It takes a leap of the imagination to realise what a remarkable breakthrough the introduction of the Irish Dinghy Racing Association 14ft One Design represented in 1946 writes W M Nixon. But the 70th Anniversary celebrations of this ever-young classic dinghy at Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club on the weekend of September 3rd and 4th will be a reminder of the contribution of a very special boat towards making Ireland the sort of sailing nation where Olympic medals come within the range of possibility and achievement.
The new boat came like a breath of fresh air in the post-war time of uncertainty, when everybody knew that Irish sailing was going to have to go in a new direction if it was to go anywhere, but precisely what that direction might be was a matter of debate and uncertainty.
The formation of a specifically dinghy-sailing national body was a first step, and the importation of the new Uffa Fox-designed mass-produced 12ft–Firefly gave a glimpse of the future. But what was also needed was a slightly larger modern boat with a distinctively Irish tinge.
Fortunately a young Irish yacht and boat designer, O’Brien Kennedy, was working in England, and he was keyed in to the latest concepts in racing dinghies. He had produced plans for clinker-built dinghies for racing which reflected the latest hull design trends, and it was felt that one of his designs would - with several modifications - be suitable to provide the IDRA with a 14ft dinghy to go with the Firefly in spreading the concepts of modern dinghy racing throughout Ireland.
In fact, such was the interest and enthusiasm reaching O’Brien Kennedy from would-be owners in Ireland that he produced what were in effect the plans of a new boat, and in a matter of weeks forty-six of the new IDRA 14s were in the pipeline, either from commercial builders, or from capable enthusiasts so keen to get the new class into being that they were game to have a go at building the boats themselves.
They were profoundly satisfying boats to build, as O’Brien Kennedy had produced a set of lines which resulted in beautifully sweeping clinker-planked hulls, something which has been shown to perfection in the most recent boat Wicked Sadie, amateur built to professional standards by a group at Contarf, and much admired wherever she goes since her launching on June 25th this year.
So it’s appropriate that Clontarf is going to be the setting for celebrating the Class’s 70h birthday, as it was a hotbed for IDRA 14 growth in the late 1940s, with one leading local sailor so keen to get the show on the road that he donated one of the new boats to be the prize in a raffle.
IDRA 14 Champions 1947 – 2015
Year | Venue | Boat Name | Sail No. | Helm | Club | Crew | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1947 | Royal St George YC | "Error" | 1 | R.D. (Douglas) Heard | RstGYC | ||
1948 | Lough Ree YC | "Dawn" | 8 | A.J. (Jimmy) Mooney | RstGYC | ||
1949 | Royal Munster YC | "Dusk" | 4 | R.H. (Hugh) Allen | RstGYC | Alf Delany | RstGYC |
1950 | Lough Derg YC | "Monaveen" | 56 | George Bushe | RMYC | Kevin O'Regan | RMYC |
1951 | Waterford Harbour SC | "Mystery" | 51 | C.J. (Joe) Fitzgerald | RMYC | Michael Donnelly | RMYC |
1952 | Lough Ree YC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | Noel (Bunny) Conn | SDC | Mary Conn | SDC |
1953 | Royal Munster YC | "Miss Betty" | 54 | J. Clayton-Love Jnr | RMYC | Donal McClement | RMYC |
1954 | Skerries SC | "Coulin" | 7 | J.K. (Jackie) O'Reilly | CY&BC | Patricia O'Reilly | CY&BC |
1955 | Waterford Harbour SC | "Miss Betty" | 54 | J Clayton-Love Jnr | RMYC | Hugh Barry | RMYC |
1956 | Lough Derg YC | "Coulin" | 7 | J.K. (Jackie) O'Reilly | CY&BC | G.M. (Gerry) Sargent | CY&BC |
1957 | Royal Munster YC | "Coulin" | 7 | J.K. (Jackie) O'Reilly | CY&BC | Tommy O'Reilly | CY&BC |
1958 | Wexford Harbour BC | "Miss Betty" | 54 | Sean Flood | CY&BC | Brian McNally | CY&BC |
1959 | Ballyholme YC | "Miss Betty" | 54 | Sean Flood | CY&BC | Brian McNally | CY&BC |
1960 | Baltimore SC | "Coulin" | 7 | J.K. (Jackie) O'Reilly | CY&BC | Gerry Burke | CY&BC |
1961 | Royal Munster YC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | Robert Hogg | SDC | Des O'Shea | SDC |
1962 | Skerries SC | "Starfish" | 38 | G.M. (Gerry) Sargent | SDC | Ian Sargent | SDC |
1963 | No event held that year as Class Association declined to compete in "Dinghy Week" in Dun Laoghaire | ||||||
1964 | Baltimore SC | "Dryad" | 104 | P.R. (Philip) Jacob | WHSC / RstGYC | Bill Pigot | RstGYC |
1965 | Royal Munster YC | "Coulin" | 7 | J.K. (Jackie) O'Reilly | CY&BC | Gerry Burke | CY&BC |
1966 | Ballyholme YC | "Daydream" | 111 | J.S. (John) Godkin | KYC | Clive Latchford | KYC |
1967 | Royal Cork YC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | J.L.W. (John) Miller | RstGYC | Michael Toomey | RstGYC |
1968 | Strangford Lough YC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | J.L.W. (John) Miller | RstGYC | Michael Toomey | RstGYC |
