Donegal Canoe Club

Liffey Descent 2011

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:24:04 +0000

The article in the Irish Times on this years annual Liffey Descent canoe race starts, “I spend Friday night, the night before my first Liffey Descent, imagining all the ways it could kill me. There are many. Drowning is obviously my number one concern, what with the raging torrents and the terrifying weirs and the rapids and the stoppers that trap you under the water.” For Donegal Canoe Club’s Zoe Stephenson and Aoife McLaverty this sums up their thoughts exactly, not just for the night before but for several months leading up to their first attempt at Irelands premier canoing event, and who can blame them! Pictured here L-R Anne Donnell, Zoe Stephenson, Aoife McLaverty and Mary Martin

Perhaps part of the attraction of learning to canoe is overcoming fear and with the right training and practice you can really surprise yourself.

Aoife decided a few years ago that river paddling wasn’t for her and she would instead concentrate on sea kayaking instead. Zoe recently had her kayak destroyed by the flooded river Finn and having previously almost broken her nose on the river Leanan was hesitant too. Never the less, for some strange reason both girls found themselves sitting at the start line for this years Liffey Descent race in Dublin.

Michael Roulston follows Mary Martin's lead in their Touring Canadian Double down one of the many weirs

Here are the places and race times for all of our members who attended this year.

Masters General Purpose
4th 2:31:38 Edward Broekaart
10th 2:50:04 David Leonard
14th 2:57:04 Cathal Herron
26th 3:14:34 Frank Roche
55th 4:25:11 Anne Donnell

Mens Senior General Purpose
94th 4:27:33 Vincent carson

Womans Senior General Purpose
17th 4:27:40 Zoe Stephenson
23rd 4:40:59 Aoife McLaverty

Touring Canadian Doubles
2nd 2:46:04 Tommy Marron / Noel Canavan
8th 3:03:30 Conor Kelly / Denis Gallagher
18th 3:23:56 Mary Martin / Michael Roulston

NI Surf Kayak Competition

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:28:27 +0000

Northern Ireland Surf Kayak club’s third competition scheduled for 2011 is due to take place at Magheraroarty on Saturday 18th June. Surf kayakers and paddlers of all levels of experience are welcome to come along. Beginners are welcome and there is a plastic class for those new to surf kayaking- with the ultimate prize of a brand new plastic mega surf kayak for the overall plastic class winner in 2011. Prizes for all places in Juniors, Women’s, Masters and Open Short and Long Boat categories for this competition are kindly sponsored by Donegal’s own Rapid Kayaking http://www.rapidkayaking.com.

Please watch the NISK homepage at http://www.nisurfkayak.com in the week preceding the competition for up to date reports on the competition- as it is weather and wave dependent.

Registration will be at Magheraroarty Pier at 9a.m. sharp. Please arrive on time to avoid disappointment. Entry fee: £5/€6 per class

Featured Club Paddler

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:03:02 +0000

When Kieran O’Connor moved to Donegal to start on the building of the new An Post sorting office in Letterkenny, the first thing he did was contact the Donegal Canoe Club. He then joined us at our pool sessions at the Aura Leisure Centre that run over the Autumn/Winter months. As we watched him practice his play boating skills it was clear that he is a competant kayaker and when he joined in with the polo sessions he proved that he was competetive too!

Soon he was out at weekends enjoying the best Donegal can offer a whitewater paddler and even brought his girlfriend Lou to a club camping trip and paddle to Owey island. With the An Post sorting office nearly complete, it should be handed over this first week of June, Kieran will be packing up his canoeing gear and heading off to Cork for his next project. Good luck Kieran, keep in touch from time to time.

Ramelton Lennon Festival 2011

admin — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:44:22 +0000

This year’s Ramelton town festival starts on the Friday 1st July. The Duck Race event held by the Donegal Canoe Club will be on Saturday 2nd July and will run after the parade and there will also be games and a music stage. See the Ramelton Community Website: www.ramelton.net

You can sponsor a Duck for €2 each or 3 for €5. Each duck is numbered and we write the sponsor’s name down along side each duck. We then throw the ducks over Ramelton bridge into the river Lennon and let the current do the rest. The first 3 ducks across the finish line win cash prizes of €100, €50 and €25. Donegal Canoe Club is a voluntary organisation and all proceeds help to fund beginners courses and junior paddling sessions.

Later in the day there is a raft race and nearly everyone is in fancy dress and this always promises to be very entertaining.

With many of our club members away to South Uist in the Hebrides this year we really need everyone to sell as many ducks as possible through out June. We also need volunteers to help, launch the ducks, shephard them down the Lennon and then gather them up again. For the Raft Race we need people on the water for safety. DCC Members should contact Paul if you can volunteer.

Download your Duck Sheet here Duck-Race-Sheet

Goodbye Chris

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:47:47 +0000

I just got of the phone with Chris Lenton who was waiting for the removals lorry. Chris and his family are moving back to England at 8am tomorrow morning and have put their home up for sale. He had text me earlier to say, “It been great paddling with you all and maybe see you guys in the future if you ever come paddling in England.”

Chris’s father was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago so they are moving back to take care of him and in Chris’s own words, “He may live a year he may go on for another 8, we just don’t know.”

So if any of you know of anyone looking for a quaint cottage conversion in Falcarragh let us know and we’ll pass them on to him. Good luck Chris, we’ll miss your Marble Hill cliff jumps!