What an incredible few months it has been for Athlone Boat Club, with our own Paul Gallen continuing to achieve extraordinary success on both the national and international stage.
Following outstanding performances at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships in January, Paul represented both our club and town at the 2026 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships presented by Concept2.
Paul delivered a phenomenal series of performances to bring home:
• 🥇 Gold Medal – 1 Minute
• 🥈 Silver Medal – 1K
• 🥈 Silver Medal – 5K
Since January 1st, Paul has now broken:
• 🏆 5 Irish Rowing Records
• 🌍 1 World Record
Across the following events:
• 1 Minute
• 500m
• 1K
• 2K
• 5K
An absolutely remarkable achievement and one that has made everyone at Athlone Boat Club immensely proud. Paul continues to represent the club with incredible dedication, determination, and class.
Oisin Dolan from Athlone was part of the UCD crew who won the Gannon cup in March beating Trinity. Massive congratulations to Oisin on this great achievement, during his time rowing for Athlone Boat he demonstrated great ability, dedication and commitment to the club, a great role model to younger rowers.
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Victory on the Thames 🚣♂️💪
Huge congratulations to Alan Kenny and Paul Gallen, alongside Tony Corcoran (Lee Valley) and Stephen Lockwood (Lagan Scullers), on a fantastic victory in the 4x- on the historic River Thames course used for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
After:
• Finishing 2nd in 2024
• The heartbreak of the 2025 race cancellation with just 200m remaining while leading
…the crew returned stronger than ever in 2026 to finally secure a deserved victory.
A composed and consistent row over 7km at a steady rate of 33 proved decisive on the day. Winning on such a famous stretch of water made the result even more special.
A brilliant achievement and proud moment for Athlone Boat Club across the water.
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Success Across the Country 🚣♀️⭐
Athlone Boat Club crews were competing nationwide throughout March and April, with fantastic results across all age groups.
Sligo Regatta Highlights
🏆 WJ16 2x Winners
Lauren Cunningham & Katie Connaghton
🏆 J16 2x Winners
Donal Croughan & Oscar Mullally
Additional strong performances included:
• Emmet Cronin and Shane Gorman taking 1st place.
• Paul Gallen finishing 2nd in the double.
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School & Limerick Regattas 2026 🚣♂️🎉
What an incredible weekend for our club at the School Regatta and Limerick Regatta.
From start to finish, the commitment, teamwork, and determination shown by all our rowers was exceptional. Across every age category, Athlone Boat Club athletes represented both their schools and club with pride.
A special congratulations to all medal winners and competitors who gave everything on the water.
We would also like to thank:
• Our dedicated coaching team
• Parents and volunteers
• Everyone who helped behind the scenes throughout the weekend
Your support and hard work continue to make these events such a success.
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Community & Clubhouse Updates ❤️
St. Patrick’s Day River Safety Demonstration
A massive thank you to everyone who attended the clubhouse on March 15th as part of the St. Patrick’s festivities.
It was fantastic to see so many local water safety organisations come together for a joint river safety demonstration.
Special thanks to:
• Athlone Emergency Defibrillators Group
• Fèile Na Sionainne for the wonderful music
• Sinead and Vicky for the refreshments and pastries.
• The River Festival Committee for organising this event.
A brilliant community occasion enjoyed by all.
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Spring Clean Success ⭐
Thank you to all members who participated in our recent club Spring Clean, with special appreciation to our J16 members for their fantastic support.
Huge thanks also to:
• A1 Cleaning Ltd for sponsoring rubbish removal
• Philip Ryan for assistance with his van
Thanks to everyone’s efforts, both upstairs and downstairs areas of the clubhouse have been thoroughly refreshed and cleaned.
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Become a Patron of Athlone Boat Club 🧱💚
Athlone Boat Club continues to grow both on and off the water, and we are inviting supporters to become part of our story for generations to come.
Patron Scheme
🧱 Purchase a commemorative brick for €250
💚 Honour family, loved ones, or support the club
📍 Support the ongoing development of Coosan Point
Payment plans are available.
Thank you to the people of Athlone for the continued support shown to the club over many years.
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Club Member Achievements 👏
Alan Kenny
Congratulations to Alan on a fantastic win at Muckross HOR in March.
Paris to Lourdes Cycle
Massive congratulations to club members:
• Mickey Keane
• Francis Keane
• Mickey Murtagh
…who completed an incredible 850km cycle from Paris to Lourdes. A phenomenal achievement by three club legends.
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Looking Ahead 🚣♀️
As we move further into the rowing season, there is tremendous momentum throughout the club at every level — from our youngest rowers to masters and international competitors.
We could not be prouder of our very own Darragh Collins as Rowing Ireland has selected crews to represent Ireland at the upcoming European Rowing Under 19 Championships, taking place in Brandenburg, Germany from 23–24 May 2026. The Championships will see Ireland’s top junior athletes compete against the best Under 19 crews from across Europe as they continue their development on the international stage.
Lough Rinn Regatta was sadly cancelled so our next outing is Metropolitan Regatta at Blessington Lakes and Castleconnell Sprint regatta next weekend.
Stay tuned as we have more exciting news coming next week on some national and international achievements 👀
Watch this space! 📣
Thank you to all members, coaches, volunteers, supporters, and families for continuing to make Athlone Boat Club such a special place.
