Monahan takes centre stage again

ROWING: The Cork Sculling Ladder time trial on Sunday gives defending champion Noel Monahan a chance to take centre stage again as a rower. The Lee Valley man has the rare distinction of having represented Ireland at world championships in two different sports: he competed at the World Canoeing Championships in Szeged in Hungary last month, having won a bronze medal for Ireland at the World Rowing Championships in Canada in 1999.

Monahan's achievement may be an unusual one, but the four men of the lightweight quadruple scull which won that bronze medal at St Catherines have accumulated a very varied set of stories.

Neal Byrne, who went on to represent Ireland as a rower at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, devoted himself to music and recorded an album, Booth Street. His website is nealbyrne.com.

James Lindsay-Fynn, who now works in London, has become a part of the Britain rowing team - and, with team-mate Mark Hunter, finished eighth in the lightweight double scull at this year's World Championships in Eton. Gearóid Towey took on the Atlantic in a rowing boat, only to capsize and be rescued - and then, he too rowed in this year's World Rowing Championships, taking a bronze medal in the lightweight men's four.

Young men and women who feel they could make their mark in a demanding sport should get more of a chance to try out rowing in the future. New Ireland apprentice coach Neasa Folan is pushing a talent identification programme, which hopes to broaden the base of the sport and nurture potential rowing talent of the future.

The Galway woman would seem to have the credentials for the job: a group of girls from Coláiste Iognáid, whom she had begun working with in their early teens, won the junior eights and fours titles at the National Championships this year.

The regional time trials get into full swing next weekend, and today is the closing date for entries for Ulster, Connacht and Leinster (and not last Friday as stated in error here last week). Four of the five are on Saturday: Ulster, at the Newry Canal; Leinster (Blessington); Connacht (on the Corrib) and O'Brien's Bridge. The Inniscarra trial is on Sunday.