporters roar them home and are proud of their fearless efforts as they dipped their toes in the Olympic pool.

Following the pair race’s conclusion, those in green jerseys, surely hundreds strong (I questioned if there was anyone left in Ireland!!) were afforded a few moment’s reprieve before Paul and Fintan’s attempt to make Irish sporting history.

I can imagine some hands trembling and knees wobbling at the concession queues as the scenarios ran through the supporter’s minds. Could the unthinkable happen?

Could an early crab, a lacklustre start or a limp finish crush this Olympic dream? As we rowers know, the sport comes with few certainties- anything, and I mean anything, can befall even the greatest of champions once the announcer bellows “ROW” over the tannoy. Yet those worries soon dissipated as the race began.

The Irish in my surroundings cleared their throats, preparing to urge the crew home as the race got underway.

Their competitive start in lane 3 let us know that the lads were going to fight for every inch in this contest. Though Greece, from my vantage point, drew into an early lead, the boys could easily have heard the chorus of cheers and exclamations from their fans carry across the water as they approached the 1250 mark.

The push came on then. His oars gobbling up the water greedily, Paul raised the rate and Fintan responded with a surge of power which the daring Swiss, baying at their heels, could not answer.

They built their lead to a boat length as they sailed past the main bank of Irish supporters, who were in a frenzied, exultant state at that stage. Germans, Kiwis and Spaniards in my quarter even took up the charge of bellowing “come on Ireland” as the golden finish drew ever nearer.

Though the conclusion was tighter than that 1750 mark lead would have let on, their first place position was never in doubt from 500 metres on. As such, the united Irish cheer at then finish was deafening.

Every person in the crowd knew that they had witnessed the greatest race in Irish rowing, and were grateful to the two men for putting on such an indelible display.

Similar moments are surely in store, perhaps in a different format due to the end of the lightweight women’s double event at the Olympic Games, for Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey, who moved well in the following race and whose fifth place finish does not pay fitting tribute to the grit they showed to be in the running against Imogen Grant and Emily Craig despite their tough position in lane 6.

A fitting conclusion to the Irish efforts at the Paris rowing centre, to the dynamic performances of the women’s four, Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch, the bronze medal winning double crew, Killorglin’s Zoe Hyde, Kerry’s only Olympian at these games and a member of Tralee Rowing Club, and Alison Bergin, who are on the path to great things, and the aforementioned final’s day crews was Amhrán Na bhFiann ringing out across the lake as Paul and Fintan, eternal champions and masters of the rowing spirit, received their glittering gold medals.

These moments come once in a lifetime (well, twice, in this double’s case) and I have no doubt that the boys and girls in green leaving regatta HQ that afternoon knew that the collective will to win, to kick with might against the footplate and to pull like a dog that Irish rowing has championed for decades can lift a nation.

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