The ‘Let’s Get Visible’ campaign aims to highlight LGBTQI+ individuals in sport, celebrate their achievements, and amplify their voices. It also recognises the vital role that visibility and representation play in creating a more inclusive sporting culture.

At Rowing Ireland, we are committed to ensuring our sport is welcoming to everyone. We encourage all clubs and members to get involved in the campaign and to show their support. By visiting Sport Ireland’s website, you can learn more about the ongoing efforts across the sporting sector to foster a truly inclusive environment for the LGBTQI+ community. 

The first Roadshow event will take place in Dublin on Saturday, 14th June at the Sport Ireland Campus. This session is ideal for clubs based in Dublin or nearby areas that are interested in making their environments more accessible and welcoming to all.

It is open to coaches, volunteers, parents, committee members, board members, club members, and anyone involved in club activities.

You can register to attend here.

Further workshops will be announced in additional locations. Keep an eye out for updates to find a session near you.

At Rowing Ireland, we are committed to ensuring that our sport is open, supportive, and inclusive at every level from grassroots to high performance. Completing this training marks a significant step in our ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across the rowing community.

We are proud to work alongside Active Disability Ireland, who are leading the way in supporting sports bodies to become more inclusive. You can learn more about their impactful work here.

Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive future for rowing in Ireland.

These adaptive seats are suitable for use on both indoor rowing machines and boats, providing greater opportunities for participation in clubs across the country. Each club may borrow one adaptive seat, with a €100 refundable deposit required. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and clubs must arrange for collection.

If your club is interested in borrowing an adaptive seat, please complete the application form below.

For any questions or support, please don’t hesitate to contact Derek here — we’re here to help make rowing more inclusive for all.

Along with Rowing Ireland as an NGB, 21 of our clubs nationwide have already independently signed up showing a commitment to removing barriers facing people with disabilities in their club! 

By signing up to this Charter, clubs are committing to listening to the needs of people with disabilities and looking at how our can be more inclusive. Clubs can also avail of expertise and support available through Active Disability Ireland and Sport Ireland networks and get access to resources and information on available training opportunities. 

Download PDF version of the Sports Inclusion Disability Charter HERE

Is your club ready to sign up?? Do so HERE

Questions? Contact womeninsport@rowingireland.ie or coacheducation@rowingireland.ie  for more information

Rowing Ireland is delighted to announce the beginning of our journey towards achieving the Xcessible Bronze Award, in collaboration with Active Disability Ireland. This important step aligns with our strategic goal of making rowing a sport for all — where everyone, regardless of ability, can find their place on the water or within the rowing community.

The Xcessible Programme is a national initiative developed by Active Disability Ireland to support National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities. The programme is built around the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter and provides a structured pathway to help organisations assess, improve, and embed inclusive practices across all aspects of their work.

As we begin working toward the Bronze level, we will be focusing on five key pillars:

• Openness – Developing an open and welcoming environment for people with disabilities.
• People – Ensuring our staff, coaches, and volunteers are trained and confident in inclusive practices.
• Activities – Expanding the scope and design of our programmes to meet the diverse needs of all participants.
• Facilities – Reviewing the accessibility of our physical spaces and facilities across the country.
• Promotion – Actively sharing and celebrating the stories and successes of rowers with disabilities.

Rowing Ireland recognises the importance of inclusive sport and the role it plays in building a stronger, more diverse sporting community. Whether it’s through participation, coaching, volunteering, officiating, or employment, we are committed to increasing opportunities for people with disabilities at every level of our sport.

This initiative will complement the ongoing work of our clubs ensuring that rowing truly is a sport for everyone.

Stay tuned as we continue this exciting journey. Click on the link below for more information:

Xcessible | Active Disability Ireland

Natalie Long – Olympian
Andrew Sheehan – U23 Medalist
Mags Cremen – 2-Time Olympian
Fin O’Reilly – U23 Medalist
Zoe Hyde – Olympian
Fintan McCarthy – 2-Time Olympic Champion

Why Gender Equality in Sport Matters
In our first video, Michelle Carpenter, CEO of Rowing Ireland and Chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s Gender Equality & Inclusion Commission, opens with a powerful message about the importance of ensuring that women in all sports have a voice, opportunities, and a clear pathway to leadership and success.

