UCD and Trinity primed for rowing colours race

It’s a fair bet that of the thousands who turn out to cheer the crews racing in the Gannon Cup, the colours race for Trinity and UCD, in the centre of Dublin on Saturday, few will give a thought to the young man whose death is commemorated by this contest.

Ciarán J Gannon, from Oranmore, Co Galway, he died at just 29 in March 1944 of shrapnel wounds suffered at Shark Hill on the Burma-India border. He was a medical officer with the British army, tending to the wounds of soldiers who were fighting to prevent a Japanese invasion of India. He had returned from leave on the morning of his death.

Gannon was greatly mourned in UCD, where he had studied medicine between 1933 and 1939. He was was lauded for reviving UCD Boat Club. As an oarsman he was part of a victorious maiden (novice) eight and, in 1939, of the unbeaten senior crew which won the senior eights’ Championship of Ireland.

Gannon was also a dynamic captain of UCD Boat Club in the late 1930s, and oversaw wins in the Wylie Cup for universities, and the Leander and Metropolitan Cups. After his death the colours races were named for him. They were inaugurated in 1947.

Ciarán’s nephew, also Ciarán Gannon, intends to pay his own tribute on the Burmese-Indian border. “My intention is to take some Liffey water, and some peat from Oranmore where he was born, and place it at Shark hill.”

UCD triumph

Last year’s Gannon Cup was decided only in the final moments when Trinity oarsman Luke Acheson collapsed. UCD will again have powerful crew this year (5.30 from O’Connell Bridge), but Andrew Griffin in the number seven seat is the only member of the winning crew to remain. Trinity, who won at both the Erne Head and the Dublin Head, have five of last year’s crew and should again make a real contest of it.

Trinity are the defending champions in the women’s race for the Corcoran Cup (5.0) and have just two changes from last year while UCD have a bigger crew.

The extraordinary general meeting of Rowing Ireland passed a motion to consider the Gannon Cup and similar events as private matches attracting no status points. Delegates passed most of the other technical motions.

The Galway head of the river on Saturday has attracted 220 crews and 24 visiting clubs.