It was a packed house in Colgan’s Bar at the Muckross Park Hotel on Saturday evening last, as members of Muckross Rowing Club were joined by supporters, family and friends who gathered for the club’s annual Barbeque Social event.

There were over 160 people in attendance on the night and while the busy club has already embarked on a new rowing season for 2025/26, the social night was a chance to relax and reflect on the success of the past rowing season 2024/25.

Those gathered were welcomed by Club Chairwoman Sharon Cooper who congratulated club members, coaches and committee on all their achievements during the year gone by.

Vice Chairman and PRO Tim O’Shea reflected on some of the highlights for the club during the year.

Since the club’s last BBQ event in 2024, the club was successfully represented in numerous events at home and abroad ranging from winter time trial events in Limerick and Cork to summer regattas including Skibbereen, Bantry, Castleconnell, Lee, Cork City and Fermoy.

The Rowing Ireland 1K Classic held in early July in Leitrim was a major success, with the club winning nine gold medals at both Junior and Masters level.

The Irish Rowing Championships for Junior 16, 18 and adult grades later in July saw the Muckross club represented by 28 crews in 11 categories.

The four crews that qualified for the A finals and top six nationally were congratulated – with Muckross in contention for silverware in the Womens Junior Double, Intermediate Double and Mens Junior Double and Quad.

A Championship highlight for Muckross was the bronze medal win for Khim Fleming and Rachel Fuller in the Womens Junior Double.

Moving further afield, there were congratulations to four Masters members of the club who were part of a successful contingent of 12 Irish clubs racing at the World Rowing Masters Regatta held in Spain in September, returning home as gold medallists.

On the night, the club honoured four junior members of the club for their selection through national trials to join Irish rowing squads for international competition in 2025.

The club made presentations to Cian Scannell and Ronan Fahy, who raced for Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse Regatta in Linz, Austria in July. From Linz, Cian returned a bronze medal for Ireland with Lee Valley crewmate Colin Creedon.

The third presentation was made to Cillian Leslie, for his successful participation with the Irish team at the recent Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint competition in Spain, with Cillian making the final 16 for Ireland in the Mens Single event.

The final presentation on the night was made to Rachel Fuller, who was congratulated for her double gold medal win for Ireland at the Home International Regatta in London in July.

There were also honourable mentions for three former junior members now racing with their university clubs, who also represented Ireland in 2025.

Caoimhe O’Sullivan (UL RC) raced in the green jersey at the European U23 Championships while Daniel Daly (UL RC) and Ethan O’Neill (UCC RC) also raced for Ireland in the senior ranks at the Home International Regatta.

The buffet barbecue was heartily enjoyed by all those in attendance.

There were also words of thanks on the night from the club to local businesses who have generously sponsored and supported the club, including the Muckross Park Hotel, Cahernane House Hotel, Daly’s SuperValu and Leanes Fitted Furniture.

Following the social night, the club is back to a busy schedule as it gears up to host its annual Muckross Head Of the River time trial event on Saturday, 6 December at the National Rowing Centre in Farran, Cork.

Onshore, the club is also calling all trivia buffs ahead of its Christmas Table Quiz fundraiser scheduled for the holiday period on Monday 29 December at the Muckross Park Hotel.

Four Esquires Productions, the Killarney creative group known for its dark-humour pub performances, has completed work on a new stage following strong encouragement from local audiences.

The group includes writer and director Paddy Osborne, whose short film Chameleon will be submitted to the festival circuit this year. Osborne is also working on his third novel. Producer Brian Bowler, who worked on Chameleon, has two additional short films nearing completion.
Their live performances, particularly the series staged in Courtney’s Bar over the summer, drew enthusiastic crowds. Bowler said the group received repeated suggestions to build a permanent stage to improve future shows. Members pooled their resources to cover materials and reached out to Killarney Men’s Shed for assistance.
“As an amateur troupe that works with creatives across Killarney, we were very grateful for the once-off help from the Men’s Shed,” Bowler said.
The group is now preparing to launch a call-out in early 2026 for original 10-minute plays based on the theme of Change. Writers and actors will be invited to take part, offering an opportunity to showcase local talent on the new stage.
“We’re looking forward to using the stage to entertain our loyal followers,” Bowler added.