Postcard Overprint 1: Merry Christmas!

Drogheda Rowing Club – Boathouse on the river Boyne.

HTBS's Greg Denieffe writes:

Old postcards are a great source of information for rowing historians, especially if they have been posted and can be easily dated. The above postcard, which has be overprinted with ‘A Merry Christmas’ shows the boat house of the now defunct Drogheda Rowing Club, Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland (Est’d 1867) nestled beside the 12 stone-arches of the Boyne Viaduct, on the southern shore of the River Boyne. The club moved to their newly built premised in 1879 which according to Memories from the Boyne, The Story of Drogheda Rowing Club (2000) cost the princely sum of £212. The building was seventy-foot by forty-foot and contained a meeting room and a bathroom!

Unfortunately, this card has not been posted or written on but there are some clues as to its age. It has a divided back (dividing line down the centre to allow for both a message and the address to appear on the same side) which was introduced in January 1902. It also has the postal rate of ½d (half-penny) printed on the back which was the rate for internal postage until June 1918 when it was increased to 1d. Therefore it was printed for a Christmas between 1902 and 1917. I would guess that it is pre-WW1.

The Boyne Viaduct was built of iron between 1853 and 1855. It was refurbished in the 1930s, when new steel girders replacing the ironworks were constructed inside the original bridge before the iron structure was removed.

The Boyne Viaduct (refurbished in the 1930s) as it is today.

Drogheda Rowing Club was host of the ‘Boyne Regatta’ which traditional began the Irish rowing season. The IARU (Irish Amateur Rowing Union) was founded in 1899 and the first regatta held under their rules was held on the Boyne but the first recorded boat races on the Boyne were in 1862.

Here is a short clip showing the finish of a couple of races outside Drogheda Rowing Club in 1921:

BOYNE REGATTA

The Legendary Casey Brothers

Greg Denieffe writes,

According to W. B. Yeats, Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone* but I’m not so sure after reading reports of a new book called The Legendary Casey Brothers.

In an updated edition of a book originally published in the USA about the Casey family from Sneem, County Kerry, author Jim Hudson tells the story of seven brothers who rowed successfully at home on the Lakes of Killarney, and in both London and Boston as well as becoming folk heroes in the world of professional wrestling.

The publisher Collins Press has this to say about the book:

In 1982 the seven Casey brothers were inducted into the Irish Sports Hall of Fame, the only family ever to receive that honour. The brothers, from Sneem in County Kerry, starred as Olympic-class oarsmen, Tug-of-War champions, professional wrestlers and boxers and won fame throughout the sporting world. Steve, known as ‘Crusher’ Casey, became the supreme wrestler in the world and for a decade no one could match him. When he turned to boxing, the great Joe Louis refused to go into the ring with him. In 1983 at a family reunion in Sneem, five brothers, all in their seventies, climbed into the four-oar boat they used to win championships in the 1930s. Although they had not rowed together in fifty years, they still moved with their former natural unity. Sports people from Kerry have achieved fame in many fields but the success of the Caseys surely outshines all.

The list of Casey sporting achievements is many and varied:

·    Paddy Casey was successful in the Salter Cup races at Killarney Regatta and was undefeated light and heavyweight wrestling champion of Ireland and also won many long-distance cycling races in Ireland
·    Dan Casey was a contractor, coxswain of the Salter Cup crews, champion oarsman, and a tug-of-war champion
·    Jack Casey remained in Ireland, married and took up farming and fishing. A superb oarsman in his own right, he helped the Caseys win the Salter Cup at the Killarney Regatta
·    Tom Casey was also in the Salter Cup winning crews and became British amateur wrestling champion in 1937 after only nine days’ training before moving to Boston and joining Riverside Boat Club. In 1940, he won the Casey Codman Challenge on the Charles River
·    Jim Casey was also successful in the Salter Cup races, went to Boston and joined his brothers in Riverside Boat Club and won the Canadian and South American wrestling titles
·    Mick Casey in a career that lasted over twenty years, had 200 wrestling bouts
·    And, of course, probably the greatest of them all, Steve ‘Crusher’ Casey became the supreme wrestler in the world and he retired undefeated as world wrestling champion. But before that he led the Sneem crew to their three successive Salter Cup victories, thereby winning the cup outright; he rowed successfully in London.

The Caseys, from left: Tom, Paddy, Jim, Steve. Front: Dan (Cox)

The Irish Times recently reviewed the book in an article called "The Dream Team from Sneem". In the book you can read about their early life in Kerry rowing traditional boats and winning the coveted Salters Cup at Killarney Regatta three times in 1930, 1931 and 1933 (no regatta in 1932); their move to London and their successes there with Ace Rowing Club and their bid to row at the 1936 Olympic Games (* see opening paragraph above!) which was foiled owing to their earnings from professional wrestling.

Tom, Jim and Steve Casey (l. to r.) on the Charles River, Boston, Massachusetts.
Tom, Jim and Steve moved to Boston and rowed for Riverside Boat Club. From A Brief History of Riverside Boat Club:

Among the club’s more colorful oarsmen was Steve “Crusher” Casey. An immigrant from Skibbereen, County Kerry, a professional wrestler and boxer, and a Boston icon, Steve and two of his seven brothers raced victoriously for Riverside throughout the 1930’s and 40’s [sic]. In testimony to his popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, his statue stands today in his hometown, while in this country his bars, Casey’s on Huntington Avenue near Boston Symphony Hall and Casey’s Too in Hull, were favorite watering holes for locals, Irish immigrants and rowers alike.

The Irish Times article comments on their time in Boston:

Four years afterward (1940), three of the brothers went some way to proving their point, when they challenged all-comers to a single skulls (sic) race on Boston’s Charles River. Only one of America’s best rowers, Russell Codman, was brave enough to accept. Watched by a quarter-million spectators, he was beaten into fourth place.

The Dorchester Reporter has more details on the challenge issued by the Casey brothers and the race with Codman.

The original book by Jim Hudson was published privately in the USA in 1990 and was called The Legend of the Caseys (The Toughest Family on Earth!).

For the new edition of the book, Radio Kerry presenter and former GAA referee Weeshie Fogarty and Kerry-based videographer Christy Riordan travelled to Texas to meet with Myrtle Casey, Jim Casey’s wife.

Here is Killarney Advertiser journalist Éamonn Fitzgerald’s preview of The Legendary Casey Brothers, to be launched in Sneem by Olympic Gold medallist Ronnie Delany on 18 October:

“They're all gone now, and there isn't anything more the sea can do to me”; these were the immortal lines from Maurya, (the spelling used by Synge) the mother in Synge’s Riders to the Sea, as she was ‘caoining’ the death of her sons. This quotation surfaced when I read a new book from The Collins Press, The Legendary Casey Brothers. Written some years ago about the legendary seven Casey brothers from Sneem, it will be launched in The Sneem Hotel by Olympic gold medallist Ronnie Delany on October 18.

