Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club Archives

HER Outdoors 2025 – A Fantastic Evening on the Lake with Mayo Dragons

Aug,2025

A super evening paddle on Lough Lannagh with our fab participants from HER Outdoors. Great fun and great paddling….well done to all the ladies that took part.

August 12th 2025

HER Outdoors week aims to celebrate and encourage more females to get out and enjoy the benefits of being in the outdoors while bringing visibility to the opportunities for females to get involved in outdoor physical activity. In 2025 the week took place 11th to the 17th of August.

Whatever you do, make sure to #FindYourOutdoors #EmbraceYourSpace.

Gráine Mhaol is a member of the Irish Dragon Boat Association. The club is supported by Mayo Sports Partnership, Mayo County Council, Castlebar Councillors and Lough Lannagh Village.

10th Anniversary Celebrations – Photos

Jul,2025

A Night to Remember – Mayo Dragons Celebrate 10 Years

On Saturday, July 12th, Graine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club proudly marked its 10th anniversary with a fantastic celebration at Castlebar Tennis Club. The evening was filled with fun and plenty of nostalgia as past and present members gathered to toast a decade of paddling, camaraderie and community spirit.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne and his wife attended the evening and joined in the celebrations.

The event featured a Prosecco drinks reception, delicious food, a special club presentation, and lively music that kept the celebrations going. It was a wonderful chance to reconnect, reflect and celebrate how far the club has come — especially with this year marking the highest number of members in the club’s history.

We also took time earlier in the day to honour the occasion out on the water — and the weather was divine – great for taking photos.

A huge thank you to Frank Fullard for capturing both the evening’s festivities and the morning paddle. The photos will give us lasting memories of a very special day.

View all the photos in our website gallery: [Click here to see the full album]

A huge thanks to the amazing organisers and Yvonne Kilcullen Events who helped make this celebration such a success — there are too many to name, but your hard work is appreciated.

Here’s to the next 10 years of dragon boating, friendships and milestones!

View all photos: [Click here to see the full album]

Gráine Mhaol Club Gratefully Acknowledges support from Cllr Blackie Gavin & Harry Barrett

Jul,2025

We would like to extend our thanks to Councillor Blackie Gavin and Councillor Harry Barrett for their recent generous donations to the Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club. Your continued support means so much to our members and plays a vital role in helping our club grow and thrive.

This year, we are proud to have welcomed the highest number of members in our club’s history. While this is an exciting milestone, it also brings additional running costs. Support from our local Councillors is more important than ever in ensuring we can provide a safe, inclusive, and empowering experience for all who paddle with us.

Thank you once again from all of us at Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club!

Mayo Dragons Paddle Strong at the Athy Regatta 2025

May,2025

On Sunday, 4th May 2025, the Gráine Mhaol crew of Mayo Dragon Boat Club travelled to Athy, Co. Kildare, to take part in the Athy Dragon Boat Regatta — a vibrant event held on the scenic River Barrow in the heart of the town.

Hosted at Emily Square (off Barrow Quay), the regatta brought together clubs from across the country for a day of competition, camaraderie, and celebration of the sport we love. The racing course spanned approximately 200 metres, with free-standing starts ensuring thrilling sprints and tight finishes. The event was well run as per usual by the Irish Dragon Boat Association.

Our own Adrienn Harto was undergoing assessment as a Racing Helm on the day and performed brilliantly. She is well on the way towards completing the required hours to earn her Race Helm Certification.

The day kicked off with a Crew Managers Meeting kicking off at 10:00 am, Followed by safety briefings at 10:30 am, and Racing from 11:00 am to 4:45 pm, Culminating in a lively prize-giving ceremony at 5:00 pm.

Race crews and their supporters appreciated the clear coordination and the welcoming atmosphere created by the event organisers, especially Julie Doyle and the Irish Dragon Boat Association.

VIEW PHOTOS OF THE EVENT IN OUR GALLERY HERE

Each team was required to have a minimum of 16 paddlers, a drummer, and a helm. The Gráine Mhaol crew showed great teamwork and spirit, navigating the course with determination — all while enjoying the friendly but fierce competition. Our crew had 18 paddlers – 16 Graine Mhaol, 2 from Carlow, 4 from Limerick
and 1 drummer from Carlow (Adrienn helming).

Coffee and refreshments unit kept energy levels up throughout the day.

With medals awarded across the Open, Women’s, and U18’s categories, the regatta was a fantastic showcase of Ireland’s growing dragon boating community. We were proud to represent Graine Mhaol on the water and connect with fellow paddlers from around the country.

Well done to all our crew, and thank you to the organisers for a memorable day in Athy.

VIEW PHOTOS OF THE EVENT IN OUR GALLERY HERE

Inside the Boat: Gráine Mhaol Crew Training for Athy Regatta – Video by Gerry Ryder

Apr,2025

A fantastic video of our Regatta Crew preparing for the Athy Regatta on the May Bank Holiday.

The footage is taken by Gerry Ryder, a crew member, from within the boat. It gives a interesting perspective to our members of training and race Starts from a paddler’s perspective.

Well done Gerry….keep the videos coming…

CLICK ON VIDEO BELOW TO VIEW GRÁINE MHAOL DRAGON BOAT SESSION

Video taken by Gerry Ryder and streamed on his YouTube channel.