Strong Mayo representation at 2023 Irish Sailing Awards

The Irish Sailing Awards – taking place this year on Friday, March 22, in Howth Yacht Club, Dublin – recognise both the young talent representing Ireland on the international stage and the clubs, volunteers and training centres who are setting standards in leadership and teaching.

There will be plenty of representation on the night from the west with nominations in 10 of the categories up for grabs, including Mayo Sailing Club Commodore Duncan Sclare in the Irish Sailor of the Year category and Noel Conlon, also Mayo Sailing Club, in the Irish Sailing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category.

Elsewhere, Galway Bay Sailing Club are nominated in the Irish Sailing Club of the Year category and David Evans of Sligo Yacht Club in the Irish Sailing Youth Sailor category.

One of the highlights of the evening will be the hotly contested Irish Sailor of the Year Award, which boasts six nominees from the west in total representing all fields of sailing. The range of talent is impressive, with the aforementioned Commodore Duncan Sclare battling it out with Olympic hopefuls Finn Lynch, Eve McMahon and Robert Dickson, Connemara natives Aongus Ó Cualain and Niall and Ronan Ó Briain, and Cillian Dickson of Lough Ree Sailing Club.

Noel Conlon, meanwhile, runs the 'Sailabilty' programme in Mayo Sailing Club, and has worked tirelessly to develop the Ruffian class in the club, with one boat dedicated solely to inclusion. He also rescued two Skud boats and refurbished them to develop match-racing boats for blind people, and he himself is representing Ireland at world blind championships.

He is battling for supremacy in the Irish Sailing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award with Leonie Conway of Sailing into Wellness and Joanne Murphy of Irish Sailing.

This year will also see four new awards up for grabs, including Cruiser of the Year, Class of the Year (representing the different classes of sail racing), Secondary School of the Year (in which Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiarain from An Cheathru Rua are nominated), and the inaugural Woman on the Water Award (a special award celebrating female success and contribution to the sport of sailing, in which Aideen Kilkealy of the Galway Hookers Sailing Club is a nominee).

Tim Bourke, CEO of Irish Sailing, said: “Last year was a terrific year for Irish sailing. We are particularly looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our youth sailors, who continue to punch well above their weight on the international stage, as well as acknowledging the hard, important work done by clubs, training centres, instructors, coaches and volunteers throughout the country. With an Olympic year beckoning, we look forward with ambition and optimism at the future of Irish sailing.”

You can view the full list of categories and nominees for the Irish Sailing Awards here.