Carlow Rowing Club 1952
'52 The RENAISSANCE
Although the doors of Carlow Rowing Club were
never closed, 1952 will always be regarded as the renaissance from which
the present club has emerged. During May of that year, four rowing
enthusiasts visited the club to discuss with Hon. Secretary, Bill Fenlon
the idea of forming a racing section. Fergus Lawless, an ex Rockwell
College student, Derrick Hanley, Michael Feeley ex-Cork Boat Club, and
Maurice Dowling, who had rowed with Dublin Commercial, met Bill and with
his support approval was granted by Jim Oliver and Bill Duggan. A clinker
four was purchased from Waterford Boat Club and four double girder oars
from Sims of Putney.
Setting a precedent, the committee actively
took part in training crews, and Carlow was able to launch two fours (a
Junior and a Maiden) that season. Dowling and three locals, H. Griffiths,
E. Stafford and M. Fehily, formed a great crew, coxed by young Joe Fenlon
who matched their quality. This junior crew won at Carlow and took the
Visitors Cup at Carrick-on-Shannon.
In 1954 Carlow’s juniors, with one change (M.
Bolger for M. Fehily) progressed to senior rank. With a maiden four they
represented Carlow at Trinity Regatta and thus restored the club’s
connection with Trinity, which dated at least from 1861. This senior crew
brought the club’s colours to Metropolitan, Limerick and
Carrick-on-Shannon, and was accompanied at all these - except
Carrick-on-Shannon - by the Maiden Four; the Maidens going instead to
Cappoquin. A maiden eight was entered at the Limerick Regatta but could
not row. This was the first entry at any regatta of a Carlow ‘Eights’.
Carlow never enjoyed such active rowing. Its
own regatta was an unprecedented success. Home supporters saw the Senior
Fours score impressive victories to take the Barrow Challenge Cup, a
heartening performance, representing the first flowering of a very fine
crew and pointing to their true
The 1955 season was to prove the most
remarkable season of all. The club tasted its first victory as early as
St. Patrick’s Day when they beat Dublin Commercial and Neptune to take the
President’s (of Dublin Commercial) Cup. This was an historic occasion, as
it was Carlow’s first success in an eights competition. It was, however,
but the forerunner of other more historic victories.
The senior four kicked off the season with
victory at Trinity and followed it up by winning in Waterford and Athlone.
With these successes behind them, it was inevitable that Carlow battle for
the Blue Riband of Irish rowing the Metropolitan Grand Challenge Cup.
Again Carlow won - but this time they won their most famous victory, and
neither Bann nor U.C.D. could prevent them. The triumphal march continued
through New Ross, but then at Cork, at the hands of Bann, the crew
suffered its first and only defeat. Cork again had proved itself Carlow’s
hoodoo. After this defeat doubts were raised as to the real ability of the
crew. It became imperative to go to Belfast to settle doubts, and there
Carlow had a sweet revenge, taking the Belfast Challenge Cup at the
expense of Bann, thus vindicating their claim to the title of Premier
Senior Fours in 1955. At Cappoquin the seal was set to their triumphant
march when they met for the first time, and defeated, an overseas crew the
English champions, Bedford.
This Senior Four brought a success to Carlow
that no previous crew had enjoyed. Equally important, the Four proved
themselves a great sporting crew. Individually, good oarsmen, their
greatest gift, was their enthusiasm and teamwork. The names, Dowling,
Griffiths, Stafford, Bolger and Fenlon like those of Bell, Boake, Duggan
and Orr - have certainly found their place in the roll of rowing
immortals. With those other members who failed to make a crew or who, if
they did make a crew, sampled less success, they remain and we trust for a
long time the rock on which the golden era of Carlow rowing was built.
- Learning beside the
Barrow
- by
- Pat O’Mahony
Accommodation for Technical (Vocational)
education seems to have been a problem since its introduction to Carlow.
The purchase and re-modelling of the Assembly
Rooms, Dublin St. in 1934 appears to have satisfied the need, for a few
years at least. When the building was filled to capacity prospective
students were placed on a waiting list and were admitted if and when
vacancies occurred.
When the waiting list grew to treble figures,
however, it was decided that something more than lists of names or numbers
were required to impress the Department of Education of our urgent need
for a new school. To this end the then Vocational Education Committee
ordered that “all eligible students be admitted”. This involved seeking
temporary accommodation outside the existing school building, which,
because of its location and structure precluded expansion in any
direction, not even upwards.
This is where the newly acquired premises of
Carlow Rowing Club (the old Grand Canal Stores) began to play a somewhat
different role from that envisaged by the oarsmen of the day - the mid
sixties. Two rooms, rented by the V.E.C. were used regularly as
classrooms. Subsequently the outer hall was acquired for apprentice
classes. At one time a total of twelve rooms in seven different buildings
were needed to accommodate all our students. This entailed a constant
movement of classes and teachers from one venue to another with the
occasional “wastage” of certain students, en route.
The Rowing Club rooms were by far the most
pleasant and popular with students and teachers alike and all concerned
enjoyed their sojourn, however brief, each day ‘cois abhainn’. It was
extremely pleasant there during Spring, early Summer and Autumn to look
out on the unpolluted River Barrow flowing gently past.
The late Thomas Moore or Father Prout would
have waxed lyrical had either been present to experience it. The warm
sunshine and the sound of the water gently lapping against the canal wall
seems to have stimulated both pupils and teachers to unparalleled heights
of diligence. And, to my knowledge, there was not a single instance of
indiscipline recorded during the four or five years when the Club was used
as an annex to the school.
Winter, on the other hand, was quite another
matter. Heating, which was provided by electric radiators was generally
adequate during clement weather. There were days, however, when windows
steamed up and freezing fog seeped in through every crack and crevice.
Times were when over coats, scarves and even gloves were considered normal
classroom apparel.
Floods too brought further problems when
students who did not possess wellingtons were forced to do a balancing act
along the quay wall or remove shoes and stockings, and paddle.
Occasionally, the Club was totally isolated and nothing short of a boat
would have been needed to get pupils to and from class.
A few years later, and possibly because of the
scholars’ acquaintance with the Club through contact with the rooms, a
rowing crew from the school was formed. A special subcommittee was set up
to look after their affairs and at one time could boast of Maiden, Junior
and Senior Schools Crews, all of whom put up a very good display of
oarsmanship for a number of years even after the club house ceased to be
used for class purposes.
When the Christian Brothers (Old Academy) and
Presentation Sisters vacated their old buildings the V.E.C. took over and
consequently the outside centers were no longer needed. While this made
for greater efficiency and certainly less timetabling headaches, I
sometimes look back with a certain nostalgia to those halcyon days we
spent “Learning beside the Barrow”. How about that for a song title?
Source: Carlow Rowing Club 125th Anniversary Souvenir booklet.
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