Connaught Telegraph & Mayo News Promote ‘Come & Try’
Our first ‘Come and Try’ sessions have been a fantastic success, and we’re thrilled to see so many new faces trying out this exciting and social water sport.
A huge thank you to The Connaught Telegraph and Mayo News for their excellent coverage of our Come and Try dragon boat sessions. The response from the newspapers has been amazing, with enquiries flying in and places filling up fast!
We also want to express our gratitude to our club members for spreading the word, inviting friends and promoting our taster sessions online.
🚣♀️ Still a few spaces left!
If you’d like to give it a go, we still have some places available for our next Come and Try session on Saturday, 22nd February. No experience is needed, and all equipment will be provided.
📞 To book a place, contact Louise on 087-2250704
Try Dragon Boating on Lough Lannagh – Something Different! A new way to get fit and have fun
Press Release 3/2/2025
Looking for something different? Want a change from your usual workout routine and try an exciting outdoor activity? Castlebar’s Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club is inviting the public to experience a free “Come and Try” session on Lough Lannagh this February.
Dragon Boating, originating from ancient China, is a team sport where a 22-person narrow boat—comprising 20 paddlers, a drummer, and a helm—work together in perfect rhythm. It’s an invigorating workout that builds strength, endurance and coordination, especially in the upper body, while allowing you to train outdoors in nature.
Picture yourself paddling in sync with a team, enjoying the fresh air and gliding across the stunning waters of Lough Lannagh—it’s fitness, camaraderie and fun all in one, offering a unique alternative to traditional exercise.
The Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club was established in 2015 as a cancer survivors’ club, but over time, it expanded to welcome friends and family of survivors, creating a supportive and inclusive community. In February the club is launching a recruitment drive for 2025.
The club offers two types of paddling sessions, Regatta & Fitness Sessions – for those looking for a competitive and more intensive training experience. And Social Paddling Sessions – a less strenuous but still engaging way to stay active and have fun.
The club paddles on Saturday morning and Tuesday evenings from February to November. Throughout the season, members also enjoy social outings, nights out, coffee mornings and home and abroad regattas.
The Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club is open to both men and women, aged 18 and over and beginners are welcome. Paddlers are provided with buoyancy aids so just bring yourself and a sense of adventure!
Come and Try Sessions: Saturday, February 15th & 22nd
To book your place, call Louise at (087) 225 0704 (spaces limited)
www.mayodragonboat.com
Press Release for Connacht Telegraph and Mayo News 3rd February 2025
Calling All Members to Support our Recruitment Drive 2025
Hi Members,
This coming July the club will be established 10 years. It evolved from Kay, Lorraine and Louise having a discussion about setting up a dragon boat club, a month later they paid for the first boat, a month later again we had the boat and a place to call home and another month later, we started paddling on Lough Lannagh, kicking off with a paddling session with Julie and a helming course. Oh those brave helms!!!!🫣🤩
The Club has gone from strength to strength each year so this year, being our 10th year, we are looking for your help, to make this year the best one yet.
We hope to increase our Social and Regatta paddlers, bringing a more relaxed session to the social group while bringing a more competitive session to our regatta group.
How you can help?
if each member can recruit somebody ie. Family member or friend , we will have two paddling groups independent of each other. The last few years, we have been depending on the regatta crew doing 2 sessions, in order for the social crew to go out.
It would mean a huge amount to the Club and the committee….. we’ll make it worth your while😉.
Thanks in advance, looking forward to seeing you all back on the water again
Louise
Busy end of season night out
The season ended with a cracker of a night organised by our fab social committee – Teresa Cowley and Maura Walsh. We started the night off with a relaxed meet up at the bowling alley, followed by an action packed hour of bowling…. which saw Teresa crowned as the winner! we donned our HiViz jackets then and walked all the way across the road to the Escape room called INSIDE. We had an hour (and a bit) in the rooms, working out how to get out of them and we all succeeded.
We donned the HiViz again and back over the road again to Hogs heaven where we were greeted by Pat Concannon and his sound system, for a night of Karaoke.
It was a fantastic way to see out a lovely season on Lough Lannagh, we look forward to 2025 and more of the same!
The Boxing Dragons
The young boxers from Washington DC and Belfast joined us on Sat 16th November for a fun session. There were 2 boats out so the competition was ON!! We had 2 races at the end of the session to get the most out of the paddling.
It was a pleasure for us to take these lads out and within an hour they had mastered the art of Dragon boating, the craic was had, lots of shouting and it was worth it for them, when they all received a special medal for their participation.
