Rory Keeley flies the flag for Clonmel and Tipperary at Home International Regatta
Clonmel rower on Irish quad that was successful in England
The Home International Regatta took place on Dorney Lake, just two miles from Windsor Castle.
This is a top-class rowing venue, having hosted the 2012 Olympics Regatta.
Rory Keeley from Clonmel Rowing Club was making his debut in an Irish rowing singlet and he made it a winning one when the junior men’s quad, of which he was part, delivered in spades.
Going through the 1,000 metres mark, the Irish boat had their noses in front of England, Scotland and Wales.
Over the next 500 metres they pushed hard to open that gap to one length and they had enough in the tank to repel the final attack from England, with Scotland and Wales filling the minor places.
Rory nearly made it a double when he was in the 2x race, just narrowly missing out by half a length to England after making a great comeback.
Rory’s brother Donnacha was rowing at the World Under 23 championships in Poland last weekend, also in a quad. If you recall, Donnacha won the 2x with Ciaran Purdy at last year’s World Under 23 Championships in Canada.
This time, things did not go so well. In the heat, the crew never really got going and finished down the field, which meant they only progressed to the C final, where they placed third.
We can definitely look forward to Rory and Donnacha rowing for Ireland in the future and who knows, perhaps they will end up in a boat together somewhere down along the line.