Athy, First Regatta of the Year

Athy, First Regatta of the Year

May,2024

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.

 

VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS

The Club looks forward to Advanced Paddling Workshop

The Club looks forward to Advanced Paddling Workshop

Apr,2024

With the support of Mayo Sports Partnership, the Club has extended an invitation to Julie Doyle, Vice President of the Irish Dragon Boat Federation, to conduct an Advanced Dragon Boat Paddler Workshop. The course has received an overwhelming response, reaching full capacity quickly and necessitating the creation of a waiting list due to high demand.

31 Gráine Mhaol Dragons will take part this Saturday (April 13th) this has been made possible by Mayo Sports Partnership.

Members will participate in an extensive course.  It will commence at 9.00am and run until 4.30pm on Saturday.   To maximise numbers, paddlers will be rotated in and out on the day.

There will be classroom/land sessions and water based sessions.  Julie will cover paddling techniques, timing accuracy, land drills and paddling drills.  Other areas will include:

  • What makes a boat go faster?
  • Pushing yourself to the limit / Pain Tolerance
  • Mind over matter
  • Dragon boat start sequence

Julie will video groups of paddlers on the boat and review each individual’s paddling technique.  She will also run a run a Helm Test on the day.

Soup and sandwiches for lunch will be provided at no charge to members.

Our club and members extend a heartfelt thank you to MAYO SPORTS PARTNERSHIP for their generous sponsorship of this Advanced Padding course.

Committee & Helm’s end of year night out

Committee & Helm’s end of year night out

Jan,2024

Mayo Dragons, Committee and Helms meet up at end of 2023 for a meal in the House of Plates.

One of the benefits of being on the committee or being a helm, nudge nudge, wink wink 😁   We had a fab night in House of Plates.

All volunteers and helpers welcome in 2024.

Committee members Marie, Catherine and Kay

Marie, Catherine and Kay in The Bridge at the end of the Committee / Helms night out.

Vivienne, Catherine and Kay finish up the night in the Bridge bar.

Upcoming Club Events

Upcoming Club Events

Apr,2023

APRIL 15th : Julie Doyle from IDBA will run a Helm Training day for the club in Lough Lannagh.  4 members will attend and  2 previously trained helms are due to be signed off.

This course was made possible by Mayo Sports Partnership, who we are very grateful to for their sponsorship of the training.

 

APRIL 30TH : Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club take part in the first IDBA regatta of the year, which will be held in Athy. A super fun filled day out with loads of craic.

Mayo Dragons will take part in the first IDBA regatta of 2023 in Athy, Co Kildare. A very popular regatta on the Mayo Dragons annual schedule.  This year 17 members are expected to attend.

 

JUNE (date to be decided) : Annual social hill walk on the Grainuaile Loop Walk , Achill followed by lunch at Alices in The Sound. Great day expected.

 

SEPT 11TH : Gráine Mhaol Dragon Boat Club will take part in the last IDBA regatta of the year. This year the club are making a weekend of it and staying in the locality of Lough Rinn.

See EVENTS page for full yearly schedule here