Tipperary sailors rally in Garrykennedy to support Lough Derg RNLI at annual regatta

Each year, Garrykennedy Sailing Club hosts the open keelboat race in aid of the Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat station. The partnership is a proud tradition: since shortly after the club’s founding in 1985, the Visitors Cup has doubled as a fundraiser for the lifesaving charity, even before an RNLI station was established on the lake.

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“This year conditions were wet and windy and numbers, sailing and on shore, were well back on normal,” said Dan O’Connell, sailor and event organiser. “However, support for the RNLI within the club is firm, and with the help of substantial online contributions from those who could not be in Garry for today’s racing, an impressive sum of €1,610 was raised.”

The proceeds were later presented to Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee, outside Ciss Ryan’s in Garrykennedy village.

Ms McCutcheon thanked the club for its enduring generosity. “The RNLI relies on just such public donations to fund its lifesaving operations,” she said. “As a charity, the RNLI receives no government funding and must raise millions each year to maintain its fleet, train volunteers, provide essential equipment, and cover operational costs.”

For nearly four decades, Garrykennedy’s sailors have competed not only for trophies but for a cause that unites the lake’s community. Their race leaves a quiet legacy — of wind, water, and human kindness, working in tandem.

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