Roscommon siblings set to represent Ireland in world rowing championships just weeks apart
Martin O'Grady and Donagh Claffey in action.
Two Roscommon siblings will represent Ireland in World Rowing Championships over the coming weeks.
Kiltoom’s Martin and Anna O’Grady will both be wearing the green vest as they compete in World Championships over the next few weeks.
First up, older brother Martin will be competing in the World Rowing U-23 Championships, which runs from July 23-27 in Poland. Meanwhile, Anna will represent Ireland in the World Rowing Junior Championships in Lithuania from August 6-10.
There is strong local representation with Athlone Boat Club’s Sarah Rockett partnering Anna and Richard Heaslip also joining the pair in Lithuania. Martin will compete with Donagh Claffey in the doubles sculls in Poznan with both men having come through the ranks with Athlone Boat Club.
Meanwhile, Dominic Cunningham and Darragh Collins will compete in the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Austria over the coming weeks.
Athlone Boat Club PRO Gemma Kiely feels that the exploits of the rowers is a sign of the strength of the club while she insists that Anna’s drive to succeed came from watching Martin compete in the World Junior Rowing Championships back in 2021.
“Selection for these events is years in the making. There is so much work gone into it. Anna started rowing at nine or 10 years old and she has been training for this for years. When her brother got the breakthrough in 2021, she saw the level of work that was required and the amount of hours that Martin would have put into his training.
“Anna grew up watching Martin and Donagh be selected and even though they were competing in two different boats, it spurred her on. When she saw someone first hand at home competing at World level, she brought a different intensity to our group. I was involved with the Junior girls at that stage, and we knew Martin was going and Anna stepped it up a level then and brought that drive and ambition.
“She has been working since then and got to represent Ireland for the first time at the Home International Regatta. That was a big boost and ultimately the trialling process for this year started back in October and people are sending in indoor rowing scores to Rowing Ireland selectors so it is a big commitment. But for Anna and Martin, they love it,” the Athlone Boat Club PRO stated.
With Anna O’Grady and Sarah Rockett becoming the first girls from within the club to compete at a World Championships, the success of this crop of young, talented rowers is a boost for the volunteer coaches within Athlone Boat Club and highlights the club’s growing reputation as a producer of young talent.
“Martin and Donagh came through in 2021 in a year when the club was particularly strong and they would have been part of crews that won the Irish Championships in quad sculls, double sculls and Donagh won in the singles sculls. There was a particular group of guys at the time who were very strong and Donagh and Martin were at the top of that pile.
“They were selected to race in the World Championships and then they went to college. They built on that and going to UCG (University College Galway), which is very strong in terms of university rowing and has a strong rowing culture. They have really gone from strength to strength. They have won multiple rowing championships with NUIG Boat Club.
“The reputation of Athlone Boat Club has grown significantly over the past few years as a producer of some of the top Irish junior talent,” she noted.
Along with Donagh, his brothers Rian and Evan and sister Laoise are all talented rowers, so there are strong family connections, wherever one looks.
The Athlone Boat Club PRO feels the rowers that have progressed to the upper echelon of the sport are an inspiration to not just their families but to rowers of all ages across the club.
“For our club this has been an unbelievable couple of years. If someone has paved the way ahead of you, there is a belief that you can do it too. They are fantastic people, but they are the same as a lot of people. When you put in the work and have the right support, a lot is possible,” she concluded.
