1.5K The Rowing at Greystones 1
Chapter Three – Heroes II
The Rowing at Greystones 2
Twelve skiffs competed in the Senior Open Skiff Race in 1951. In the order in which they were drawn, they were:
Rowing Back The Years
Jago Hayden charts the Greystones Rowing Club's early years. Day by day.
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From the rock up to the burrow
Where the daughter of Mackmurrough
With the lordly chief of Cualu
Once rambled hand in hand
The breakers landward hashing
Each fringe of foam unfurling
Spilled out the name John Spurling
On that bleak and lonely strand
Billy Greene
I recently found Jago Haydens intro to his book that refers to a conversation with my Grandad Billy Greene. Thank you it was a lovely find! Then I found this little memorial to John Spurling amongst his poems and letters.
Oh how I remember the harbour, keeping afloat my dad Paddy’s boat the Stella, those men didn’t suffer fools gladly, good stuff,
Jago,
Great reading which brought back many memories. I rowed with minor crew in 1956 and I think 1957 with John Connolly, John McKenzie and John Redmond. I don’t recall that we won anywhere but the seniors won every race in 1956 !
The piece about Harry Bradshaw needs correction. The year was 1949 not 1946 in The Open at Royal St. George’s .The ‘shot from the bottle’ left him tied with Bobby Locke at 283. He lost the play off to Locke.
Some more golf trivia from Delgany is the fact Delgany is the only club in the world that has produced four Ryder Cup players , Bradshaw, Jimmy Martin, John O’Leary and Eammon Darcy.
Thanks for the memories.
John
Jago Hayden. The colour photo of the boats at the top of the slip which you have selected to head the piece is marvellous. Taken in the mid fifties it shows Harry Acheson’s boat at the head of the slip. I think the blonde curly haired boy just ahead of it is a young David Spurling. The varnished boat behind Acheson’s is probably Joe Redmond’s fine 17-footer. It was built by Willie Redmond. Behind that again is the Connie or the Lily. (You have inserted in the extract from my first memoir a black and white photo of Connie Archer with John Spurling as they launched the Connie when it first came to Greystones). Also in the photograph is my own craft, the Mac Lir, and the stern of Peter Byrne’s Nina – perhaps the neatest fourteen footer that ever came to Greystones; a seven year old could row it. Jago
Great Article by my Brother, Jago Hayden