An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July / August 2026 www.military.ie/magazine 36 | An Cosantóir July / August 2026 www.military.ie/magazine Irish Defence Forces Rowing Club End of Season Review [2025/26] As the sun sets on another incredible season, it's time to reflect on a year of hard work, fierce competition, personal bests, and unforgettable moments for the Defence Forces Rowing Club and its members. From cold winter mornings on the water at the National Rowing Centre to championship finals under blue skies, this season has truly showcased the spirit and strength of our club and more importantly its members. Performance Highlights This year saw impressive achievements across all crews which was kicked off with participation in the world famous Rhyne Marathon. Over the course of four days where the Defence Forces Rowing Club had two crews competing. Our athletes put in a considerable effort to finish as 3rd fastest international crew and 8th place for the second boat, a remarkable effort considering the weather conditions and distance of 42.2km row. The weather this season, like a lot of other clubs, wasn't as favourable for many races planned by Rowing Ireland but when possible, the club entered and some of these races included St Michaels, Regatta, Fermoy, Munster head and the Cork Regatta with some excellent results attained. The introduction of new members is always an added bonus to the club as it provides competition, motivation and enhanced mental focus required to be in a seat in one of our boats, combined with the gentle little shove needed to push even harder for our more established members. Off the water, this season like last has been a quite remarkable season for the club who only some four years ago did not exist, the introduction of High Performance coach Mrs Sanita Purspora, a former three time Olympian, and two time world champion and now within our ranks is Olympian Ronan Byrne, who now juggles a career as well as rowing with the Irish senior squad is a massive boost to our club and demonstrates just how far we have come but more important how far we want to go. Continuous improvement has been the word again this season behind the rowing scene with our newly built boat house kitted out in new rowing machines, Concepts 2 bikes and RP3rowers and much thanks must go to J7 staff led by Comdt Sarah O Regan, again for the support and belief that something unique is coming out of Cork from a sporting context. Training & Club Development We also introduced many new initiatives, like a winter training camp, strength & conditioning program, or mental performance workshops, which have been well- received by all athletes, as such the mental strain on the human body to undergo a 2000 meter race would be equivalent to standing up and sitting down off the floor over 1200 times in 6.30 min as a comparison is testament to the athletes. Our club plans to run its next Learn to Row camp in February next year so if Defence Forces personnel are interested, please reach out. Community & Culture This season wasn't just about racing either, the club will celebrate the effort and spirit this season through upcoming club events such the "Summer BBQ, where club members will no doubt discuss the long slow distance (LSD) ergometer sessions, and very cold but memorable winter training periods in a cold National Rowing Centre, (NRC). The camaraderie, support, and commitment shown by members both on and off the water have been nothing short of exceptional. Looking Ahead With a strong foundation and growing momentum, the future looks bright for the Defence Forces Rowing Club. We look forward to seeing Tpr Ronan Byrne of the 1 Bde Cav push on for a place at the next Olympics in what will be a challenging year ahead for Ronan, thus backed by Ms Sinita Purspora , the other club members strive to 36 | Tpr Ronan Byrne Olympian at DFRC training session NRC

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