Written by Jim Hudson some years ago it is based on interviews with Jim Casey and his wife Myrtle in Texas telling the story of the seven legendary world champion brothers from Sneem. The author is now deceased [sic ~ see Comment No. 1 below!] and so is Jim Casey, but his wife, 92 year old Myrtle is coming out of a nursing home and travelling to Sneem for the launch. When Myrtle was on holidays in Sneem some years ago she was put in touch with Radio Kerry’s Weeshie Fogarty and Christy Riordan. She wanted the Casey brothers’ story to be published so she invited Weeshie and Christy to her home in Texas in 2008 and gave them access to all the memorabilia and documents, including the unpublished book. This duo proved the catalyst for the publication and Collins Press took up the challenge. Christy Riordan has also produced an excellent DVD on The Casey brothers of Sneem.

You can look inside the book here and check out the DVD and watch a seven minute trailer here.

The Casey family sporting prowess continues through the generations: 

Paddy’s son, Patrick Casey, was a member of the Vesta Rowing Club in London and was a member of their Britannia Challenge Cup winning crew at the 1981 Henley Royal Regatta;

Jack’s son, Noel, was a successful rower and coach with Vesta Rowing Club, but is best remembered for his time with Thames Rowing Club; particularly coaching amongst others, his daughters Bernadette and Caroline to many national successes and to seventh place for Great Britain at the World Rowing Championships held in Munich in 1981. He also coached the Great Britain women’s eight to a fifth place finish at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. 

Bernadette Casey Carroll now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and her children Jack and Victoria are according to The Kerryman deeply involved in sports including rowing and have competed in England at a very high level.

‘Romantification’ aside, I’m looking forward to reading the book and learning more about this extraordinary family.

 The DVD The Casey Brothers.

More on Murray Bridge and ‘The Cods’

The News, 16 July 1924.

HTBS’s Greg Denieffe writes,

My fellow HTBS-arian and Australian rowing historian Louis Petrin has kindly contacted me regarding the recent post “The Case of Cod v Cods”. Louis writes:

‘Here is a voice recording of an interview in which Christine McRae (mother of James, a Murray Bridge rower who went on to the 2008 and 2012 Olympics) says that the Cods won the race in Ireland.  Sadly, Christine is mistaken, although it would have been nice for these guys to have won something after all their efforts.

I have also found a mention of the race on the front page of local South Australian newspaper, Bunyip for Friday 22 August 1924:

Glad to know that you were on the ball: there’s nothing worse than facts being wrong and repeated. I will endeavour to write to Christine and to the various local websites pointing this out.

My view was that these guys tried as best as they could but everything was against them and it was probably the case that they competed against better rowers anyway.

The facts are, that to travel to Europe, they had a lengthy boat journey, they did not have the best equipment, although it’s hard to know why because here in Oz we did have some good boat builders, and there was no money to pay for basic things like lodgings, food, etc. But in the spirit of good sports, they gave it a go. They were not the first, nor last, to face such challenges. We need more stories on “losers” as the way they behave in losing defines them as winners.’

The Tailteann Games and the progress of the Murray Bridge crew were widely reported in the Australian papers. On the 1 August, 1924, the Sydney newspaper The Arrow questioned the eligibility of the crew to participate in the Aonac Tailteann (Tailteann Festival). The Sydney Morning Herald on the 18 August, 1924, in an article very similar to that printed in The Irish Times, reported on the three international races between the Irish and Australian crews. A local newspaper The Register reported on 6 October, 1924, that the crew were ‘Home Again’ as follows:

There was a large crowd of enthusiasts it the Outer Harbour on Saturday afternoon to welcome the Murray Bridge rowing crew, who were, returning by the R.M.S. Mooltan from London after participating in the Olympic Games. Interviewed on board the vessel, Sir C. A. M. West (manager) said that although the crew were disappointed at not getting pride of place, they were by no means discouraged, and were as keen oars men as ever. Much had been said of their inability to secure the desired success, but he would say, to express the sentiments of the members of the crew, that the best eight won. The trip had been most beneficial in more ways than one. All were enjoying good health. The crew had not practised since the Tailteann Games at Dublin, in August, so were now well rested. At the Olympic contest he was greatly impressed at the fact that the crews favoured the swivel rowlock and that the Americans used a longer slide, which appeared to help the men in their, swing and reach. The crew were in England only a few days, and were not greatly impressed by the English summer, as it rained continuously. The Thames Rowing Club very kindly made the crew honorary members for the time of their stay, and offered them the use of racing boats. In the Irish sports the Australians generally were successful, and secured 29 medals. The crew were defeated by Derry after a grueling contest. After participating in the eights and fours Pfeiffer secured pride of place in the sculling event on the same day.

Thanks to Louis, I was able to find the voice recording made by ABC Adelaide and broadcast last March on their 891 Drive programme. The radio station’s website introduced the show as follows:

Murray Cods at Paris Olympics

In 1924 the Murray Cods, a team of rowers from Murray Bridge, also known as ‘the raggedy eight’, competed in the Paris Olympic Games. [Actually it was the Murray Bridge crew of 1913 that were known as The Raggedy Eight].

But to get there they had to overcome all sorts of problems - class snobbery, interstate rivalry, being past their prime, lack of finances and transportation. They even sold a bullock to raise cash for their journey, then busked on the streets of Paris for expenses.

Local historian Christine McRae, whose son is in training for the London Olympics, talked with Michael Smyth on 891 Drive.
 
Chris talks us through the period from 1913 to 1924 when Murray Bridge were the premier crew in Australia; through WWI in which the club lost eight of its members and through the very successful post-war period up to the 1924 Paris Olympics.

You can listen to the 12-minute programme here.

Photograph courtesy of the State Library of South Australia - PRG 280/1/29/198

As readers of HTBS will know, it was the City of Derry Boating Club and not the USA crew from Yale mentioned in the broadcast that defeated Murray Bridge. Nevertheless, it is well worth a listen. There are a couple of interesting callers to the show and a remarkable disclosure of true friendship shown by the crew to Wally Pfeiffer, who some people wanted banned from representing Australia. 

Chris and her son James after the 2012 Olympic quadruple sculls medal ceremony. Photo ©Stock Journal

The Stock Journal, a website that covers agricultural, political and general news affecting people and businesses in rural, regional and corporate Australia, reported on 7 August, 2012, as follows:

JAMES McRae has become the most decorated athlete in the 103-year history of the Murray Bridge Rowing Club after winning a bronze medal at the London Olympics.McRae and his Australian men’s quad scull team-mates… rowed their fastest race for the season to claim third place at Eton Dorney on Friday. The full article is here and you can watch the full race here.

I was lucky enough to be there to see James win his bronze medal and here’s my ticket for that momentous day.

James has now been selected for the Australian 2013 team as part of a coxed pair with fellow South Australian, Tim Conrad. According to the Rowing Australia website, “This crew may compete in the Coxless Pair, subject to them meeting determined performance criteria prior to 25th July.”  Who knows, he may even return to Eton Dorney in June for the Rowing World Cup.

The Case of CoD v Cods

International Rowing Trophy from the 1924 Tailteann Games.

Greg Denieffe writes from England,

Lovely Derry on the Banks of The Foyle - by J. J. McCready c. 1920
I know a wee spot, it’s a place of great fame
It lies to the North, and I’ll tell you its name
It’s my own native birthplace, and it lies on Irish soil
And they call it lovely Derry on the banks of the Foyle

In August 1924, the Tailteann Games was revived in Ireland. The fact that rowing was one of the sports included, coupled with the fact that the Olympic Games had recently been held in Paris, gave rise to the participation at the Games of the Australian Olympic eight.

