Olympic hero Daire Lynch was hooked on rowing after first visit to Clonmel Rowing Club

“I found something I love,” Daire Lynch told his father Niall after returning home from one of his first nights training at Clonmel Rowing Club.
At that stage Daire and his parents Niall and Joanna were just pleased that he had finally found a sport he enjoyed.

He had tried GAA, soccer, swimming and tennis but nothing quite worked for him until he discovered rowing.
His parents were not surprised that once Daire found the sport he loved that he devoted himself wholeheartedly to it and gave it all he had.

On Wednesday evening last they proudly watched their son being hailed as an Olympic champion in Clonmel.
They reflected on what he has accomplished and the journey he has taken to get there with great pride.
From very early on the punishing training regime Daire took on stands out for them.
His mother Joanna, watching her son put himself through the most punishing of training regimes, wondered why he was putting himself through so much.

“I used to get so upset to see him killing himself with training at home.
“His hands were raw and there would be pools of sweat in the room at home where he had his rowing machine,” said Joanna.
“I asked myself ‘My God, why is he doing this, what is driving him’,” said Joanna.
Joanna said that Daire was always very quiet and preferred to go under the radar.

“We never put pressure on Daire. He was focussed on what he wanted to do. His dedication to it was unbelievable. He was dilligent and consistent and gave everything to the sport for six and a half days of the week. We saw what he put in, I will never forget the pools of sweat on the floor when he used the rowing machine at home,” said his father Niall.

Niall said he remembered very early on when Daire realised this was the sport he wanted to take on that he contacted athletes all over the world and spoke to them about their training regimes.

Both parents were blown away by the support shown by the people of Clonmel and Tipperary during the races in Paris and especially for the homecoming.
“We are not even from Clonmel. It was a fabulous welcome to get,” said Joanna as they moved to Clonmel in 1995.

Daire said he just randomly took up the sport while still going to school in the High School.
“The first day I went to rowing I was hooked,” said Daire.
He told his young admirers in the audience that he was nothing exceptional for the first or even second year but that he stayed with it because he really liked it.
He remembered going down to the club at 6am every morning before going to school until he got his own rowing machine at home.
With the rowing machine at home he was able to do hours of training before going to school and doing it again straight after school.
“I was never looking too much into the future. I enjoyed the training,” he said.
“People who are going to do well put in the most work. The work was pretty crazy at times, training was very, very tough, training could be all day.
“People who make it to the top they enjoy doing all of the training,” said Daire.