“This International Women’s Day is about making faster, more effective strides towards true gender equality in sport. But why does gender equality matter? And what does it really mean for athletes at the highest level?”

Recognising the Women Who Inspire Us
In our second video, Deirdre Lysaght, Communications and Commercial Manager at Rowing Ireland, asked some of our athletes about the biggest female influence in their lives.

Moments of Inclusion, Support, and Empowerment
In our third video, Ciara Harte, Acting Women in Sport Officer at Rowing Ireland, asked our high-performance athletes to share a moment when they felt truly included, supported, or empowered in their sport.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, Rowing Ireland remains committed to championing gender equality, supporting our athletes, and fostering an inclusive environment for all.

This program aims to introduce adult women from across the country to learn to row at a recreational level. Clubs will receive support from Rowing Ireland to provide 6-8 week learn-to-row programs for female adult beginners.

Support from Rowing Ireland includes:

• The club will be linked with trained coaches if necessary, to deliver the program.

• Sign-ups and advertising for their program.

• Funding for expenses and delivery of the programme

Feedback from past participating clubs noted that this program increased club membership, maximised club equipment usage, created opportunities for beginner coaches, and established a new revenue stream.

Once you send in your expression of interest, we will be in touch shortly about setting up the program. For further inquiries, contact womeninsport@rowingireland.ie.

Closing Date for applications is April 28th 2024

Crew Blu@Tribes is a para-rowing program in collaboration with Tribesmen Rowing Club, that promotes inclusion through rowing.

Recently, Criú Blu was invited to the Torino Regatta, hosted by Armida Rowing Club. After having a para-rowing training camp in Viana do Castelo in Mayand rowing with some of the para-athletes who were to compete in the upcoming regatta, Criú Blu was ready for the challenge.

Leading up to the regatta, Criú Blu trained out of the Armida Rowing Club, where they familiarised themselves with the course and prepared for racing in singles and doubles. Sabrina O’Carroll of Tribesmen Rowing Club also hosted a seminar where she shared her experience in developing Criú Blu and promoting disability rowing at a club level.

The regatta kicked off on Saturday with an opening ceremony, and supporters came from all over Europe to attend the event. The Criú Blu athletes and rowing supporters competed over a 1000-meter course in doubles in the morning and raced on the erg in the afternoon. On Sunday, the races involved a 500-meter course in singles, followed by a closing ceremony parade and prize giving.

Criú Blu@Tribes took home over 14 medals, ranging from Gold and Silver to Bronze, and also won the award for the best overall female athlete of the regatta.

It was a fantastic event. Congratulations to all the athletes that took part and their supporters

Keeping your Child Safe in Sport is a national, year-round campaign run by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sports Unit. Rowing Ireland are proud to support this campaign which aims to raise awareness of the important role adults, coaches and parents play in keeping children safe and happy in sport.

Alongside the year-round campaign, a focus week takes place during the first week of October to
highlight the campaign and launch new resources and guidance for parents and carers. This focus
week brings to life the campaign messages with stories from parents, young people, and coaches.
As part of the campaign, parents are asked to think and learn about 3 key areas of being involved in
their child’s sport:

Getting involved
From showing an interest in the rules of the game to post-game support and the occasional bit of
cheerleading, we know that children enjoy sport the most when parents are engaged in what they
do.

Being supportive:

The rises and falls of sport and achievement can be an emotional experience for children and it’s
important that the adults around them can support them in a positive way. Negative feedback from
adults can take the enjoyment out of sport for children. Equally, positive feedback can help them
to celebrate success and stay active and engaged with sport.

Keeping children safe:
Understanding the safeguards that should be in place in all sports is vital. All parents and carers
should feel empowered with the knowledge of what makes a sport club safe for their child to enjoy,
how to spot poor practice or abuse and who to turn to if they do have worries about their child or
anyone else in sport.

To celebrate this year’s campaign, the NSPCC CPSU will be launching a brand-new video resource
called “My No.1 Fan” which will feature real families, talking about what positive parental behaviour
and support means to them and how negative behaviour can impact children’s enjoyment of sport.
As well as this new film, the NSPCC CPSU hosts a wealth of resources and information for parents
and carers on their Parents’ Hub, including a free e-learning course on keeping children safer in
sport, videos, podcasts, and factsheets.
To find out more about being your child’s biggest supporter and how to get involved with the
campaign, visit thecpsu.org.uk/parents