Murray Bridge Rowing Club from South Australia had been nominated for the Olympics by a panel of selectors chosen by the State Associations to represent Australia, on condition that they met any challenges on the Port Adelaide course. Having won the 1922 and 1923 King’s Cups (Interstate Championships) Murray Bridge were the form crew, but doubts over their rowing style and the fact that the Olympic regatta was to be raced over 2,000 meters, whilst their King’s Cup victories were over three miles (4.8 km), led to their conditional selection.

The race to finalise selection between Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the South Australians was held on 9 March, 1924, on the course stipulated by the selectors. An epic struggle ended in victory for the Murray Bridge crew by a canvas (deck) and so their Olympic selection was confirmed.

Members of the Murray Bridge Rowing Club, with officials and supporters, following the test race on the 9 March, 1924. Photograph courtesy of the State Library of South Australia - PRG 1258/2/1673.

The crew were nicknamed the ‘Murray Cods’ and whenever they raced; they had a small stuffed Murray cod tied to the bow of their boat. According to the Club’s website, they wrote to the Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta, with a view to racing there, as preparation for the Olympics. “A return letter politely informed the crew they were not welcome to participate, because with the exception of Sladden, all were working class and only gentlemen rowed in Henley on Thames”.

The crew travelled to France with the rest of the Australian Olympic team and on arrival they had to row their boat 37 miles (60 km) to their training camp. It is not surprising that the crew underperformed at the Games: on the day of their heat, in which they finished second to Italy but ahead of Spain, they rowed their boat 26 miles (42 km) from their boat house to the course on the River Seine. In the repêchage they finished third behind Canada and Argentina, but ahead of Belgium. Canada went on to win the silver medal behind the USA crew from Yale. Dr. Benjamin Spock, seven-seat in the victorious USA crew and his 1956 letter to ‘Rusty Wails’ comparing the 1924 crew with that of 1956 was the subject of a six-part article on HTBS in May 2011.

Murray Bridge Rowing Club represented Australia at the 1924 Olympic Games. Harry E. Graetz (Bow), Edward D. Thomas (2), Wally E. H. Jarvis (3), Arthur V. Scott (4), Alf C. Tauber (5), Walter H. Pfeiffer (6), Frank M. Cummings (7), William M. Sladden (Stroke) and Robert A Cummings (Cox).

After the conclusion of the Olympic regatta on the 17 July, the Australian eight travelled to Ireland to take part in the Tailteann Games, held in Dublin between 2 and 18 August. As part of the Games, a four-day regatta was held over the Islandbridge course in the west of the city on the non-tidal River Liffey.

Reproduced from City of Derry Boating Club 125th Anniversary Regatta programme (3 May 1986).

The races were arranged in two sections, National and International. In the former class there were events for senior and junior eights; senior, junior and under-age (under 21) fours; and senior and junior sculls. The International section was for the winners of the National senior eights, fours and sculls who were to race the Australian Olympic crews.

The rowing section of the 1924 Tailteann Games was held on 13-16 August.

In 1924, rowing in Ireland was finally getting back to full strength following the War of Independence and the Civil War. All the usual fixtures were restored and there were two outstanding senior eights: City of Derry Boating Club (CoD) and Bann Rowing Club; that dominated the most important regattas. City of Derry won at their home regatta and at Dublin University, but was narrowly beaten by Bann in the Irish Senior-Eights Championship. They met again in the semi-final at the Tailteann Games and Derry emerged winners by half-a-length. The following day, they won the final rather more easily, beating Citie of the Tribes by 2½ lengths. The senior fours was also won by the Derry club and the senior sculls was won by C. T. Denroche, Lady Elizabeth Boat Club. These crews would now face the Australian visitors on the final day of the regatta in the International races.

British Pathé in a film titled Irelands Sporting Festival 1924 appears to show both crews posing for a group photograph. It then shows the Australian Oarsmen at work on the Liffey and is quickly followed by a shot of the Australian crew posing on the bank with their oars.

IRELAND'S SPORTING FESTIVAL

T. F. Hall in his 1939 book, History of Boat-Racing in Ireland describes the races between ‘CoD and the Cods’:

The International Fours race was first on the programme and fast and powerful as were the Australian visitors, Derry soon had their measure. Australia went for the race at the start and with an early lead looked like scoring. Derry held them, half a length astern, to half-way and then made their first real effort. Well backed by his crew, R. S. Bolton spurted and steadily the Australians came back. At the Wood the boats were level and then came Derry’s second effort, and, as it proved, the decisive one. Slowly Derry went ahead to lead by a quarter-length at the enclosure. Australia, however, were not done with and down the straight spurted strongly only to find their opponents replying in kind. The Australian effort died away and Derry drew out at the finish, good winners by three quarters of a length.

The International Eights race followed a couple of hours later. Gaining courage from their four’s meritorious victory the Derry crew went to the start full of confidence and made full use of the experience of the earlier race. This time they got the start and held a slight lead to the bend rounding which bad steering by Australia nearly resulted in a foul, but Derry sportingly gave way, thereby losing a quarter-of-a-length. This they recovered in the straight to the Wood and at the half-way mark the race was won. The pace was telling on the visitors who became short in the water and Derry were never afterwards in danger, ultimately winning by one-and-a-half lengths in 6 minutes 12 seconds.

The Australian eight showed one change from the crew that raced in Paris; G. Tucker replacing W. Jarvis in the three-seat. W. H. Pfeiffer, who also raced in the Australian four and eight, beat C. T. Denroche in the International Sculling Race bringing home a Tailteann Games medal similar to that shown in a previous HTBS post.

Hall also reported on the celebrations that followed racing:

In the evening the Australian crews were entertained to dinner at the Metropole Restaurant by the Irish Amateur Rowing Union. Mr H. J. Anderson (Galway), Vice-President, occupied the chair and a very pleasant evening wound up a successful four days’ rowing. Replying to the toast of “Our Guests,” Mr C. A. M. West, Manager of the Australian Olympic crew, stated that they had thoroughly enjoyed their visit and their races. On behalf of the crews he heartily congratulated the winners on their rowing and, in memory of the occasion, he presented to the I.A.R.U. the boat in which the Australian eight rowed. The Union subsequently presented the boat to the City of Derry B. C. whose representatives had so worthily upheld the honour of Irish rowing in these memorable races.

City Of Derry Boating Club with the 1924 Tailteann Games Trophy. The victorious Derry eight was: R. A. Coulter (Bow), J. N. Brownslaw (2), K. P. Donegan (3), D. R. Keown (4), E. G. Biggar (5), V. S. Ward (6), T. D. Ward (7), R. S. Bolton (Stroke) and W. Smith (Cox).

