Louise Whelan
The Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club in Ringsend were the hosts for the handover of two cheques of €10,000 each on March 4th, which was wonderfully donated by the All in a Row -For Charity fundraising event that smashed a 1,000 km target in the Liffey challenge back in December. This is an annual challenge with an armada of rowing boats, currachs, sea skiffs, kayakers, motor boats, river outriggers and the Dublin Viking Dragon boat, all competing on the river for a fun day out, while raising funds for the charities.
The historic Old Liffey Ferry was also on hand as well as Rescue Ribs from the Irish Underwater Search & Rescue Unit (IUSRU). These elite group of rowers experienced the thrill of rowing under Dublin’s iconic bridges which started at the Tom Clarke Bridge (East Link), under the Samuel Beckett bridge, past the Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship, under the Sean O’ Casey bridge, the Talbot Memorial Bridge, Butt Bridge, the Rosie Hackett Bridge, the 50 metre wide O’Connell Bridge and the Ha’penny Bridge before rowing back downstream.
This year 2021, the charities were the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and the Irish Underwater Search & Recovery Unit (IUSRU) The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. The charity is driven by their values of selflessness, courage, dependability and trustworthiness with 95% of volunteers making up the organisation.
The IUSRU provides a professional, dedicated and highly trained service that can carry out the task of recovering missing persons with compassion and sensitivity.
All in a Row was established by the rowing and boating community along the east coast of Ireland in 2016, in an effort to raise much needed funds for local charities. Alongside a Go Fund Me page for people to donate, there was also a monster raffle held with an array of spot prizes galore.
Among a packed attendance on the night, was the Lord Mayor of Ringsend and Irishtown, Derek Buckley who congratulated the heroes of this event, emphasising “not all heroes wear capes” adding, “it was great to see the brilliant community spirit out in full force in raising money for two amazing charities, and we will look forward in hosting this event in our community again in December.”
The All in a Row crew members thanked all the clubs, rowers, supporters and sponsors who ensured that the 2021 event was a huge success. Ringsend is so lucky having two rowing clubs in our area, St Patrick’s Rowing Club and Stella Maris Rowing Club and their skills and knowledge combined, make for a powerhouse of expertise that really pushes the boat out when it comes to fundraising for charities that need a helping hand so a big thank you to both clubs and well done to all involved.
You can find All in a Row- For Charity on Facebook and their website is www.allinarow.ie
