This week's special guests on 'Over The Line' were members of the Tribesmen Rowing Club, as they prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Joining Galway Bay FM's George McDonagh in studio were Eamonn Colclough (founding member who talked about the club's history), Colin Hanley (Chairperson, who discussed the 'Head of the River' on March 14th, including the Billy Lawless Trophy, international teams), Martina Regan (committee member to chat about the Women's Masters).
In the second hour, George looked back on the weekend's action with:
- Niall Canavan (Galway vs Tipperary in the National Hurling League)
- Rob Murphy (Connacht vs Leinster in front of a record 12,481 attendance at Dexcom Stadium)
- Jonathan Higgins (Galway vs Mayo in the National Football League)
Pictured (l-r); George McDonagh, Eamonn Colclough, Martina Regan and Colin Hanley.
Tribesmen Rowing Club - Introduction
At the request of the Committee of Tribesmen Rowing Club, the following is an abridged version of a longer history first begun in 1995. By that time, the club had already earned a formidable reputation for producing competitive crews — a reputation that continued into the 2010s, before the club’s ethos evolved away from the rigours of national championship rowing toward the more social and recreational environment that exists today.
From its inception, Tribesmen maintained a high profile within Irish rowing. Across successive generations, club members were selected to represent Ireland at Junior, Under-23 and Elite levels. The club also demonstrated a distinctive capacity for innovation, most notably through its transformation of the Galway Head of the River. Under Tribesmen stewardship, the event became the largest and best-run Head race in Ireland between 1978 and 2015, earning national respect before its eventual decline.
Much has occurred since 1976. This is as brief a telling of that story as possible.
Many played a part in the club’s conception and growth — visionaries and pragmatists, organisers and fundraisers, athletes and volunteers. Personal time was freely given, private resources quietly contributed, and families supported the single-minded commitment of those involved.
This is their story.
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Origins
Rowing in Galway has a long and complex history. Since 1875, clubs including Corrib, Commercial, The Temperance Club, Royal, Hibernian, Galway Rowing Club, Emmet’s, St Joseph’s, Coláiste Iognáid and UCG/NUI-G represented the city with distinction.
Despite intermittent success, senior championship victories were rare. Emmet’s wins in 1929 and 1931 stood almost alone. By the late 1960s, rowing in Galway had reached a low ebb. Most clubs had disappeared, equipment was scarce, and competitive success was limited. In total, just seven boats existed across the city — all heavy clinker-built wooden craft.
Yet innovation was emerging. Under the influence of continental coaching ideas, local dental student Mike Kavanagh helped bring unprecedented success to St Joseph’s College, winning the Schools Eight Championship in 1969. Coláiste Iognáid followed closely behind, and the resulting influx of talent revitalised UCG rowing. Kavanagh’s ambition — to bring the Senior Eight “Pot” to Galway — came close to fruition in 1972.
Efforts to modernise Galway regattas followed, including a bold but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to relocate championship racing to Lough Corrib at Oughterard. Though well supported, weather conditions proved decisive.
Meanwhile, Galway Rowing Club attempted to re-establish senior rowing alongside junior development. This created internal tensions, as senior rowers increasingly funded and organised themselves — effectively becoming a club within a club.
The solution became clear: Galway needed a new club, focused solely on senior competitive rowing.
Foundation of Tribesmen (1976)
In Christmas week 1976, a decisive meeting took place in Freeney’s Pub on High Street. Led by Mike Kavanagh and Leo Wall, a group of committed rowing enthusiasts resolved to establish a new club whose explicit aim was to return senior championship success to Galway.
Those present included Ger O’Maille, Sean Heavey, Frank Mulligan, Mike Kavanagh, Billy Lawless, Leo and Irene Wall, Martin Dolan, Tom O’Shaughnessy, Jim Silke, Eamonn Colclough and Tom Kenny.
A committee was elected, with Leo Wall as first President and Sean Heavey as first Captain. Martin Dolan, whose pragmatism repeatedly grounded ambitious debate, was formally appointed “Devil’s Advocate” — a unique and telling early role.
After extensive debate, the club adopted the name Tribesmen, drawing on Galway identity. Inspired by the dominance of New Zealand rowing, the club chose a single colour: black.
The crest, designed by Dick Byrne, combined crossed oars with the Claddagh Ring — Galway on the water.
Early Progress and First Successes
The club was officially launched at Kenny’s Art Gallery, attended by the President of the IARU and the Mayor of Galway. From the outset, Tribesmen emphasised technique, athletic development, and sports science, while maintaining goodwill toward existing clubs.
With no permanent base, Tribesmen were initially hosted by Coláiste Iognáid. Fundraising was relentless: raffles, discos, exhibitions and — critically — the introduction of life membership, which funded the purchase of the club’s first racing boats.
Early regatta results yielded few medals but established a reputation for uncompromising competitiveness. That changed quickly. In just its second competitive season, Tribesmen captured its first championship title, winning the Junior (Intermediate) Eight — a landmark achievement.
Henley and National Recognition
Tribesmen’s ambition extended beyond Ireland. The club competed at Henley Royal Regatta in 1980 and again in 1985, reaching the Thames Cup quarter-finals on the latter occasion after notable victories over Reading University and Queen’s College.
Domestically, the club enjoyed sustained success across Intermediate and Junior grades, with notable championship wins in the 1990s and early 2000s. Women’s rowing flourished in successive eras, producing national champions and establishing Tribesmen as one of Galway’s most successful clubs, second only to NUIG in total national titles.
The club’s most recent senior championship victory came in 2025, when Siobhan McCrohan claimed the Lightweight Single Sculls title.
International Representation
Nearly every generation of Tribesmen rowers produced international representatives, competing at Coupe de la Jeunesse, World Juniors, U23, European Championships, World Cups and World Championships. Tribesmen coaches also contributed at international level.
Masters, Recreational Rowing and Inclusion
During periods of competitive transition, Masters rowers sustained the club’s momentum, achieving international success at regattas in Sweden, Bled, Boston, Prague, Dussledorf, Turin, Berlin, Seville and beyond.
After 2010, following the retirement of key coaches, Tribesmen embraced a new phase in its evolution. In parallel with initiatives promoted by Rowing Ireland, the club expanded strongly into recreational and touring rowing, opening the sport to a far broader community and significantly reshaping the club’s membership. Programmes such as Row to Recovery, along with large-scale adult participation and touring outings on the Corrib and Lough Corrib, transformed the demographic profile of the club, particularly increasing female participation. In this period, Tribesmen became nationally recognised as one of Ireland’s leading providers of social and recreational rowing.
Crucially, this shift did not mark an end to elite achievement. The club continued to produce athletes of the highest calibre, most notably Siobhan McCrohan, who won the Lightweight Women’s Single Scull World Championship in 2023, adding a World Championship bronze medal in 2024, and firmly establishing herself among the world’s leading scullers. Her achievements stand as a reminder that high performance has remained part of the club’s DNA throughout every era.
During this same period, Masters rowing flourished. Tribesmen Masters crews achieved success at European and World Masters Championships, with both men’s and women’s crews securing medals across multiple boat classes. These results reflected not only competitiveness, but also the club’s growing culture of lifelong participation in the sport.
Most recently, the club has begun the return of junior rowing, reconnecting with a tradition that underpinned many of Tribesmen’s greatest competitive successes in earlier decades. This renewed focus on youth development represents a deliberate step toward balancing participation, performance, and sustainability, ensuring that the next generation of Tribesmen will once again progress from novice to championship rowing on the Corrib.
