Paul O’Donovan, aged 30, is a member of Skibbereen Rowing Club and partakes in the Men’s Lightweight Double Scull competition. He’s competed in three Olympics, with his latest participation being in the 2020 Tokyo games. He attempts to make history by being the first Irish athlete to secure three Olympic medals. O’Donovan, alongside his sibling Gary, achieved a silver medal in Rio, and won gold with Fintan McCarthy, a fellow member of Skibbereen, in the Tokyo games. Additionally, he is the most-rewarded Irish rower in history with record winnings at six World Championships. He’s also accomplished success in the Heavyweight sculling category, earning a bronze medal at the European Championships this year.
At the age of 27, Fintan McCarthy also represents Skibbereen Rowing Club in the Men’s Lightweight Double Scull event. Despite it being his second Olympics, McCarthy managed to achieve Ireland’s first gold medal in Olympic rowing in the delayed 2020 Tokyo games alongside his partner O’Donovan. Prior to Tokyo, McCarthy was relatively new to rowing, having only participated for a few months before his first National Championships at 19, where he fell into the water mid-race. With his older brother Jake, McCarthy enrolled in a high-performance programme during the Tokyo Olympic cycle and achieved success in the 2019 European Championships. He also has three World Championships gold medals and two European Championships gold medals.
The 25-year-old Margaret Cremen participates in the Women’s Lightweight Double Scull competition and represents UCC Rowing Club. She has previously competed in the Olympics in 2020.
Margaret Cremen, hailing from Rochestown, just outside of Cork City, began her rowing journey at the age of 14. It was during her junior years that she paired up with Aoife Casey in the lightweight double scull event. Their debut at the Olympics came a mere two months prior to the Tokyo Games, where they claimed second place in the B final, reflecting an overall eighth position. Adding to their accolades was a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships and a 7th position finish in the subsequent year, solidifying their place in the Olympic roster. Cremen also displayed her solo prowess by winning a silver medal at the European Championships in the single scull category, compensating for Casey’s absence due to sickness. Off the water, she is at the threshold of her final year in Sports Studies and Physical Education at UCC.
Aoife Casey is the daughter of the formidable Dominic Casey, widely considered the most successful coach in Irish rowing history. She was a mere 10 years old when she began rowing in Skibbereen. Her international break came in 2016, when she represented Ireland in her first major championships as a junior. She continued to excel, winning a silver medal in the World U-23 Championships four years later. Notwithstanding a respectable fourth position in a single scull at the European Championships two years prior, Casey is largely associated with the lightweight double scull category, frequently alongside Margaret Cremen. After competing in the Paris Games, she plans to move to London to complete a Masters in Bio-Science Innovation and Enterprise.
Philip Doyle, aged 31, represents the Belfast club in the Men’s Double Scull event. Unlike most of his counterparts, Doyle’s rowing career took off in his early twenties while pursuing medicine at Queen’s University Belfast. By 2018, he had achieved his first major championship outing for Ireland, securing an eighth-place finish at the World Championships. Alongside Ronan Byrne, the duo won silver at the World Championships the next year, cementing their place in the Tokyo Olympics. Despite this being their maiden Olympics, they managed to reach the B final, finishing 10th overall in the regatta. Doyle’s subsequent collaboration with Daire Lynch secured the men’s double scull team a third-place finish at the recent World Championship, facilitating their participation in Paris.
Daire Lynch, 25 years old, is the newest addition to the Irish rowing squad.
Event: Men’s Double Sculls
Affiliation: Clonmel Rowing Club
Inaugural Olympic appearance
Daire Lynch, who was originally an unutilised substitute at the Tokyo Olympics, formed a double scull team with Philip Doyle in the previous season. They secured a spot for Paris by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2023. Furthermore, Lynch, a Clonmel native and Yale University alumnus, is a former gold medallist at the European U-23 Championships and a bronze medallist in the European competitions.
Zoe Hyde
Age: 27 years old
Event: Women’s Double Sculls
Affiliation: Killorglin Rowing Club
Inaugural Olympic appearance
In 2022, Zoe Hyde committed fully to rowing’s elite programme, having re-devoted herself to the sport during the pandemic. Zoe, who had distanced herself from rowing while in college, rejoined it during her final academic year. Moreover, Zoe, who is also a Deloitte personnel, won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. Hyde and her partner Alison Bergin secured a spot for Paris.
Alison Bergin
Age: 22 years old
Event: Women’s Double Sculls
Affiliation: Fermoy Rowing Club
Inaugural Olympic appearance
Alison Bergin, the youngest player on the team, represented Ireland for the first time four years ago at the World Junior Championships. Since then, she has made a name for herself at the World U-23 Championships. This young prodigy has set a World U-23 record and won a bronze and silver medal in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Bergin is currently enrolled in a Sports and Exercise Management course at MTU Cork.
Ross Corrigan
Age: 25 years old
Event: Men’s Pair
Affiliation: Enniskillen Boat Club
Inaugural Olympic appearance
Ross Corrigan, a native of Portora, took up rowing in his teenage years at the local boat club, which later became known as Enniskillen Boat Club. The club boasts a longstanding tradition of training Olympic rowers, with alumnus Ian Kennedy competing for Ireland in the Montreal and Moscow Olympics and Derek of the Netherlands representing Ireland in Atlanta. Interestingly, Ross Corrigan is related to Leona Maguire, a professional golf athlete who also took part in the Olympics.
After winning a silver medal in the World U-23 Championships in 2021, Corrigan joined the high performance programme full-time in 2022. In addition to this, Corrigan teamed up with Nathan Timoney, also from Fermanagh, to claim third place at the previous World Championships. This success led to them qualifying for the upcoming Paris competition.
Nathan Timoney, aged 24, competes in Men’s Pair rowing and represents Enniskillen Boat Club. This will be his first appearance at the Olympics. During his studies in Business Management at Queen’s University Belfast, Timoney made the acquaintance of Ross Corrigan at Enniskillen Boat Club, despite Corrigan being a year his senior and training with another group. The former Fermanagh senior hurling panel member has previously won a bronze medal at the World U-23 Championships in Men’s Four. However, after a lacklustre performance at the European Championships, changes were made to the crew. Despite their limited experience as a pair, Timoney and Corrigan achieved a remarkable bronze medal victory in the World Championships, paving their way to the Olympics.