The
Shannon Challenge
Children's Cancer Charity Row
May 25th-28th 2005
Noel O'Driscoll organised "TheShannon Challenge", a sponsored row of
the whole length of the Shannon.
The event was organised for the benefit of
Our Lady's Hospital for
Sick Children, Crumlin and
The Children's Leukaemea Association of the Mercy
University Hospital Cork
Contact Noel on 021-4813899 (work) 021-4814000 (home) 086-0539363
(mobile)
Donations to:
Shannon Rowing Challenge Treasurer,
Ella McCarthy, Glenara, Carrignafoy, Cobh, Co. Cork
or direct to:
AIB Bank Cobh, Shannon Rowing Challenge Account, a/c no. 04267071, sort
code: 93-40-62.
Well THE SHANNON CHALLENGE has most
certainly been laid down.!!
In spite of atrocious weather on Wednesday the 25th the boat was
eventually launched at
Spencer Harbour in Lough Allen the row commenced at 8.50a.m in driving
rain
and south westerly winds. The first crew of four men and cox rowed for 3
and
a half hours before handing over to the second crew of three men and a one
(super)woman . On the advice of the lock keepers the first days rowing
ended
at Lanesboro as it was advised that Lough Ree was too choppy. The boat
docked at Lanesboro Marina at 5.50p.m.
Had the weather not been so inclement and Lough Ree a safety risk the
crews
felt that they could have made it to Athlone. In anticipation the
accommodation for the 18 person team that made up Crew and Support Teams
had
been booked in Athlone. A very cold, wet and weary crew had to travel to
Athlone in virtual monsoon conditions before getting into a hot shower.
Food and a Liverpool win meant that Hickeys Pub became the official HQ for
more hours than might have been wise.
The following morning the crews and support crews were collected at 6 a.m
and taken back to Lanesboro. The day was fine but a stiff southerly wind
meant that the team were rowing into a headwind all the day. Having left
the
Marino at 7.20 a.m it took all of four tough hours of rowing to traverse
Lough Ree. Portumna became an imperative to be achieved before the final
bridge lift as the next day had a first bridge lift of 9.45 a.m . This
would
have been too late. The boat docked at Terryglass Pier at 6.45 p.m that
evening. A good night was hosted for everyone in Terryglass with the local
community hall donating it's door takings from its regural Thursday ceili
to
the charities. A collection from the good citizens attending Paddy's Bar
added further to our chaity fund and as if to underscore the generosity of
the citizens of Terryglass; one of the guest house owners, having taken
their fee for the two crew member's accommodation promptly enclosed it in
an
envelope and donated it to the charity fund!!!!
Friday's forecast was atrocious with southerly gales predicted later in
the
day. This did not auger well for crossing the notorious Lough Derg. When
the crews arrived at a rain sodden pier at Terryglass the first bit of
luck
presented itself in the form of a chilly, but welcome, northerly breeze.
Add
to that the volunteered services of a local Terryglass citizen, who,
knowing
the Lough intimately , offering to crew the Safety Boat with our John
Cahill. The rowers left the welcoming shores of Terryglass at 7.30 a.m to
face the daunting Lough Derg. Buoyed up by the evening at Terryglass and
the
prospect of achieving the objective the rowers, on arriving at Killaloe,
resolved to finish the Challenge that day and made a dash for the finish
line at Limerick. They arrived at the weir at Limerick 1.45p.m a day ahead
of their objective and had completed the Challenge they had set
themselves.
Again having expected to only make it to Killaloe a wet, weary but elated
crews had to climb into the back of van and return to Killaloe to shower
before hitting the village of Ballina to celebrate their successful row
of
The Shannon Challenge in little over two and a half days in what was some
of
the worst weather in the month of May.
Saturday the crew ceremoniously ended the Shannon Challenge by exiting the
Lock at the Shanon Boat Club and ploughed into the dangerously high swell
whipped up by the forecast but thankfully late, southerly gale. They
passed
the berth of the Irish Navy vessel L.E Emer which had been designated as
the
official end of the Challenge as they had been detailed to pay a courtesy
call to Limerick to mark the occassion of the completion of the Challenge.
A
celebratory whooping blast on the siren of the L.E Emer was lost in the
high wind as the rowers feverishly bailed the boat and pondered the wisdom
of this lap of honour. The Captain of the L.E Emer had to abandon plans to
meet the crew on a Sea Rider and instead greeted them as the support crew
hastily removed the pummeled craft at a riverside landing stage.
Needless to mention we now regard this as the inauguration of a new
sporting
event for which we have laid down the benchmark. The row was completed in
26 hours and 40 minutes. At no time did the boat leave the river.
Thanks to the IWAI for all their assistance in helping us achieve the
Shannon Challenge in such record time. We feel we have sufficiently set
the
bar high enough for any future contenders to feel that we have created a
worthy challenge for them. Who knows we may even come back and defend any
challenge by any pretenders to our laurels.
Thanks again for all the help and thank you for putting us up on your web
site. I did not get an opportunity to get our own one up and running prior
to the event so yours was a very welcome presence on the world wide web.
Noel O'Driscoll
THE SHANNON CHALLENGE ---- Mission Accomplished !!
On June of last year a group of Welsh Rowers from Carmarthenshire rowed the
Shannon from the top of Lough Allen to the River Maigue as a fund raiser for
a local Welsh youth foundation. This happened in or around the time that
Mark Richards was putting the Shannon Challenge idea together. He would
have liked to be the first to do this Row! The Welsh team of 6 completed
the row over 7 days. We have had many discussions and much help form Richie
Jones and the other who completed the row and we propose to take up the
challenge and complete the row over four days in May. (25 - 28th).
We propose to set the ground rules for any group or association that follows
and takes on the challenge as we have done so that standards of uniformity
and safety are applied. We plan to set up a web site with the details of the
challenge and make information and assistance available to any future
challengers. We may even put up a trophy ....but that has not yet been
decided!!
Disclaimer: IWAI provides this information as a service to its
members and other parties. It is not involved in organising this
event.
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