FERMOY Rowing Club is building on its successes to date, by investing in nine new boats.

Members, supporters and friends of the club gathered on Saturday last at the boat house on the banks of the Blackwater in Fermoy for the launch and boat-naming ceremony.

The boats were purchased at a cost of €120,000 over the past 18 months, thanks in part to National Lottery funding of €60,000 in 2015.

Those gathering enjoyed a lovely evening as the boats were named in honour of past and present trustees of Fermoy Rowing Club, as well as officers, coaches, umpires and sponsors.

Treasurer Paul Kavanagh was MC and the boats were named in honour of Jim Baylor, John Murphy, The Towey Family, Sean Donnellan, Dave Cliffe, Anthony Cleary, Charlie McCarthy, Jim Hackett and Barry Connolly, each of whom was involved in the club building project 40 years ago and gave great service to Fermoy Rowing Club over the years.

Paul estimated that between the nine of these honorees, they had given 500 years of service to Fermoy Rowing Club, which was founded in 1884, having previously been called the Robert Emmet Rowing Club for 30 years prior to that date.

The club can point to the increased popularity of rowing, especially since Gary and Paul O’Donovan won silver at the Olympics, and also point out that Gary and Paul won their first regatta at Fermoy.

Fermoy RC also had three members honoured by being chosen to row for Ireland this year, Anna O’Sullivan (silver win at Home International Regatta in Scotland), and Ellie O’Reilly and Gill McGirr, who rowed in the European Rowing Junior Championships and won two gold medals at the Coup de la Jeunesse, in Belgium.

And two of the club’s coaches also were callled up for Irish duty, those being Ray Morrisson and Paul Fisher.

Such is the take-up of rowing that the club is quickly filling up with new members, and hence the new boats.

“We now need more boats for all the new members and we need more room for new boats, but it’s a good position to be in,” said club chairman Patrick Granville.

The new boats were blessed by Reverend Tony Murphy and Father Aquin Casey, and the members enjoyed a wonderful evening talking about successes of the past season, and plotting future rowing glory.