In an article printed on Monday 18 August, 1924, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the Irish Games, covering Athletics, Cycling, Rowing and Lawn Tennis. The Australian’s defeats in Paris and Dublin were put down to the crew being too old (the average age was 32) and reported that their manager had announced that the crew would probably disband on its return home. Perhaps the greatest source of material on the Murray Bridge trip to Paris is that held by State Library of South Australia. The family of the Australian coxswain, Bob Cummings, donated his diary, photograph albums and memorabilia to the library and has given permission to the library to feature the items on the library’s website. On pages 78 to 81 of his diary, Bob wrote about the trip to Ireland as follows:

August 1st
Off for Ireland. Had a wonderful trip through England & Wales to Holyhead on way to Ireland very pretty. London & Midland & Scot – Express arrived Holyhead 3p. Boarded boat sailed. Blew & rough as -. 937 pasgrs on board. Standing room & 2 thirds were sick, myself nearly not quite. Very rough trip arriving in Kingstown Ireland near Dublin. Irish Games Committee met with car. Staying St Pats College Drumcondra. Beautiful living like lords treating us goodo.
Saturday Aug 2.
Opening Irish Games. Great display by Aussie led the athletics America next. Great show equal to Colombes. Bands plenty. 20,000 people. Irish v scotch “shinty” good game.
Aug 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th.
Having glorious time. Training on the liffey at Neptune shed. Good. 4s. 8s race on the 16th. Have been several shows all fair. College great. Strike over. Can see results of great war, ruins in street. Several tours were O.K. have been several. Howth Capt O’Toole at the lake.
Aug 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th
Still having good time in Ireland. We were beaten in racing 4s by ¾ length Derry from North & were beaten again in the 8s by 1½ lengths. Had a great dinner on night after racing was over.
Aug 17th
We packed up for home.
Aug 18th
Left Dublin. Some of our chaps had a nasty motor accident, capsized hurt one or two, in our taxi we ran over a dog, all going to station. The crew left for Belfast. Had a day’s look around there nice big place. Left for Glasgow at 9p

Having left home on the 8 May 1924, the Men from Murray Bridge finally arrived home on the 30 September. The adventure was over. In his diary, ‘Bob’ Cummings finishes his record of competing at the Games (page 71):  Had hard luck did our best.

South Australia  (Traditional)
In South Australia I was born
Heave away, Haul away
In South Australia ‘round Cape Horn
We’re bound for South Australia

A New Series about Rivers in Ireland

A new tv programme in Ireland starts its series with featuring the River Barrow.

Greg Denieffe writes from England,

RTÉ, the Irish national radio and television channel, has started a new series called Abhainn (River), which is an Irish language programme (with English subtitles) exploring the country’s rivers. The series begins by examining local stories, both ancient and new, about the River Barrow.

My home town Club, Carlow Rowing Club, are featured from approximately six minutes in. It is in the RTÉ Player for another 18 days. I am sure the readers of the HTBS will enjoy it.

Mitchell & Kenyon – The Rowing Collection

Greg Denieffe writes,

Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon founded the firm of Mitchell & Kenyon in 1897. The company was one of the largest film producers in the United Kingdom in the 1900s, with slogans like “Local Films for Local People” and “We take them and make them”.

Between 1900-1913, filmmakers Mitchell & Kenyon roamed Northern England, Scotland and Ireland filming the everyday lives of people at work and play. For 70 years, 800 rolls of this early nitrate film sat in sealed barrels in the basement of a local shop in Blackburn. Rediscovered by local historian Peter Worden in the early 1990s and subsequently acquired by the British Film Institute in June 2000 this collection has been the subject of an ambitious four-year restoration and research project. (Gary W. Tooze of DVD Beaver).

The films were shot and shown, perhaps on the same day, in local halls and early cinemas. People would pay for the privilege of seeing themselves as others did. The results of the restoration were originally shown on BBC as a three-part series, The Lost World of Mitchell & Kenyon. The series was released on a DVD and followed up with three other DVDs – Electric Edwardians: The Films of Mitchell and Kenyon, Mitchell & Kenyon – Edwardian sports and Mitchell & Kenyon in Ireland.

Thankfully a number of short rowing clips are included as follows:

Mitchell & Kenyon – Edwardian Sports

Kingston Rowing Club at Practice (3 May 1902). This clip is 4:32 long and the opening commentary states that it takes place on the River Humber but it should more correctly state that it is the River Hull. Kingston-upon-Hull is a town in North East Yorkshire situated next to the Humber Estuary. Watch out for the sculler at the end of the clip, paddling along smoking a pipe!

Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta between Leander and Berlin (23 July 1902). This clip is only 2:32 long and was previously included in an earlier posting on HTBS called Royal Visits Benefit Irish Rowing.

The booklet accompanying the DVD has this to say about the rowing clips:

Rowing, too, was emerging in the Edwardian period as both a popular leisure pastime and a sporting occasion. Two films selected here illustrate both the amateur nature of the sport and the problems of shooting sporting events at the time. Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta, filmed at the Cork International Exhibition on 23 July 1902 features Leander from Henley-on-Thames and Berlin Rowing Club. Leander won the race but the film appears to be more of a series of spectator shots rather than action on the river. Kingston Rowing Club at Practice, shot in May 1902, emphasises the comic nature of the event as opposed to the sporting, with audience appreciation in the later showing of the film centring on the rowers falling into the river.

Mitchell & Kenyon in Ireland

There are three rowing clips on this DVD as follows: Two-oared Boat Race, Sundays Well, Cork (1902), Crews practicing on River Lee at Cork Regatta (20 July 1902) and Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta between Leander and Berlin (23 July 1902). They can be found together as one clip of 4.47 with the slightly misleading title of Mitchell & James Kenyon -1901-Rare Video of Ireland-Part 11.

The booklet with this DVD also has a short paragraph on the rowing clips as follows:

The Cork Exhibition was also a venue for some of the sporting titles shot in Ireland, rowing being one of several spectator events held during the summer. Two boat races took place in Cork during this period: the first International Gig Races of 21-23 July at Cork International Regatta, glimpses of which can be seen in Two-oared Boat Race, Sundays Well, Cork (1902); and the Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta between Leander and Berlin (1902) held on 23 July. Leander, who won the competition, was founded in Henley-on-Thames in 1818 and are the world’s oldest and most renowned club [sic].

As HTBS readers will know, Leander was indeed founded in 1818, but on the Tideway. There are at least three surviving rowing clubs older: Brasenose College Boat Club, Jesus College Boat Club and Westminster School Boat Club.

Sunday’s Well Boating and Tennis Club was founded in 1899 and in 2009 published a history researched by historian Kieran McCarthy and written by Irish Examiner sports journalist, Alan Good. The promo for the book reads:

Beautifully situated just west of Cork city centre on the banks of the Lee, the club emerged as a by-product of annual boating regattas at the Mardyke. Boating, with a high society classification in the 19th century, was a popular pastime on the river adjacent to Sunday’s Well. Due to limited revenue, boating events such as mini regattas were not organised every year, but the races are remembered for the Chinese lanterns and bunting that illuminated the gardens at the riverbank, as well as the balloon and firework displays at sundown. In 1899, inspired by a successful Sunday’s Well Regatta and Water Carnival held that July, the Sunday’s Well Boating and Tennis Club was founded. It was formed by a number of organisers of the regatta, several of whom were residents in Sunday’s Well.

I can’t remember Sundays Well Boat Club taking part in any IARU (Rowing Ireland) organised regatta and I have never seen their name in any old programmes, but some years ago I purchased an old postcard featuring them, as they do play a part in Irish rowing history.