1969 | Baltimore SC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | J.L.W. (John) Miller | RstGYC | Michael Toomey | RstGYC |
1970 | Lough Derg YC | "Chloe" | 30 | Eric Allen | CY&BC | Brian Hurding | CY&BC |
1971 | Wexford Harbour BC | "Chloe" | 30 | Eric Allen | CY&BC | Brian Hurding | CY&BC |
1972 | Malahide SC (MYC) | "Chloe" | 30 | Eric Allen | CY&BC | Brian Hurding | CY&BC |
1973 | Mullingar SC | "Sheldrake" | 36 | J.L.W. (John) Miller | RstGYC | Michael Toomey | RstGYC |
1974 | Waterford Harbour SC | "Dainty" | 2 | John & Rosemary Doorly | RstGYC | Rosemary Doorly | RstGYC |
1975 | Tralee SC | "Cheetah" | 65 | E.F. (Teddy) Chandler | CY&BC | Cormac Smyth | CY&BC |
1976 | Sligo YC | "Daydream" | 111 | Terry Demsey | CY&BC | Sean Deane | CY&BC |
1977 | Lough Ree YC | "Chloe" | 30 | Terry Demsey | CY&BC | Sean Deane | CY&BC |
1978 | Sligo YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Joe Brennan | SSBC |
1979 | Lough Ree YC | "Sea Urchin IV" | 136 | Ian Sargent | CY&BC / SDC | Frank O'Gorman | CY&BC / SDC |
1980 | Royal Cork YC | "Sea Urchin IV" | 136 | Ian Sargent | CY&BC / SDC | Frank O'Gorman | CY&BC / SDC |
1981 | Lough Derg YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | John Hensey | SDC |
1982 | Sligo YC | "Sea Urchin IV" | 136 | Ian Sargent | CY&BC / SDC | Frank O'Gorman | CY&BC / SDC |
1983 | Sligo YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1984 | Lough Derg YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1985 | Dundalk SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1986 | Skerries SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1987 | Wicklow SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1988 | Sligo YC | "Dainty" | 2 | Andrew Mollard | RstGYC | Paul Conway | RstGYC |
1989 | Waterford Harbour SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1990 | Galway Bay SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1991 | Waterford Harbour SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1992 | Galway Bay SC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
1993 | Dundalk SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1994 | Wicklow SC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
1995 | Dundalk SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1996 | Lough Ree YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1997 | Royal Cork YC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
1998 | Lough Ree YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Terry Harvey | SDC | Scorie Walls | SDC |
1999 | Dundalk & Carlingford SC | "Dunmoanin" | 140 | Frank Miller | DMYC | Claire Sheil | DMYC |
2000 | Galway Bay SC | "Chance" | 163 | Scorie Walls | SDC | David Tillotson | SDC |
2001 | Lough Ree YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Scorie Walls | SDC | Colm O'Neill | SDC |
2002 | Galway Bay SC | "Charmian" | 28 | Alan Henry | SDC | Gerry O'Hanlon | SDC |
2003 | Lough Erne YC | "Charmian" | 28 | Alan Henry | SDC | Gerry O'Hanlon | SDC |
2004 | Wexford Harbour B&TC | "Charmian" | 28 | Alan Henry | SDC | Gerry O'Hanlon | SDC |
2005 | Galway Bay SC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
2006 | Lough Erne YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Alan Carr | SDC | Barry Kelly | SDC |
2007 | Carlingford Lough YC | "Slipstream" | 125 | Alan Henry | SDC | William Gordon | SDC |
2008 | Sligo YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Alan Carr | SDC | Aoibhin de Burca | SDC |
2009 | Newtownards SC | "Starfish" | 38 | Alan Carr | SDC | Aoibhin de Burca | SDC |
2010 | Lough Ree YC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
2011 | Galway Bay SC | "Slipstream" | 125 | Alan Henry | SDC | Simon Revill | SDC |
2012 | Lough Erne YC | "Chaos" | 143 | Julie Ascoop | CY&BC | Heather Keenan | CY&BC |
2013 | Lough Ree YC | "Starfish" | 38 | Alan Carr | SDC | Ian McCormack | SDC |
2014 | Carlingford SC | "Delos II" | 15 | Pat O'Neill | CY&BC | Jim O'Hara | CY&BC |
2015 | Lough Ree YC | "Dubious" | 134 | Alan Henry | SDC | Simon Revill | SDC |
The detailed listing of the Class Champions since 1947 deserves the closest study, for it shows just how central to the development of Irish sailing the IDRA 14 became. Just about every area of sailing, both inshore and offshore, dinghy and keelboat, has seen IDRA 14 sailors becoming involved to make a major contribution at the top levels, and the friendships formed have lasted down the years.
Thus the big party at Clontarf in the first weekend of September is going to work at many levels. And it even has an international aspect, as a sister class of the IDRA 14 is the Dragonfly at Waldringfield in Suffolk in eastern England. The newest Dragonfly – built last year – is going to be brought to Clontarf, accompanied by a party of eleven Dragonfly sailors.
Longtime IDRA 14 sailor and former Clontarf Y & BC Commodore Ian Sargent is at the heart of this remarkable celebration, which is going to lay on a major welcome for IDRA 14 sailors past and present. He can be contacted through [email protected], mobile 087-6791069, landline 01-8322196.