Clonmel Rowing Club was founded in 1869 and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in the town. We are located on an Island (Moors Island) situated about 500 meters from the town center. The river is the Suir, which rises in north Tipperary and enters the sea at Waterford.
The club was very successful in the early 1900's culmination in winning the Senior Men's eight championships, in 1920.
We are affectionately known as "The Island" by the townspeople of Clonmel.
In winter, rowing training takes place on the river on a 4-mile stretch. This stretch is from the Clubhouse up to Knocklofty Bridge. In the summer months this stretch is reduced to 2 miles as far as Sandybanks in Marlifield.
In the late 50's and the 1960's the club went through a very lean spell. In the late 1960's a band of concerned members reformed the club and started to compete again. In the early 1970's and up to the present time Clonmel have competed constantly on Irish waters. Since the new beginning our most consistent performances have been the period from 1979 to 1983 when we won the Junior 18 men's 4+ in 1980, Junior men's 2- at the Home international representing Ireland and Junior men's 2- in 1982. In that period we also had one member, Paul McGrath compete at the world Junior Championships in 1979. In 1980 and 1982 we also represented Ireland in the Home internationals in the junior men's 18 4+ and Junior men's 2-.
In 1973, 76, 79, 80, 87, 88, 89 and 1992 Clonmel competed at Henley Royal RegaItta. Our veteran team has competed at the World Masters Regatta in 1994 in Holland, 96 in Germany, 98 in Slovenia and 1999 in Spain. In 1999 as part of our end of millimum celebration the club competed at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston in the USA.
In the first 10 years of the new milillium flooding has become a continual problem. The flow becomes so fast that the month of January the river is now nearly unrowable. However we have within a 25-mile radius two locations where we can still train satisfactorily, Cappoquin and Fiddown. For the last 10 years we have used Cappoquin to get good quality mileage. Thanks to Pat Kinsella and Michael Fogarty's sence of exploration, Fiddown is now one of our favoured stretchs of water which happens to be on the Suir. When the tide is full the quality of rowable water in Fiddown is excellent with adequate launching facilities and a nice long and wide stretch of water.
We have a purpose built boat house newly constructed in 1979 with boats on the ground floor and upstairs are two squash courts, a function hall and dressing rooms. Currently one squash court is been used as the gym.
In the new millimium our veterans are still competing strongly. Womens rowing in Clonmel has come on in leaps and bounds culminating in Junior Womens Double scull and Junior womens eight championship wins in 2003 and 2005.