Posted in Dublin, Ireland on 27 November 1903.

1948 Olympics And The Thin Green Line, Part 2

The Irish crew practicing on the course at Henley-on-Thames.

Here continues Greg Denieffe’s article about the Irish teams competing at the 1948 Olympic Games:

Back in Henley, the Irish crew practiced on the course. Also there, were the FISA officials who held a meeting: thirty-two county (all-Ireland) affiliation was confirmed and the entry to participate in the Games was made. The decision cleared the way for the Irish crew to race as selected and established all-Ireland status for future FISA/IOC events. Boxing was the only other sport in 1948 to have representatives from both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State on the Irish Olympic team: Willie Barnes from Windsor, Belfast, fought in the fly-weight division.

At the request of the Organising Committee, the ARA undertook the general management of the Olympic Regatta. The ARA in turn appointed the Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta under the chairmanship of Harcourt Gold to run the Regatta on their behalf. The rules of FISA governed all matters to do with racing, including the introduction of the repechage system giving each defeated crew a second chance to progress. The regular Royal Regatta course was shortened to 1,929 metres and also widened to 36 metres to take three crews. The piles and booms were removed and replaced with marker buoys.

Eight-six crews, a new record, from twenty-seven countries competed at Henley-on-Thames for the seven Olympic titles on offer. Twelve entries were received for the eights and Ireland, although ill prepared, was proud to be among them. But what were they to be called? In the end the organizers of the regatta decided that ‘Ireland’ would be the designation and so that was how they appeared in the printed programmes.

The programme for day one of the 1948 Olympic Regatta.

Heat three of the eights with Ireland on the centre station. Strangely, the crews are numbered from stroke to bow.

The heats for all events were held on Thursday, 5 August, and the Irish crew made their Olympic debut in the penultimate race at 6.00 p.m. They finished third a long way behind Canada and Portugal. Only the heat winners progressed to the semi-finals and the other crews had to race the following day in one of three repechages. In that race, Norway (6:12.5) beat Ireland by exactly twenty seconds and the Olympic adventure was over for the men in green.

The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the XIV Olympiad was published in 1951, and all references to ‘Ireland’ at the Olympic regatta were changed to ‘Eire’.

Results of heats three and four of the Eights at the Olympic Regatta as published in The Official Report.

The Irish team manager did have one moral victory over Lord Burghley. At a Buckingham Palace reception for the Olympic teams, the Irish were once again behind Egypt. As they approached the Throne Room, the King’s Equerry asked how they would like to be announced. “Ireland,” said Chisholm firmly. The King seemed fine with this, but later Burghley wrote to complain that under the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act, 1938, the former Irish Free State was called Eire (in the Act and the Official Report, the omission of the fada or acute accent over the E was deliberate). The row continued until 1949 when the Republic of Ireland was declared.

It was not until 1952 that the International Olympic Committee conceded the right of Irish citizens born in Northern Ireland to compete for Ireland. At the same time the Irish Olympic Council changed its name to The Olympic Council of Ireland but the ‘battle of the names’ continued. Lord Killanin, president of the Irish Council, was admitted to the IOC and persuaded Avery Brundage, the IOC president, to accept ‘Ireland’ as the designation for the 1956 Melbourne Games and the IOC followed suit. The only objection came from Lord Burghley. Killanin was later forced to protest over the continued use of ‘Eire’ by the IAAF, (presided over by Burghley), the only association which did not accept the IOC’s decision. Lord Killanin gave outstanding service to the Olympic movement and served as president of the IOC from 1972 to 1980.

Interestingly, Christopher Barton was one of the eight men born in the Irish Free State who represented Great Britain at the 1948 Games. He was born in Celbridge, County Kildare, in 1927 and was educated at St. Columba’s College, Dublin and Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1948, he was a member of the victorious Cambridge crew in the Boat Race and represented Leander at Henley. He stroked the Great Britain crew to the silver medal in the eights.

He was not the first man born in Ireland to win an Olympic rowing medal for Great Britain. That honour belongs to Terence Sanders who was born on 2 June, 1901, in Charleville, County Cork. He went to Cambridge University and took a degree in engineering, and stroked the losing Cambridge crew in the 1923 University Boat Race. At the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, he stroked the British coxless four to the gold medal ahead of Canada and Switzerland. In 1929, he and G. C. Drinkwater co-wrote the book The University Boat Race: Official Centenary History 1829-1929.

The final word on the 1948 crew belongs to Michael Johnson: “They lost their two races, heat and repechage, but they held The Thin Green Line. And, they brought Ireland into the world of real international rowing for the first time.”

Here is a short video of the 1948 Olympic final of the eights:

1948 Olympics And The Thin Green Line, Part 1

The 1948 All-Ireland rowing crew, coaches and officials.

Rowing historian and fellow HTBS member Greg Denieffe writes about Ireland’s 1948 Olympic struggle:

The Olympic Creed:

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

This Olympic creed developed from a sermon given to the athletes at the 1908 London Games by Ethelbert Talbot, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania. At a service held in St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Bishop actually said: “The important thing in these Olympics is not so much winning as taking part”, but Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, chose to extend the Bishop’s words from just sport into everyday life.


This story is about one such struggle to take part.

In a few days, the Olympics will begin in London, being held there for the third time, and over what promises to be a very dramatic week, around 250,000 spectators will watch the competitors vie for the rowing medals in the fourteen Olympic boat classes. Men, women and lightweights will battle it out in Eton Dorney, for the right to be called Olympic champion. Things were very different sixty-four years ago; seven events, all for men, were contested over three lanes in Henley from 5 to 9 August. The weather will probably be a talking point this year, as it was in 1948, when spectators sheltered from heavy rain under their deckchairs on the third day of the regatta.

With the 1948 Olympics being held right on their doorstep, the Irish Amateur Rowing Union (IARU) supported the Irish Olympic Council’s wishes to have Ireland represented at the Games. The IARU was founded in 1899 as the national body for rowing in all of Ireland. That August, R. C. Lehmann, Honorary Secretary, on behalf of the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), sent a hand written letter of congratulations to H. G. Cook, Hon. Sec. IARU, and offered any help that may be required by the new body. According to Michael Johnson in The Big Pot (M. Johnson), “the possibility of Olympic participation had first been raised in a special general meeting of the IARU in 1928, but nothing came of it. It was raised again at the 1936 annual general meeting by Trinity and UCD with a view to rowing in the Berlin Olympics.” 1948 would be different, but getting a crew there would prove difficult owing to the ongoing dispute between the Irish Olympic Council and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the ‘Political Boundary’ rule.

The 1934 International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) ruling on borders restricted the jurisdiction of the Irish Olympic Council to what was then the Irish Free State (26 counties). This had been created in 1922 when Ireland was split: the 6 north-eastern counties being renamed Northern Ireland and opting back into the United Kingdom on 7 December, 1922, the day after the creation of the new Irish Free State. The Irish Olympic Council, which was affiliated to the IOC on 3 June 1922, was adamant that they were the representative body for all of Ireland (32 counties), and as a result, the 1936 Games were boycotted.

