Coastal Rowing
Inver Colpa Rowing Club brought two bronze medals back to Drogheda after a strong showing at the 2026 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships in Bantry, Co Cork.
Fifteen members of the Drogheda club travelled south for the championships, held from August 15 to 17, competing against coastal rowing clubs from across the island of Ireland.
The first bronze of the weekend came courtesy of the Masters Mixed crew of Martin Murphy, Mark Markey, Glenda Murphy and Shirley Byrne, with Eavan Doyle as coxswain.
Doyle was back on the water with the Novice Men’s crew of Darragh Farrell, Frankie Fenton, Oran Brannigan and Mark Markey, who also secured a third-place finish and another bronze medal for Inver Colpa.
There were several agonisingly close finishes for the Drogheda crews, with Inver Colpa taking fourth place in the Novice Mixed, Masters Ladies, Veteran Ladies and Novice Ladies races.
Club member Martin Murphy also enjoyed further success as part of a composite crew with Troll Rowing Club, which finished second in the Heritage Masters Men’s event.
The results capped off a successful 2026 coastal rowing season for the small club, with members putting in months of training both on the River Boyne in Drogheda and at the Little Strand in Clogherhead.
Winter erg training also played a major role in preparing crews for the All-Ireland championships.
The club paid particular tribute to coxswain Eavan Doyle, who guided crews through an impressive 10 races over the three days of competition.
The result show that the Drogheda club continues to go from strength to strength, with members competing strongly against some of Ireland’s leading coastal rowing clubs.
Attention will now turn to preparations for the 2027 season after the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation confirmed that Bantry will once again host the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships next year.
Inver Colpa is hoping to build on its medal successes of 2025 and 2026 and see Drogheda and East Meath rowing strongly represented at the championships once again.