Displaying items by tag: Holly Davis

27th July 2019

Four Wins for Ireland at Home International Regatta UPDATE

#Rowing: The Ireland junior men’s eight topped off a series of four Ireland wins – all at junior level – at the Home International Regatta in Strathclyde Park in Scotland. They beat Scotland by just over two seconds, while England came in one second further back.

Thomas Hume and Sam Reidy, both from Coláiste Íognáid, were winning their second gold. They had been the best junior men’s pair – coming home more than 20 seconds faster than Scotland, who were second.

Holly Davis (14) also had a big win on her debut at international level. The Lee Valley girl had almost 12 seconds to spare over second-placed Ellie Cushen of England in the junior women’s single sculls race.

The junior men’s quadruple also pushed England into second in their race – but by a finer margin. The crew of Dara Kelly (Lee), Tiarnan McKnight (Three Castles) and Colum Brennan and Ronán Brennan of Neptune won by 1.21 seconds from England.

Home International Regatta – Strathclyde Park, Scotland: Final Standings:

Men – Senior: 1 Scotland 33 pts; 3 Ireland 22. Jun: 1 Scotland 21; 3 Ireland 19.

Women – Sen: 1 Scotland 33; 4 Ireland 13. Jun: 1 England 26; 2= Ireland, Scotland 17.

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Davis Of Lee Valley the Irish Junior Champion at Fourteen

#Rowing: Holly Davis gave the crowds a sensational result at the Irish Championships. The Lee Valley girl came through a good battle with Eabha Benson of St Michael's, to pull away and win. The remarkable thing is that Davis is just 14. She does not turn 15 until January 10th next year, leaving her with four years at Junior level.

The men's junior coxed four also electrified the crowd: Colaiste Iognaid and Enniskillen duked it out down the course. The Galway crew got away to win as their emotional supporters roared them on.

Youth was the theme of this regatta: Kevin O'Donovan, who is a junior, won the club single, while Anna Tyther, also under 18 teamed up with Zoe Hyde to win the intermediate double for Killorglin.

The three other titles on offer in this first Saturday session went three different ways: Commercial's strong senior men's programme was on show as they won the men's quadruple; Cork had a fine win in the intermediate men's eight; Trinity's A crew won the women's novice eight.

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour