The crews have been announced for the 76th edition of the Dublin City Colours Boat Races, which takes place on the River Liffey, this Saturday, March 21st.

The annual event will see eights from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) race heat-to-head from O’Connell Bridge to St James’s Gate.

A total of four races will take place between senior and novice eights crews starting from 10.30am on Saturday, March 21st. All of the crews will race over 2km upstream and under eight bridges from the starting line at O’Connell Bridge to the finish at Victoria Quay/St James’s Gate.

DULBC (Dublin University Ladies Boat Club/Trinity) won the coin toss to decide the stations in the women’s races and chose the South station. UCD won the coin toss to decide the stations in the men’s races and chose the North station.

The races involve the 76th edition of the Gannon Cup, which has been raced by Senior Men’s eights since 1947, and the 45th edition of the Corcoran Cup for Senior Women’s eights.

UCD is seeking to make it five wins in a row in both Senior races. In the Men’s Senior Race, Trinity will also be seeking to stop UCD from taking the lead in the overall Gannon Cup series for the first time since 1976. Both Trinity and UCD currently have 37 wins each in The Gannon Cup. There was a dead heat in 1950.

Trinity Senior Women’s crew line up for the Corcoran Cup having recently won their category in Erne Head of the River in Enniskillen in impressive style. The crew set a new course record in that event becoming the first women’s eight to break the 20 minute barrier in a time of 19.59. UCD finished second in that race in a time of 20.15.

UCD are the current national Senior Men’s champions and have been enjoying strong results of late. They won their category in Erne Head of the River, setting a new overall course record of 17.37 in favourable conditions.

The Corcoran Cup was originally a Senior Women’s Coxed Four event, but evolved into an eights race in 1993, due to increased participation by women in rowing throughout the country. Trinity has recorded 17 wins and UCD has 27.

The Colours Boat Races began in 1947 when the Gannon Cup was presented in memory of UCD Boat Club Captain, Ciaran Gannon, who was killed while on active service with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Burma in 1944.

Since then the list of races has expanded to include the Corcoran Cup in 1980, the Dan Quinn Shield for Novice Men’s eights in 2004 and the Sally Moorhead Trophy for Novice Women’s eights in 2005.

Trinity has won the last five Novice Men’s eights races while Trinity won the Novice Women’s eights race last March with a spectacular late push that put them half a length ahead at the finishing line.

This year’s event is being officially supported by Dublin City Council as part of a new multi-year agreement between the local authority and the rowing clubs of both TCD and UCD. As part of this arrangement, the event previously referred to as the Colours Boat Races has been renamed the Dublin City Colours Boat Races.

This year’s event is taking place as DULBC celebrates its 50th anniversary. The prestigious club was founded in 1976 by a group of women including Jane Williams, the current President of Rowing Ireland.

Please note: A results press release and images will be issued on Saturday.

For more information
Richie Oakley, Murray PR, [email protected], 087 2451824, coloursboatraces.ie

Corcoran Cup, UCDLBC: Back row, left to right: Orla O’Sullivan, Sophie Rhatigan, Molly Powell, Isabella Devitt. Front row, left to right: Ailíse O’Sullivan, Aoife Feeley, Neasa Farrell (cox), Carrie Savage and Grace O’Sullivan.

Corcoran Cup: DULBC: Front to back: Ava Dolan (cox), Addy Telzrow, María Mezquita García-Poggio, Ginevra Guglielmi, Jen Forde, Caoimhe Keller, Danielle Lohrenz, Sarah Geoghegan, Izzy Howley.

Gannon Cup: UCDBC: Back row, left to right: Andrew O’Leary, Conaill Cunningham, Dach Murray, Ross Mason. Front row, left to right: Eoin McGrath, Oisin Dolan, Rhian Nelson (cox), Conor O’Reilly, Ciaran Conway.

Gannon Cup: DUBC: Left to right: Ethan Coplan, Adam Ranko, Samuel Walker, Anrijs Lorencs, Caroline Welch (cox), Harry Pierce, Lucas Calvey, Eoghan Gloster, Pearce Mooney.

Crew lists

Corcoran Cup – Women’s Senior Eights
DULBC: Addy Telzrow (Stroke), María Mezquita García-Poggio (7), Ginevra Guglielmi (6), Jen Forde (5), Caoimhe Keller (4), Danielle Lohrenz (3), Sarah Geoghegan (2), Izzy Howley (Bow). Cox: Ava Dolan
UCDLBC: Ailíse O’Sullivan (Stroke), Aoife Feeley (7), Orla O’Sullivan (6), Isabella Devitt (5), Molly Powell (4), Sophie Rhatigan (3), Carrie Savage (2), Grace O’Sullivan (Bow). Cox: Neasa Farrell

Gannon Cup – Men’s Senior Eights
UCDBC: Dach Murray, (Stroke), Conaill Cunningham (7), Ross Mason (6), Andrew O’Leary (5), Ciaran Conway (4), Conor O’Reilly (3), Oisin Dolan (2), Eoin McGrath (Bow and Captain UCDBC). Cox: Rhian Nelson
DUBC: Ethan Coplan (Stroke), Adam Ranko (7), Samuel Walker (6 and Captain DUBC), Anrijs Lorencs (5), Harry Pierce (4), Lucas Calvey (3), Eoghan Gloster (2), Pearce Mooney (Bow). Cox: Caroline Welch

Dan Quinn Shield – Men’s Novice Eights
DUBC: George Bellew (Stroke), Cormac Lynch (7), Ethan Belleaubre (6), George Goor (5), Hugo Faulkner (4), Odysseus Leonidoue (3), Phillip Cubbin (2), Bjoern Martin (Bow). Cox: Emily Carrington
UCDBC: Cuan Moore (Stroke), Senan Tighe (7), Jan Mizak (6), Luke Duffy (5), Luke Boyle (4), Daithi Bowen (3), Matthew Gilson (2), Josh Hanson (Bow). Cox: Nisha Woolworth

Sally Moorhead Trophy – Women’s Novice Eights
UCDLBC: Hannie Culhane (Stroke), Clodagh Walsh (7), Faye McEntaggart (6), Cato Röell (5), Lia Butler (4), Isabelle Ryan (3), Alison Callinan (2), Eilís Mullane (Bow). Cox: Wyatt Sumner
DULBC: Laura Bourke (Stroke), Ellie McDonnell (7), Sophie Duffner (5), Sadhbh Rice (5), Ruby Stricker (4), Irina Kushnereva (3), Tara Ní Mhistéal (2), Lucía Guevara Valero (Bow). Cox: Sarah Fitzpatrick