Extract from the Enniscorthy Echo Thursday, August 06, 2009

‘'The Spirit’ is strong, but ‘Ashling’ tops at Killurin'

'THE ANNUAL Killurin Regatta is one of the great sporting days in County Wexford and is part of a long sporting tradition.

However, it has lost none of its sparkle and popularity and last Sunday’s renewal was an outstanding success for the organising club and a memorable day for the neighbouring Ferrycarrig Rowing Club, winners of 14 of the 24 events decided.

Ferrycarrig’s crews were on fire during the afternoon and accumulated by far the greatest success total, a signal that they will be a force to be reckoned with when they stage their own annual regatta at Ferrycarrig next Sunday.

However, Ferrycarrig’s boat, ‘The Spirit’, failed by about a length to the host club’s, ‘Ashling’ in the concluding event, the 1st Class Men’s 4-Oar Race, which was the longest race of the afternoon and the one with the most prestige.

Nobody could enlighten us as to the length of the race a guess is that it is somewhere between 1500 and 2000 metres however, everybody agrees that it was a stamina test.

Only two boats left the starting point, but there was never more than a length or two between them. The local crowd became excited when the ‘Ashling’ moved a short distance ahead in the closing stages and held on gallantly to snatch a sweet success for Killurin Rowing Club.

“It is a great victory for us because we are a small club,” said Sinéad O’Leary-Bolger, P.R.O., afterwards.

The victorious team of Seamus O’Leary, Chris Corley, David Mooney, P.J. Mooney, and Jay O’Connor (cox) were later presented with the Harry Wilson Perpetual Challenge Cup, which was first presented forty years ago in 1969, and has been won previously by many famous Killurin boats and their crews, such as ‘Killurin Princess’, ‘St. Laurence’ and ‘The Sycamore’.

Edermine Ferry Rowing Club won the Pre-Vet Men’s Race with the ‘Boromist’ crew that included Nim Dunne, who rowed in his first regatta at the same venue on the same day 40 years previously.'