Sunday 3 May saw the Athy Regatta taking place. The weather stayed fine and both our teams competed strongly in their categories. It was the first regatta for a number of our newer members and we think it has awoken their inner dragon with promises of more great competitions to come!
News
Spirit of the Plurabelles 2026
We had a fabulous start to May with a very busy bank holiday weekend. On Saturday 2 May our wonderful member Linda Taylor was awarded Spirit of the Plurabelles in our annual ceremony. Nominated by her fellow members, the award recognises members who embody the ‘spirit’ of the Plurabelles with qualities like kindness and generosity in giving time to our club and other members. Linda’s family attended and the award was presented by our late founder Fiona Tiernan’s son Oscar.
Accenture Community Walk
Wednesday 11th February saw us take a break from our typical training to join Accenture on their community walk. Some of our members walked with Accenture from their office to our clubhouse, while some of our paddlers paddled alongside the walkers around the dock, giving a "paddle, bang, salute" along the way. A palpable buzz of excitement followed us every step of the way as the Accenture community and Plurabelles chatted and shared stories.
Thank you to Accenture for the lovely welcome we received in your office, and for choosing Plurabelle Paddlers as your partner on your community walk.
Photos courtesy of Catrin Prys-Cummins
2026 Events
Plurabelle Paddlers crews plan to compete in the following events in 2026.
The Dragon Run 10Km – Sunday, 29th March 2026
River Barrow, Carlow Town Park, Sleaty Street, Graiguecullen, Co. Carlow
Athy Dragon Boat Regatta – Sunday, 3rd May 2026
River Barrow, Emily Square, Athy, Co. Kildare
Barrow Dragon Boat Regatta – Sunday, 7th June 2026
River Barrow, Carlow Town Park, Sleaty Street, Graiguecullen, Co. Carlow
Donegal Dragon Boat Regatta - Saturday, 25th July 2026
Donegal, Co. Donegal
2026 IBCBC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival - 24th to 30th August 2026
Aix-les-Bains, France
Lough Rinn Dragon Boat Regatta – Saturday, 12th September 2026
Lough Rynn Caravan & Camping, Mohill, Co. Leitrim
Flower ceremony 2025
Our annual flower ceremony takes place each year in October, Breast Cancer Awareness month. The ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate survivorship and living after a breast cancer diagnosis and an occasion where we show our support to our members living with cancer. We take time to remember and honour our Plurabelles who have passed away. This year’s ceremony took place on Saturday 11 October and was led by Maria Fleming, who read some beautiful poetry with accompanying music supplied by her sister Eileen on harp and her brother-in-law Frank on fiddle. Pink gerbera were released on to the water in remembrance at the end of the ceremony.
Following the ceremony members and guests went back to the clubhouse to chat and enjoy the legendary Plurabelle hospitality.
Fiona Slevin appointed as IBCPC Irish rep
Marion Egan has resigned as national representative on the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission after holding the position for three years. Fiona Slevin has now been appointed as the new national IBCPC rep. Fiona, a Plurabelle since 2010, is very well known in the Irish dragon boat community and overseas and is a fantastic candidate to take over the role. It is great news for our club to have another Plurabelle representing us, especially with the festival taking place in France next year.
Previous representatives in the role include Deborah Bonner from Donegal Dragons and Plurabelle Susan Rowe, who was the first Irish representative.
