The Rowing Ireland Podcast

In this episode, we are celebrating women on the water. Host Niamh Hayes chats to three inspirational women, all of whom are involved in the sport of rowing. Máire Connolly is a Professor at NUIG. She took up rowing as a medical student in Galway. Her work with the World Health Organisation and UN took her all over the world, and she fell out of the sport as a result. But after moving home some years later, she returned to it as a masters rower. She embraces every opportunity that the sport has given her and chats about why she thinks every woman, no matter what age, should get involved in sport. 17-year-old Alicia Winter has been rowing for two years with Galway RC. She is a para-rower and uses her arms to move the boat and ergometer. She chats about the challenges she faces in the sport, as well as the reasons why she loves it so much and what it has brought to her life. Nuala Lupton is President of Skibbereen RC, the club with the most national championship titles out of any club in the country. She was also part of the very first Irish women's team that competed at a World Championships in 1975. She chats about how she got into the sport, her progression through the ranks, as well as the equality that has always existed in the club. The Rowing Ireland Podcast is powered by Kinetica Sports. www.kineticasports.com www.rowingireland.ie 

In Episode Eleven of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes chats to high-performance athlete, Eimear Lambe, about her recent success at the European Rowing Championships, where her love of the sport came from, how a time away from the sport made her connection to it even stronger, and her Olympic experience in 2014. Niamh also chats to ROWfit's Joe Cantillon about how he had to adapt and go virtual with indoor rowing competitions this year, and he spills the beans on the upcoming Irish Indoor Rowing Championships. The Rowing Ireland Podcast is powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie 

In Episode Ten of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes chats to high-performance athlete, Aifric Keogh. Aifric is one of seven rowers who is currently part of Rowing Ireland's heavyweight women's sweep squad. She recently won a bronze medal at the European Rowing Championships in the women's four - her very first international medal. Although she is one of the original members of the squad, there were a number of times during her rowing career when she believed she wasn't good enough. Aifric fills us in on how she got into rowing first day, overcoming the doubts, the challenges of preparing for an event during a pandemic, and her focus for the coming months. www.rowingireland.ie 

In Episode Nine of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes chats to two of Rowing Ireland's up and coming athletes who both have already achieved tremendous success in their rowing careers. Skibbereen rowing club is known for producing top class athletes and they have done it again in the form of Lydia Heaphy. The 22-year-old won a gold medal at the European Rowing U23 Championships in the lightweight women's pair in September. She then went on to row in the lightweight women's single scull at the senior championships, winning the B final. Hugh Sutton also represented Ireland at the European Rowing Under 23 Championships in September, finishing 5th in the A final of the lightweight men's quad. He had a hugely successful year last year, winning a bronze medal at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships, and then going on to finish 8th at the senior championships. Powered by Kinetica Sports www.rowingireland.ie   

In Episode Eight of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, Niamh Hayes meets two high-performance athletes who are just back from representing their country on the international stage. Aileen Crowley finished 3rd in the women's four at the European Rowing Championships and also qualified the women's pair for the Olympics at last year's World Rowing Championships. Tara Hanlon finished 3rd in the women's pair at the European Rowing U23 Championships & 5th at the European Rowing Championships. This podcast is powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie

The 2020 Irish Offshore Rowing Championships were held on September 26th and 27th in Portmagee, County Kerry. With seven categories being ran over the weekend, there were heats in four of these and three straight finals on the Saturday, while four finals were held on the Sunday. Host Niamh Hayes met with the organisers, coaches and competitors that were in Portmagee for the event. Powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie

In Episode Six of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes chats to four-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist, Paul O'Donovan. Paul talks about starting rowing at the age of seven, training with Skibbereen Rowing Club, winning an Olympic medal alongside his brother Gary and his preparation for Tokyo 2021. Niamh also chats to former League of Ireland footballer Seán Prunty, who is the Business Development Manager of Kinetica Sports. Seán chats about his sporting days, as well as the importance of good nutrition for athletes of all levels. Powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie 

Episode Five is full of world champions! First of all, host Niamh Hayes chats to Fintan McCarthy, who alongside Paul O'Donovan, won the lightweight mens double sculls at last year's World Rowing Championships. Fintan talks about how he got into the sport, what it was like winning the world champs and how he is targeting Tokyo 2021. This is followed by the person who became Ireland's very first world rowing champion back in 1991 - Niall O'Toole. Niall chats about becoming the country's first full-time rower, how he structured his training at a time when there was nobody to gauge off, and he has some helpful advice for athletes who have another year to go until the Olympics. Powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie  

In Episode Four of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes is joined by high-performance athlete Monika Dukarska who tells her story about moving to Ireland from Poland as a teenager, how she got into rowing, the highs and lows of her sporting career, the moment she qualified a boat for the Olympics and becoming a world champion in coastal rowing. Niamh also chats to David Hussey about coastal and offshore rowing in Ireland and the upcoming Irish Championships. Powered by Kinetica Sports www.rowingireland.ie 

Episode Three of The Rowing Ireland Podcast features an interview with Katie O'Brien. Katie finished third at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in the women's single scull PR2 event. Katie tells her story about growing up with Spina Bifida, how she got into rowing and what she needs to be able to compete at next year's Olympics. Rowing Ireland's Nutritionist, Leanne Varley, also joins the podcast to chat about how rowers can stay healthy and look after themselves as they start to return to rowing now that restrictions around sport have been lifted. The Rowing Ireland Podcast is powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie 

In the second episode of The Rowing Ireland Podcast, host Niamh Hayes talks to high-performance rower Phil Doyle. Phil chats about his return to working with the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, how he is balancing shift work with training, what he likes to do in his downtime, and how he is preparing for Tokyo 2021. Niamh also talks to Rowing Ireland's CEO Michelle Carpenter about the announcement of three Irish Rowing Championships, which are due to take place later this year. The Rowing Ireland Podcast is powered by Kinetica Sports. www.rowingireland.ie  Music from Free Music Archive, Scott Holmes, Upbeat Party

Welcome to the very first episode of The Rowing Ireland Podcast. Hosted by Niamh Hayes, this podcast will bring you interviews with some of Rowing Ireland's high-performance athletes, as well as news from around the country. In Episode One, Niamh chats to double world champion, and two-time Olympian, Sanita Puspure, about her rowing career, how she managed training at home during the lockdown and what preparations are like for Tokyo 2021. Niamh also chats to Rowing Ireland's Women in Sport Lead, Claire Lambe, about an exciting initiative for female coaches, and we hear about a webinar with Mark Pollock which is taking place on June 24th. www.rowingireland.ie Music from Free Music Archive, Scott Holmes, Upbeat Party