Many thanks as always to Cllr. Gavin for his generosity to the Gráine Mhaol Dragon boat Club. It goes a long way to helping us develop the Club every year.
Blackie Gavin has allocated money to the club on the 30th September 2024.
Club members, Inara, Audrey, Tadgh and Anne travelled all the way to Barcelona to attend the 5th Barcelona Dragon Boat Festival. The gang had a great time competing in a number of the races and fun activities.
This year the festival had 900 participants from 40 clubs. The event is run on the Canal Olímpic which was built for the 1992 Olympic Games. It’s one of the best sports venues in Europe for kayaking and other water sports. Several local Dragon Boat events have been hosted at this magnific venue.
Our Ukrainian friends help with preparations for Athy, pictured with the ornate Dragon’s Head for the bow of the boat.
The first event of the year, the Athy Dragon Boat Regatta took place on Sun, 5th May 2024. The Athy Regatta is held on the River Barrow, Emily Square, Athy, Co Kildare. The Gráine Mhaol club attend this regatta every year.
The weather in Athy was fabulous and the day was very enjoyable. The Club had a great performance this year and continue to improve each year.
A large selection of photos were taken of preparing for the regatta and in Athy. Photos were taken by paddlers and our member, Adrienn Hártó. The photos are now available for viewing on our website PHOTO GALLERY.
Below are the training videos taken on the day of the Advanced Paddling course by Julie and her husband Mick.
A big thanks to Julie and Mick, Louise, the committee and all involved in running today’s course. Also thanks to Mayo Sports Partnership and the Castlebar Adventure Hub.
Members agreed we all learned loads and hopefully we will improve our paddling technique and ace the Athy Regatta!
Thanks to Lough Lannagh for providing a super lunch.
Extra exercises for Dragon Boaters at home – link from by Adris https://dragonanalytics.com.au/exercises-for-dragon-boaters-at-home/