Rowers at Island Bridge – Photo: Mary Phelan

Rowing, which has been described as a natural anti-depressant, is gaining popularity in Ireland, and there are now over 100 clubs around the country which are affiliated with Rowing Ireland.

If you are looking for a low impact sport, but one which engages more than 80 per cent of your muscles, then rowing may be just the thing for you. According to Jennifer Butterly, a member of Neptune Club, It could even be life changing, She says “for that hour I’m not thinking about anything else, I’m completely in the moment. I’m so focused on trying to remember all the steps that I am removed from my everyday life. Whatever is going on is tuned out, and on the little breaks when a newbie is being instructed, I can take in the beautiful surroundings. It makes me so happy to be alive”.

Richard Ryan : Photo Mary Phelan

Richard Ryan is a coach with Neptune Rowing Club, Island bridge. After an invitation to the club over 30 years ago, he said he got hooked and just kept coming back. He rowed competitively for several years before becoming a coach.

“Rowing is like a natural anti-depressant”

Jennifer Butterly

He says “I just love the place, the river, and the setting.  There are great health benefits with rowing, you’re using every bone in your body, from your neck to your toes.  You learn a new skill; it’s a good all-round outdoors exercise – it‘s different”. He also enjoys teaching people who’ve never been in a boat before to master the skill of rowing.

“People often learn things about themselves too, like the need to be more flexible, or to stretch more, and to learn to concentrate and pay attention to detail as one false move, like stepping into the boat the wrong way, could cause damage to the boat, or endanger the lives of other rowers”.  

Another reason why some people like the sport is because it is non-contact, which means you’re not going to collide with another player or get injured, unlike sports such as rugby or football.  Richard adds “It’s not all about brawn, it’s also about engaging your brain, and mastering a technique”.

One of the reasons for the rising popularity in rowing is because of the success of Irish rowers in the Olympics over the last few years. Only last month Ireland won a double gold on the last day of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. One was for an individual gold, the other being won in a mixed double sculls.

“The main ingredients for success are “commitment, a good coach, a natural technique, and just showing up”.

Each rowing club is different, but in Neptune you can sign up for an 8-week course, for 1.5 hours on Saturday or Sunday mornings, all year round. If you miss a class for one week, it is not a problem, as they are run on a rolling basis, so you can go the following week instead. The classes consist of what they call ‘trips ‘– and for beginners,  trips mean going up and down the river twice, which is the equivalent of 7 kms.

Another rower in the club, Ellen Roche, said that “apart from offering a full body workout, the personal benefits of learning something new feels like a great achievement. Also, the huge volunteer effort involved in making it all happen is very impressive”.

Here’s to learning new skills and the joy of being out in nature.