history

Garda Boat Club - A Brief History

The Garda Boat Club was established in June 1954 at a meeting held at Brugh An Gharda, Islandbridge (now the Garda Boat Club) to revive rowing on a competitive basis in the Garda Siochana. Chief Superintendent Paddy Carroll presided. Former Neptune oarsman, Inspector Tim O’Brien was elected Chairman. Jim Maguire was elected Captain. The members used a boat borrowed from UCD until a new boat was delivered in 1955. The pavilion at Islandbridge was used as their base in the tranquil setting of the Phoenix Park. Members started training on the River Liffey between the weir near Trinity boathouse and Chapelizod on the same course used by Trinity Regatta. Coaching is done from the tow path. The first Garda crew was an eight -- Paddy Prendergast, Joe Callanan, John Killian, Brendan O’Sullivan, Gerry McDonagh, Mick Harty, Tom Casey and Tom Brennan, coxed by Brendan O’Connor. This crew won their first trophy at Trinity Regatta in 1955. Club Captain, Jim Maguire was the coach.

A new boathouse was built beside the pavilion in 1960 which was demolished in 2003 to make room for a new boathouse with a gymnasium overhead. During the first ten years the Club won 11 Irish championships – 4 Novice and 7 Intermediate Eights. The first Senior Eight Championship was won by the club in 1965 rising to 11 in the year 2000. On two occasions the club has succeeded in winning three championships in eights – novice, intermediate and senior, the first was in 1966 and again in 1979. The total number of Irish championship wins up to 2003 is 68. The first trip overseas was to Henley Royal Regatta in 1958 for the Thames Cup. In 1959 an eight was selected to represent Ireland at Frankfurt and Koblenz International regattas in Germany. The first International win came in 1967, Jerry O’Neill, P.J. O’Connor, Tom Walsh and Bill Quane, coxed by Liam Redmond won their event at the Home International match at Loch Lomond in Scotland. Brendan Duane competed in the single scull at the Serpentine in 1963 in London.

The Club is indebted to a group of men who formed a panel of coaches during the early years – Mike Johnston, Bill Masser, Jonathan Verdon, Rynne Stewart, Bill Wyndham, John Bourke, Gerry Blanchard, Peter Martin, Ivor Kenny, Jim O’Brien, Derry McCaffrey and Lou Barry. Brendan Duane and Pat Grace are the coaches since 1971.

The first win at Henley was in 1975 in the Thames Cup, followed by two wins in the Prince Philip Cup in 1977 and 1979. Garda oarsmen represented Ireland in the coxed four event at the World Championships in Nottingham in 1975, Amsterdam in 1977, Lucerne in 1982. Coxless pair in New Zealand, 1978. At the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980, the Garda Boat Club was well represented on the Irish team in coxed and coxless fours, coxed and coxless pairs. In 2000 the Club won the Men’s Senior 8 Championship at Inniscarra in Cork for the first time since 1983. In 2001 they won the men's intermediate four championship and a newly formed novice eight won both the eight and four championships in 2002.

In 1999, Garda travelled to compete in the U.S.A. for the first time in the Head of the Charles Regatta. The crew came second in the Club Eights event, 3 seconds behind the winners, Harvard University.

The Club has the support of a number of sponsors including AIB Bank, Bank of Ireland, EBS Building Society, St Raphael’s Garda Credit Union, Coiste Siamsa An Garda Siochana.

The Garda Boat Club is in existence for 50 years. A new boathouse with a gymnasium overhead is under construction and is scheduled to be opened in June 2004.

The Club colours are White and Azure.