Sister clubs

The 8 coastal rowing clubs of Dublin and Wicklow are organised under the East Coast Rowing Council, which from north to south consist of:-

Racing

The competitive summer season on the east coast consists primarily of regattas hosted by each of the ECRC clubs with races over a short course. The races range from underage to senior; men and women, boys and girls. The season also consists of races, meetings, and events around the country and beyond. A particular highlight in recent years was the club’s participation in the ‘Celtic Challenge’, a biennial long-distance race across the Irish Sea from Arklow to Aberystwyth, where we were the only traditional wooden boat to complete the challenge in 2006. Thankfully, most races are a fraction of this distance!

Membership

Our sport caters for all ages, and we are always interested in hearing from potential new members. If you think it might be for you, you’ll find our email address in the Contact Us section.

Sponsorship

We are also interested in hearing from new sponsors, particularly those in the Dún Laoghaire area. Drop us a line to see what we can do for you, and tell us what you can do for us!

History

Skiff rowing in Dun Laoghaire, in common with other East Coast Rowing Clubs, is passed on to us from the hobblers of old. The hobbler men who rowed fishing and pilot boats in Dun Laoghaire Harbour and all around the east coast rowed much bigger and heavier boats than the present day skiff. However, the tradition has been passed on from the Hobblers of the 18th and 19th Century to St. Michael's Rowing Club and our sister clubs up and down the east coast of Ireland, and is honoured today through the many regattas held up and down the coast during the summer months.

In the early 1900's the Hobblers of Dun Laoghaire Harbour and the coast were starting to decline as a result of steam and motor engines but they would still race each other out to a coming ship to pilot her ashore, and it was whoever got there first got the job. They also had races among themselves at the end of the week for sport, and often the winners of these races would get more work during the coming week as a result of their efforts.

In the early 1920’s many of these hobblers and ex-hobblers held a meeting in the Workman’s Club in Dun Laoghaire and formed St. Michael’s Rowing Club the exact date and year remains unknown. Indeed in the next few years two more Clubs were to spring up in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, "British Rail" and "Board of Works". These along with their counterparts in Wicklow, Ringsend, and Dalkey etc. held events along the east coast. At this time St. Michael's trained from the Harbour where we are to this present day. All of this continued up to the 2nd World War when rowing was to take a stop in Dun Laoghaire and along the east coast.

After the war around the early 1950's St. Michael's Rowing Club was revived by a dedicated few, who along with their friends from up and down the Coast revived the sport of skiff racing. In 1970 the East Coast Rowing Council was formed, this body was given the task of formalising the rules, organising regatta dates and judging any disputes. Rules were laid down as to sizes and weights of skiffs to make races fairer. In the pre-war years St. Michael's Rowing Club was a great winner of all races it entered. Since the 1950's S.M.R.C. has been looking for permanent accommodation/club house.