Ring Rowing Club’s Noel Creedon and Conor Kelly picked up wins in the senior and under-19 men’s solos, respectively, as their club hosted its first beach sprint regatta. Racing took place on Duneen Bay Beach in County Cork, in southern Ireland, on 18 July.
Creedon is an experienced coastal rower, having represented Ireland in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. He also won the Irish senior coastal championship in the solo earlier this year. In the final of the Ring regatta, he faced up against another Ireland team member, Luke Nunan, who raced at worlds in 2023.
In the women’s competition, former lightweight sculler Cliodhna Nolan from University College Cork won the senior solos. Nolan represented Ireland at the 2019 and 2021 Under-23 World Championships, finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on a medal both times. In County Cork she beat upcoming Gabrielle O’Donoghue to take gold. O’Donoghue raced for Ireland in the under-19 women’s double at last years beach sprint worlds, and is still eligible to compete as a junior through the end of this year.
The junior and senior solos podiums from Ring Rowing Club’s 2026 beach sprint regatta were:
CW1x:
- Cliodhna Nolan – University College Cork Rowing Club
- Gabrielle O’Donoghue – Rosscarbery Rowing Club
CM1x:
- Noel Creedon – Ring Rowing Club
- Luke Nunan – University College Cork Rowing Club
U19 CW1x:
- Sophie Reynolds – Athlone Boat Club
- Erika Morrow – Loughros Point Rowing Club
U19 CM1x:
- Conor Kelly – Ring Rowing Club
- Adam Foley – Loughros Point Rowing Club
U17 CW1x:
- Niamh Hehir – Rosscarbery Rowing Club
- Kate Lynch – Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
U17 CM1x:
- Daithi Gallagher – Loughros Point Rowing Club
- Max Power – Lee Rowing Club