“I would love to hear The Fields of Athenry ring out over the waters in Linz,” the president of Rowing Ireland, Eamonn Colclough, told the Rowing Ireland agm in Dublin. There is a deal for fans going to the World Championships in Austria in August/September.

Ireland high-performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni ended his three-day trial at the National Rowing Centre having tried Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan in two combinations in a four, and this looks like the route forward – if they are fast enough.

The lightweight women’s programme moved centre stage for the wrong reasons. Denise Walsh’s back spasm saw her miss out. In her absence the lack of depth in this area was on show. The top crews hit their marks and a women’s four looks a real prospect. The general quality, right down to junior level, looked good.