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06 Sept 2025

History-maker Daire Lynch is bidding to reach Olympic Games rowing final

Race will be shown live on big screen at Kickham Barracks plaza

History-maker Daire Lynch is bidding to reach Olympic Games rowing final

The Mayor of Clonmel, Michael Murphy, accorded a Mayoral reception at the Town Hall for Daire Lynch's parents, Joanna and Niall, and members of Clonmel Rowing Club

Reporter:

Paul Nugent

29 Jul 2024 10:33 PM

Email:

sport@tipperarylive.ie

It has been an historic week for Clonmel Rowing Club with club member Daire Lynch becoming the first rower from Clonmel to become an Olympian.
The club, founded in 1869, is the oldest sporting organisation in Clonmel and over the last 155 years the fortunes of the club have waxed and waned, just like the water levels on the River Suir. Today the sport of rowing is thriving in Clonmel and nationally Ireland has sent its largest-ever rowing team to the Olympics.
With 16 athletes in seven different boat classes, the Irish crews are performing exceptionally well. All the hype is about Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, defending champions in the lightweight 2x from Tokyo, but we mustn't overlook the chances of Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle in the heavyweight 2x.
Philip Doyle suffered a rib injury during the spring, which disrupted the training programme but the guys have bounced back from this and are going into these races as one of the in-form crews, having won the last of the World Cup series of regattas in Poland.
In the first round they threw down the gauntlet when they came through the field to defeat reigning Olympic champions, France, and Spain, who were World silver medallists in 2022.
The big test will come in Tuesday morning's semi-finals when they face New Zealand, who include two members of the gold medal 8 from Tokyo and the flying Dutch men, Melvin Twellaar and Stefan Broenink, World champions in 2023 and Olympic silver medallists from Tokyo.
Twellaar has defeated Olly Zeidler, who is the bookies' favourite to win the men's single scull in Paris.
It won't be the first time that Daire Lynch has faced formidable opposition. Back in 2021 he won the Irish Senior sculling  championships, putting Tokyo gold medallists Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy to the sword. The O'Donovans paved the way for Irish rowing with silver in Rio and further gold and bronze medals were added in Tokyo.
Philip Doyle from Banbridge and Daire Lynch from Clonmel are knocking on the door of Olympic glory. Dr. Pat O'Callaghan won gold medals in the hammer in Amsterdam in 1928 and followed it up four years later at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. It's time for another medal in Clonmel. 
The races will be shown live on a big screen at the plaza down by The Mall in Clonmel.
The semi-finals take place on Tuesday at 10.10am and the finals on Thursday at 10.42am. It will be like Italia 90.
Come on Daire Lynch, Clonmel is shouting for you!

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