To compound the matter, the Irish Olympic Council was in dispute with the British Olympic Council regarding how their team should be designated. The Irish Olympic Council had been informed by the IOC in 1939 that in light of the wording of the Irish Constitution, the official designation at future Olympics would be ‘Éire’ (despite the fact that the English form of the name ‘Ireland’ is also used in the same document). The Chairman of the British Olympic Council, Lord Burghley, was elected Chairman of the Organising Committee and he was determined that only athletes born in the Irish Free State would be allowed to represent the country and that the team would be called ‘Éire’.

“The IARU held a special general meeting on the 11 June 1948, and strongly endorsed an executive proposal that an all-Ireland entry for the Games should be made, and that affiliation to the International Rowing Federation, FISA, should be applied for on that basis.” (M. Johnson)

The 1948 Senior Eights Championship of Ireland which was held in Belfast (Northern Ireland) on 9 and 10 July was also used as the Olympic trial event. University College Dublin Boat Club retained the trophy and five of the winning crew would be selected in the crew put forward to represent Ireland. A squad of ten oarsmen and two coxswains was selected and went into training.

The crew was picked after five days of trials from 12 to 15 July and the men selected to fill the seats were: T. G. Dowdall (Bow), UCD; E. M. A. McElligott (2), UCD; J. Hanly (3), UCD; D. D. B. Taylor (4), Queen’s; B. McDonnell (5), UCD; P. D. R. Harold (6), Neptune; R. W. R. Tamplin (7), Trinity; P. O. Dooley (Stroke), UCD; and D. L. Surge (Cox), UCD.

There were two coaches, R. G. Hickey, UCD; and M. Horan, Trinity; two substitutes, H. R. Chantler, Trinity, and W. Stevens, Neptune; all managed by D. S. F. O’Leary, UCD.

They would have three weeks together before their first race, providing their entry was accepted. The USA, eventual winners of the gold medal, crewed together for two years.

Across all sports, Ireland selected seventy-two competitors and forty-four officials for the Games. The team arrived in London five days before the opening ceremony and immediately a row broke out when British officials noticed that some of the Irish entries had been born in Northern Ireland. J. F. Chisholm, the Irish manager pointed out that under Irish law, any citizen of Northern Ireland was entitled to citizenship of the Irish Free State, if they wanted.

This would prove to be a major sticking point for the rowing team as Danny Taylor from Queen’s University, Belfast, was in the crew, but even before that came to a head, the Opening Ceremony on Thursday 29 July would highlight the further problem of the name of the team. Only the Irish boxers, fencers and rowers were due to take part in the Ceremony. Chisholm insisted that the team was called ‘Ireland’, not ‘Éire’ and that they would march between Iraq and Italy. The Chief Marshall, Colonel Johnstone, said that the people of England knew the country as Éire and the Staff Officer stated that if Chisholm persisted, the team would not be allowed in the parade. Chisholm eventually backed down, but later wrote to the organizing committee: “I strongly protest. The name of the state is ÉIRE in Gaelic, or in the English language, IRELAND. Under the IOC rules, Spain is not called España.”

The Irish Olympic team marches into the Empire Stadium in London at the opening ceremony of the 1948 Games.

He did have a point as French and English are the official languages of the Olympic Movement. The only other language used at each Olympic Games is the language of the host country.

Janie Hampton, in her wonderful book, The Austerity Games (2008; paper back 2012), has this to say about the North/South issue:

“The tensions that had festered since the Irish team arrived now came to a head in the swimming events: the Irish were once again embroiled in a row over eligibility. Both Ernest McCartney and William Fitzell Jones had been refused permission to swim for Ireland, because they had been born in the North. They felt this to be grossly unfair because the Irish Olympic Council had not objected to the eight men born in the South who were competing for Britain”.

Both men held Irish passports but when challenged by Chisholm the reason for disallowing them changed from their place of birth to their voting eligibility. Chisholm was incensed and wrote a strongly worded letter pointing out that this was an entirely new rule, which if applied, would bar everyone under twenty-one years old from taking part in the Olympics. In the end, the IOC stepped in to resolve the matter, and found in favour of the British: breaking their own rules in the process.

Greg’s article The 1948 Olympics And The Thin Green Line continues tomorrow!

Bookseller Selling Irish Rowing History Books

For those of you who are interested in Irish rowing history, I just came across a nice little collection of books and regatta programmes at a bookseller in Dublin. Listed at Dublin Bookbrowsers in Dublin are: Raymond Blake’s In Black and White: A History of Rowing at Trinity College Dublin (1991), Michael Johnston’s The Big Pot: The Story of the Irish Senior Rowing Championships 1912 – 1991 (1992), and T. F. Hall’s History of Boat-Racing in Ireland (1939).

This bookseller also has several different Irish rowing regatta programmes from the 1950s. And something I have never heard about, a programme on Third Annual Smoking Concert Four Courts Hotel, 13 March, 1908 published by Dublin Rowing Club.

If you would like to take a closer look, the list of these rowing books and regatta programmes can be found here (hurry up to take a look before they are all sold).

Neptune RC Out For A Spin!

Greg Denieffe, HTBS’s expert on Irish rowing, writes,

What a great entry on HTBS yesterday!

Attached is a photo of the lower Liffey taken in October 2006. Usually there is no rowing here. Off in the distance on the right hand side (south side of the river) is Ringsend where all the old rowing clubs were before they moved upstream to the non-tidal Islandbridge.

I believe it is the Neptune Rowing Club, Intermediate VIII on the water for a training spin.

Dermot St. John Gogarty at Trinity College, Dublin

Rowing historian Greg Denieffe has more information about Dermot St. John Gogarty. Greg writes,

Following on from Tim Koch’s enquiry on 12 March and Göran Buckhorn’s follow-up on 13 March, I have found some information on Dermot St. John Gogarty’s involvement with Dublin University Boat Club (Trinity College, Dublin).

In the late 1920s Trinity adopted Steve Fairbairn’s methods and found them to their liking. To implement the new style they needed a coach who was fully conversant with these methods and Dermot St. John Gogarty fitted this requirement perfectly. Gogarty first appeared at Islandbridge in 1933 and was an immediate success as Trinity’s senior coach. They retained the Irish Senior Eight Championship in 1933 having earlier won the University Grand Challenge Cup at Trinity Regatta. In the final of the ‘Grand’, they beat their alumni club, Lady Elizabeth Boat Club, a crew stroked by Gogarty.

The 1933 Trinity College senior eight, Irish champions with Coach Dermot Gogarty wearing his London RC cap. (This photograph is from Michael Johnston’s book The Big Pot.)

Gogarty also kept his hand in by sculling for Lady Elizabeth and won The Emerald (senior) sculls at Trinity Regatta in 1933 and 1934. According to Raymond Blake in his wonderful book In Black & White, A History of Rowing at Trinity College, Dublin: “All this was only a sideshow compared to the serious preparation that was being undertaken for Henley”.

Gogarty was obsessed with winning the Ladies’ Plate and drawing on the experience of previous years Trinity only entered one event at Henley in 1934 and that, of course, was the Ladies’ Plate. They had earlier finished fourth in the Head of the River in London and won the senior eight at Boyne, Cork, and Limerick as well as at their home regatta.

