Tipperary brothers excel at major European kayaking festival in Galway

Gilles Kearney in action at the European kayaking festival in Galway

placeholder image — Gilles Kearney in action at the European kayaking festival in Galway

Exceptional all-round performances by Clonmel brothers

Clonmel-based paddlers representing Southeast Freestyle Kayaking delivered outstanding performances at the Galway Fest Kayaking Festival, one of the largest whitewater kayaking festivals of its kind in Europe.

The annual event attracts paddlers from across Ireland, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe and features a range of competitive and exhibition disciplines over the course of the weekend.

Gilles Kearney produced an exceptional all-round performance to secure the title of Overall Junior Winner at the festival. His results included 4th place in the Freestyle competition, 2nd place in the Whitewater Time Trial, and 2nd place in the Boater Cross event, a fast-paced head-to-head racing format. His consistency across all disciplines saw him emerge as the top junior paddler in a strong international field.

Henri Kearney( pictured below), competing in his first year eligible for the event, also delivered a very impressive performance. He finished 6th in the Freestyle competition and 4th in the Whitewater Time Trial, placing him firmly in contention for the overall podium.

During the Boater Cross event he was leading his heat before unfortunately touching a buoy with his hand, which resulted in a penalty that prevented him from progressing to the finals.

Up to that point he had been well positioned to potentially share the podium with his brother, highlighting his strong progress at this level of competition.

Both paddlers are now turning their focus towards the European Freestyle Kayaking Championships in Lieksa, Finland, where they will be representing Ireland later this year.

Their performances at Galway Fest highlight the growing strength of Clonmel-based paddling and the Southeast Freestyle community, which continues to develop athletes competing successfully at national and international level.