By Deirdre Sutcliffe

This is the third Donegal Regatta that the Suir Dragon Paddlers have attended and this year a total of 12 traveled to Donegal to participate in the regatta on Saturday 10th August.

Saturday saw a full day of racing from the pier with 13 teams from all over the country as well as teams from England, France, Australia and Canada taking part. 

The Suir Dragons raced as a composite team called the Lady Nuala after the boat and our team was comprised of paddlers from Grainne Mhaol as well as French and Australian paddlers.

We participated in 3 races, Race 1: 2nd Place, Race 2: 3rd Place, Race 3: 2nd Place.
As a team who had not paddled together before we were very pleased with this. Kendra Warriors won the Cup Final and the Donegal Dragons the Shield final on the day. Adding glamour to the event was the Donegal rose who presented the trophies to the victorious teams and we didn't go away empty handed as all participants received a medal and t-shirt. 

The regatta was extremely well organised and as usual we were made very welcome. Loads of people came up to say hello and the staff and helpers loading the boats were extremely polite and friendly, with fantastic facilities at the pier. A fancy dress theme of Help the Environment  helped to add to the colour of the day and our Bee costumes while they didn't win any prizes certainly looked the part. 

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the event and we are already looking forward to next year. 
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What a wonderful day out we had on Sunday 21st July.

Is there a more life affirming moment than a group of breast cancer survivors, family, friends and supporters paddling together.  

With beautiful scenery and fantastic company we paddled the scenic Blackwater river from Villierstown to Youghal, admiring the amazing views, wildlife and historic houses along the way. Weather conditions couldn't have been better with calm flat water, a cloudy sky and warm temperatures that made covering the approx 20km a less onerous task! Following our marathon stint on the water and with the Lady Catherine safely loaded for the journey home we enjoyed a beautiful meal in The Old Imperial Hotel in Youghal. 

Without each other we wouldn't have made it out of the club house but a few people deserved a special mention, so thank you to Kathleen Stapleton who had organised the day with military precision from the moment we left Clonmel to our return. Thanks are due to our helms Joe and Pat, and also to Mike for bringing the Lady Catherine to the launch early that day. To the safety boat from Blackwater Kayaks & Canoes with Stephen, Niamh and James aboard who accompanied us along the way and ensured our safety at all times - a special thanks!

By mentioning names you always run the risk of leaving someone out so to everyone that was able to go and live their best life - Thank You All 
​Paddles Up 

Well finally the news that everyone has been waiting on and at last the location has finally been revealed!

The next IBCPC festival will take place in New Zealand - Land of the Long White Cloud. Undoubtedly a long way away but an amazing opportunity for the club and training has already begun in earnest with the goal of sending a team to represent the club in 2022. 

For more information see  http://ibcpc.com/

Well done to our team=mate Elaine Vanderwal who recently took part in the London Hong Kong dragonboat festival on the river Thames on Sunday 20th June.
Elaine was part of a team called Super Confusious, a mixture of experienced and novice paddlers who had a wonderful day of racing and fun finishing in a very credible 6th place out of a field of 24 teams. They have even planned to do it all again next year. Well done Elaine!

What a fabulous evening on the river to celebrate the mid-summer solstice. on Friday 21st June, Delighted that we were able to take out both boats with so many paddlers enjoying the evening and each others company. Great effort went into decorating the boats, providing food and planning the evening so thank you to everyone involved. 
​Check out the Gallery for a short video of the evening. 

Our free Introduction to Dragon boat racing for breast cancer survivors took place in the Clonmel Rowing club this evening Tuesday 11th June 2019.
Following an advertising blitz and Facebook campaign the response was immense with 16 newbies turning out to experience dragon boat racing for themselves and as a result we had two boats on the water with breast cancer survivors and supporters. It is truly a blessing to be part of a group of women ready to support each other and the club.
Everyone had a wonderful time on the water under the expert guidance of our helms, Mary & Joe and the evening was rounded off with a well deserved cuppa and sweet treats supplied by club members.
Thanks to everyone who came along, we hope you enjoyed your evening and look forward to welcoming you back. 

Bank holiday Monday, 3rd June saw plenty of action on the River Suir with the Suir Dragon Paddlers hosting a helming course in order to train up new helms for the club.  

Pat, Shelagh, Biddy and Noelle were joined with our friends from the Déise Buddies for a full day event that commenced at 9 am for the theory section of the course. From then on it was time to put the technical learning into practice and to get out on the water for the morning session. It was great to have so many paddlers available in order for the helms to experience steering the boat up and down river. 

Under the expert guidance of Julie from the Irish Dragon Boat Association everyone was put through their paces and and the afternoon session saw Pat and Shelagh successfully achieve their full licence and Noelle and Biddy on provisional licences. 
Congratulations Pat, Shelagh, Biddy and Noelle and well done on achieving your award. 
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Shelagh, Pat, Biddy and Noelle 

Well done to Teresa, Theresa and Mary who took part in the VHI mini marathon on Dublin over the June bank holiday weekend. 

Mary, Theresa & Teresa