Trinity progressed steadily to the final of the Ladies’ Plate and faced Jesus College, Cambridge, in the final. A contemporary account captured the excitement of the occasion:

“The greatest race of the day was the Ladies’ Plate. Jesus started at 11, 20½, 40. Trinity College, Dublin, at 10½, 20½, 39. Dublin got off very fast, and was half a length ahead at the top of the Island, and three quarters at the first signal. At the Barrier, reached in 1 minute 59 seconds, the same time as the Grand, they were rowing 35 to the 35 of Jesus. At Fawley (3 minutes 18 seconds) three seconds inside the record, Jesus went up a little, and at the next signal were only half a length behind. Here Jesus spurted at 38 against 36 and came up very fast to get level below the mile. Then Dublin gained a few feet at the mile and kept it till 100 yards from the finish. Jesus were a little better together, and in two splendid ‘tens’ at 40 up the enclosure which Dublin could not answer, they just got three feet ahead to reduce the record by seven seconds in 6 minutes 48 seconds. Nowhere over the course would Leander (the Grand winners) have been really clear of Jesus. They were the neatest, quickest, and longest Jesus crew since the Great War, and they improved with every day’s racing.”

The 1934 senior eight, Ladies’ Plate finalists, photographed at Henley. Standing (left to right), R.M. Halahan (2), J.A.F. Montgomery (4), D. St. John Gogarty (coach), J.A. Shillington (captain, 1933), A.B.K. Tyndall (bow), T. Shillington (3). Sitting: J. Richards-Orpen (6), M. Horan (7), D. McGillycuddy (stroke), R.J. O’Neill (cox, in front), G.C. Drinkwater (coach), J.C.F. MacCarthy-Morrogh (5). (This photograph is from Raymond Blake’s book In Black & White.)

The Henley adventure took a lot out of the Trinity crew and they were beaten in a heat of the 1934 Irish championship. However the foundation for an amazing sequence of results in the event was now in place and between 1935 and 1946 Trinity won ten out of twelve Irish senior eight championships.

It would seem that Gogarty was coaching at Trinity College, Dublin, University College, Dublin, and the London Rowing Club at the same time as well as sculling and stroking the ‘Lizzy’ eight. Architecture was certainly a lucrative and forgiving career in the 1930s! After his time with DUBC, he coached in Galway where he moved to in 1948.

(This post was corrected at 10 p.m. on 15 March, 2012)

The Currach - A Symbol Of Ireland

The Irishman Greg Denieffe sends greetings for the new year:

“Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit!”

Greg got a very nice gift for Christmas. He writes:

My very good friend Seamus Keating and his wife Margaret gave me a beautiful Celtic Wood Carving for Christmas. Above you can see a picture of it in its presentation box and I thought the HTBS readers may like to know a little bit more about this boat type, “The Currach”.

According to Currach.org “Currachs are heritage, culture, history, and athletics all in one; and the history of the Currach is as old as Ireland itself. The first written record comes from Julius Caesar in 100 BC and early Gaelic accounts speak of large ocean going sailing Currachs roving the North Atlantic. However, such a light and graceful craft were not only used on the sea and it is recorded that in 1602, O’Sullivan Beare, the Irish chieftain, quickly assembled Currachs to cross the Shannon to escape from the Earl of Thomond and his army.

“The origin of the Currach may be lost in the mists of time, but their traditional construction has changed little over the centuries. Now made from tarred canvas they were originally built by craftsmen using animal skins, stretched over wooden slats or laths and rowed with bladeless oars. Although flimsy-looking it is perfectly adapted to the local seas. Irish legend has it that it was in a Currach that St. Brendan journeyed across the Atlantic 900 years before Columbus and 400 years before the Vikings! He speaks of his visit to a vast land across the Western Ocean (Newfoundland) and a great impassable river (the Mississippi?). If true, the first European to arrive in America (in a Currach, no less) was an Irishman! The Currach is a one of the most romantic Irish symbols, familiar to tourists all over the world.”

A model representing St Brendan’s currach.

It would seem that the gift was a precursor for me to look into the history of the Currach at a very momentous time as it is been reintroduced to the east coast of Ireland today, 7 January 2012.

As reported on thejournal.ie on Wednesday 4 January this year:

Two hand-built currachs to be launched into the Irish Sea this weekend

TWO HAND-BUILT CURRACHS will be launched in to the Irish Sea this weekend after being built by a team of volunteers in Dublin’s East Wall. The boats were built as part of a month-long currach workshop in East Wall, where artist and boat builder Mark Redden led a team on what’s involved in the ancient Irish technique of boat building. Currachs are traditional Irish boats, which used to be covered by animal skins, and are often found on the west coast of the country. “As a physical thing the currach represents something more than a simple water craft. It stands for the quality of ancient design, a legacy left to us by our forebearers, and a resourcefulness applicable to today’s life,” said Redden.

The team behind the new currachs hope that they will be able to compete in regattas off the west coast. The boats were built in the East Wall Water Sports Centre in Dublin’s docklands, right beside the river Tolka. In a piece of good news for the currach team, Met Eireann says that the weekend is going to be relatively mild and less cold and blustery than the last few days have been – which should mean less choppy waters for launching the currach.

There is a page on Facebook "East Wall Currachs" with more information and pictures of the boats being built.

The Aran Boatmen by Islandcraft Studios.

“The Currach, a traditional west of Ireland rowing boat has been used for centuries on the Aran Islands by skillful fishermen. It is covered in tarred canvas and is very light, graceful and sea worthy. This product is made by a process known as Intarsia which is the ancient art of making pictorial mosaics by laying precious and exotic woods onto a solid wood surface. Seven different woods are used to make these Celtic designs.”

Greg Denieffe On The Mulholland Cup

Greg Denieffe, whom by now should be regarded as one of HTBS’s regular contributors, has great knowledge of Irish rowing. Here is a nice piece about the Irish Mulholland Cup:

The Mulholland Cup was presented by John Mulholland (later Lord Dunleath) for competition by the clubs on the Lagan and Belfast Lough. It was made in London by Edward and John Bernard and hallmarked with the date letter for 1866. It is a rowing trophy with elaborate chasing; bearing classic silver designs including Acanthus scrolled handles and garlanded cherubs. The cup is densely engraved with the names of the winners and it is now in the Queen’s University Belfast Silver Collection in the Naughton Gallery.

The cup was contested 11 times between 1867 and 1878 when it was won outright by Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club by virtue of winning it for the third consecutive year. During this period it was the premier rowing competition in Belfast and was raced in four-oared in-rigged gigs. In 1939, the IARU published History of Boat Racing in Ireland by T. F. Hall and the cup is mentioned in the chapter dealing with “The Connor Challenge Cup” [1890], “…the cup replaced another older trophy, the Mulholland Cup, which had been won outright by Carrickfergus some years earlier.”

Mulholland Cup Medal 1868. Courtesy of NRF.

There is a medal from the 1868 Race in the rowing exhibit “Let Her Run” at the National Rowing Hall of Fame at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, USA. It is described thus in the Museum catalogue: Prize medal [obv] “Belfast Amateur Rowing Club” [rev] “Mulholland Cup, 1868, E. M. Adams, Stroke” The obverse shows the Coat of Arms of Belfast and the motto ‘Pro tranto quid retribuamus’. Translated from Latin, it means ‘what return shall we make for so much’. The name ‘Belfast’ originates from the Gaelic Béal Feirste, meaning mouth of the sandbars” or “mouth of the river”.










