Fifty years ago a group of friends in Freeney’s Bar borrowed the money for a boat and started Tribesmen Rowing Club. This is their story.
Fifty years ago, a group of friends gathered in Freeney’s Bar in Galway with a shared love of rowing and a bold ambition. From that conversation, Tribesmen Rowing Club was born.
The club was founded by Leo Wall, Irene Wall, Tom Kenny, Tony Freeney, Seán Heavey, Eamonn Colclough, Ger Ó Máille, Jim Silke, Billy Lawless, Tom Shaughnessy, Martin Dolan and Mick Kavanagh. Together they built something that would endure far beyond that first meeting, a club rooted in community, effort and respect for the sport of rowing.
From the outset the goal was clear: to build a club capable of winning the Senior Men’s Eight at the National Rowing Championships. It was an ambitious target for a new club, but it reflected the determination of the founders. That dream remains part of the club’s ambition today.
In those early days, resources were limited, but the founders were determined. To purchase the club’s first boat, they went to the bank and borrowed the money themselves.
The shell they bought was fittingly named The Overdraught, a name that captured both the reality of their finances and the humour with which they approached the challenge.
More importantly, they secured the clubhouse on Earls Island, giving the club a permanent home on the Corrib. From there they laid the foundations, and a culture built on hard work, inclusivity and respect.
Over the decades that followed, that culture produced extraordinary results. Tribesmen rowers have gone on to win 37 National Championship titles, represent Ireland internationally, and most recently celebrate World Champion Siobhán McCrohan, whose achievements stand as a proud moment in the club’s history.
Yet medals tell only part of the story. Their true legacy is seen in the friendships formed on the river, the confidence gained by rowers, young and old, and the generations of rowers who have found a home at the club.
Today, Tribesmen Rowing Club continues to grow and evolve. The club now offers a wide range of programmes, including Masters rowing for women and men, Senior competitive rowing, Junior rowing, Tour and recreational rowing, Learn-to-Row programmes and Para rowing. Together these programmes reflect the belief that rowing should be open to everyone.
This year also marks an important milestone for the club’s future, with the return of junior rowing, an essential step in rebuilding the pathway that once produced many of the club’s competitive crews and which will help carry forward the club’s original ambition.
In this special 50th anniversary year, it is particularly fitting that Eamonn Colclough, one of the founding members, serves as Honorary President, a tribute to the generation whose vision created the club we know today.
A tribute to our founders
Among those founders, we are proud that several remain with us today: Leo Wall, Tom Kenny, Tony Freeney, Seán Heavey, Eamonn Colclough, Ger Ó Máille, Jim Silke and Irene Wall.
We also remember with gratitude the founders who are no longer with us: Billy Lawless, Tom Shaughnessy, Martin Dolan and Mick Kavanagh.
On behalf of every member of Tribesmen Rowing Club, past and present, we thank them.
From a small gathering in Freeney’s Bar grew a club that has enriched countless lives. Their vision created opportunities, forged lifelong friendships, and helped grow the sport of rowing in Galway.
The achievements of the club, national titles, international representatives, and a world champion, all trace their roots back to the courage and commitment of that group.
Fifty years on, boats still push off from the slip on the Corrib, and new generations continue to discover the sport they loved.
We are still rowing because of them.