The medal pictured above was purchased by the writer in 2007. [Obverse] “CARRICKFERGUS AMATEUR ROWING CLUB”, [Reverse] PRESENTED TO, Winning Crew of, Mulholland Cup, 1872. 1873, S.McComb. No 1. It is probably gold (not hallmarked) and is similar in style to the silver medals presented at the 1876 Carrickfergus Amateur Regatta only slightly smaller at 27mm as opposed to 30mm.










The Irish Times of Monday 7 July, 1873 reported on the race under the heading “THE BELFAST ROWING CLUB”,

The annual competition for the cup presented by John Mulholland, Esq, D L, took place on Saturday, under the auspices of the Belfast Rowing Club. The following boats started :- Holywood Rowing Club (Vedette), H Henderson, B F Bothwell, T Withers (stroke), and E Henderson (coxswain); Carrickfergus Rowing Club (Witch), McComb, D Pinkerton, C A Kirby, J B McFerian (stroke), and P Cairey (coxswain); Carrickfergus Rowing Club (Wizard), W McCombe, D B Alexander, J Dubourdieu, Robert Vint (stroke), and Singleton Vint (coxswain). The Witch carried off the cup, this being the second year it has done so.

It would be safe to say that the crew of the ‘Witch’ was the premier crew in Ulster that year. They won the Ulster Challenge Cup at the Belfast Regatta on 30th August beating Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club by four lengths over two miles. The names of the crew as recorded in The Irish Times are slightly different, but it is likely it was the same crew. Carrickfergus Rowing Club (Witch), S. McCombe, D. Pinkerton, jun; C. S. Kirby, J. B. McFerran (stroke), and J. Carrey (coxswain); Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club (Osprey), F. Lepper, E. Maginnis, F. W. Thomson, W. J. Brett (stk), and R. Coleman (cox).

The first race was held on 7th September 1867 and was won by Belfast Amateur Rowing Club. The winners of the Cup are as follows:

1867 Belfast Amateur Rowing Club beat Holywood Amateur Rowing and Swimming Club.

1868 Belfast Amateur Rowing Club beat Holywood Amateur Rowing and Swimming Club.

1869 No Race.

1870 Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club beat Northern Amateur Rowing Club who had earlier beaten Holywood AR&SC in a heat. The race was organized by Ulster R&AC and held on the Lagan at Queen’s Island. Winning crew; W.P. Wallace (Bow), W. J. Robertson (2), W. H. Dickson (3), T. R. Richardson (stk.) and T. S. Ronaldson (cox.).

1871 Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club beat Holywood AR&SC in a race held at Holywood. Winning crew; W.H. Mervyn (Bow), R. Richardson (2), J. W. Cochrane (3), J. Ireland (stk.) and T.S. Richardson (cox.).

1872 Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club.

1873 Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club [Witch] beat Holywood AR&SC [Vedette] and Carrickfergus ARC [Wizard]. See above for the winning crew.

1874 Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club beat Carrickfergus ARC and Lagan Amateur Boating Club. Raced at Belfast Lough. Winning crew; A. L. Ireland (Bow), S. J. Moore (2), W. C. Morgan (3), E. A. Maginnis (stk.) and R. Coleman (cox.).

1875 Ulster Rowing and Athletic Club beat Holywood AR&SC and Lagan ABC on the Queen’s Island course. Adverse weather conditions forced the Lagan club to retire from the race. Winning crew; W. D. Moore (Bow), S. J. Moore (2), W. Punsunby (3), W. S. Mitchell (stk.) and R. Coleman (cox.).

1876 Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club beat Belfast Boat Club.

1877 Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club beat Belfast Boat Club.

1878 Carrickfergus Amateur Rowing Club beat Belfast Boat Club and wins the cup outright by virtue of their 3rd consecutive victory.

John Mulholland, 1st Baron Dunleath (16 December, 1819-11 December, 1895), was an Irish businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament. He was the son of Andrew Mulholland of Ballywalter Park in County Down and was involved in the Mulholland family cotton and linen industry. He was a Justice of the Peace for Antrim and Down and High Sheriff of Down in 1868 and of Tyrone in 1873. He stood as Conservative candidate for Belfast in 1868, to be beaten by the Orange populist William Johnston of Ballykilbeg but was elected MP for Downpatrick between 1874 and 1885. In 1892, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Dunleath, of Ballywalter in the County of Down.

John Mulholland, 1st Baron Dunleath of Ballywalter (1819-1895).

For a more detailed history of John Mulholland, please click here. For information on the family home, click here.

Belfast Regatta
Early Belfast regattas had been held on the busy harbour course. Unsuitable racing conditions and other river traffic led to the regatta being cancelled after 1896. Belfast Regatta was resurrected in 1938 further upstream on a river course and The Mulholland Cup came back into service as a rowing trophy when after a lapse of 50 years it became a challenge cup for competition for Maiden Fours. Carrickfergus donated the cup and four others for competition at the revised regatta. It was once again retired when Belfast Regatta was discontinued in 1971. Twenty nine regattas were held during this period and many of the winner’s names are engraved on the cup alongside those from the 1860s and 1870s.

The programmes for Belfast Regatta described the event as follows:

THE MULHOLLAND CHALLENGE CUP. A Maiden Event. To be rowed in four-oared clinker-built boats by maiden oarsmen. Each boat to carry a coxswain. No oarsman (substitutes excepted) may enter and none shall compete for this Cup and any other Cup except the Greer or Bruce Challenge Cups.

Silver Sounds at the Naughton Gallery, Queen’s University, Belfast
Silver Sounds is a project that suggests that sound might be a way of uniting and reinterpreting the University’s silver collection. These soundscapes respond to the provenance of a particular piece of silverware and explore the reasons for its creation, donation and use and combine with the silver objects to create a new immersive artwork.

Jason Geistweidt is a sound artist currently based in Chicago. He was one of ten artists commissioned to create a piece for this project and his is based on the Mulholland Cup. His piece responds to the continual transformation of the sporting trophy as dates and names were added every few years as well as its static embodiment of particular events and memories etched in metal. Wishing to create a kinetic complement, he has incorporated elements which provide this object with a living context: the working of metal, the pull of the oar through water and the encouragement of the coxswain.

Entitled Stroke, the work incorporates the various ‘strokes’ encapsulated in the Mulholland Cup: the stroke of the silversmith, the stroke of the oar, the name of the crewman that sets the pace, and the stroke of the clock marking the passage of time. The project won the Times Higher Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts 2008.

To visit The Naughton Gallery at Queen’s, please click here.

Acknowledgments and further reading
Thanks to Shan McAnena Curator of Art at the Naughton Gallery, Queens University Belfast, Ken Morrow and Göran R Buckhorn for their assistance. Also to The Irish Times, the Public Records Office NI, and the authors of the following books:

T. F. Hall, History of Boat-Racing in Ireland (1939).
Donald McMeekin, Belfast Boat Club, The First 100 Years (1976).
Walter F. Mitchell, Belfast Rowing Club, 1882-1982 (1994).