UCD win the Gannon Cup and Trinity win the Corcoran Cup in the Dublin City Colours Boat Races 2026

UCD Senior Men’s Eight crew have won this year’s Gannon Cup in the Dublin City Colours Boat Races, giving the club their fifth win in a row and the lead in the overall race series for the first time since 1976. 

The UCD Senior Men’s team, right, bow to stern, Eoin McGrath, Oisin Dolan, Conor O’Reilly, Ciaran Conway, Andrew O’Leary, Ross Mason, Conaill Cunningham, Dach Murray, and cox Rhian Nelson contest the Gannon Cup against the Trinity College Senior Men’s team bow to stern, Pearce Mooney, Eoghan Gloster, Lucas Calvey, Harry Pierce, Anrijs Lorencs, Samuel Walker, Adam Ranko, Ethan Coplan, and cox Caroline Welch.Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

UCD now have 38 wins in the Gannon Cup, one more than Trinity’s 37. The race has been held between the two Dublin universities since 1947 and there was one dead heat in 1950.

Trinity Women’s Senior Crew won the Corcorcan Cup for Senior Women’s Eights beating their UCD counterparts by three lengths, having rowed strongly over the more than 2km course from O’Connell Bridge to Victoria Quay.

UCD won both the Women’s Novice Eights race, the Sally Moorhead Trophy, and the Men’s Novice Eights race, the Dan Quinn Shield.

In the Men’s Senior Eights race Trinity (Dublin University Boat Club) got off to a quick start, but UCD moved ahead after about 500 metres and then continued to pull away from Trinity, opening up a commanding lead and winning easily.

Trinity College Women’s Senior Eights team, bow to stern, Izzy Howley, Sarah Geoghegan, Danielle Lohrenz, Caoimhe Keller, Jen Forde, Ginevra Guglielmi, María Mezquita García-Poggio, Addy Telzrow, and cox Ava Dolan, celebrate after winning. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

In the Women’s Senior Eights race, Trinity (Dublin University Ladies Boat Club – DULBC), proved too strong for UCD, taking a clear lead by the Four Courts and winning with a three length advantage at the finish line.

The Trinity win prevented UCDLBC (University College Dublin Ladies Boat Club) from making it five-wins-in-a-row in the Corcoran Cup.

In the Women’s Novice Eights, UCDLBC (University College Dublin Ladies Boat Club) were leading their Sally Moorhead Trophy race when Trinity experienced a racing incident that stopped their boat and ultimately led to their retirement.

UCD rowed on to the finish and officially secured the win.

In the Men’s Novice Eights, an impressive UCD crew won by four lengths from Trinity.

This year’s event was  the 76th edition of the Dublin City Colours Boat Races.

The annual event sees eights from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) race heat-to-head over 2km upstream and under eight bridges from the starting line at O’Connell Bridge to the finish at Victoria Quay/St James’s Gate.

A total of four races took place between senior and novice eights crews starting from 10.30am on Saturday (21st).

DULBC  won the coin toss to decide the stations in the women’s races and chose the South station.

UCD won the coin toss to decide the stations in the men’s races and chose the North station.

The races involved the 76th edition of the Gannon Cup, which has been raced by Senior Men’s eights since 1947, and the 45th edition of the Corcoran Cup for Senior Women’s eights.

The Corcoran Cup was originally a Senior Women’s Coxed Four event, but evolved into an eights race in 1993, due to increased participation by women in rowing throughout the country.

Trinity has recorded 18 wins and UCD has 27.

The Colours Boat Races began in 1947 when the Gannon Cup was presented in memory of UCD Boat Club Captain, Ciaran Gannon, who was killed while on active service with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Burma in 1944.

Since then the list of races has expanded to include the Corcoran Cup in 1980, the Dan Quinn Shield for Novice Men’s eights in 2004 and the Sally Moorhead Trophy for Novice Women’s eights in 2005.

This year’s event was officially supported by Dublin City Council as part of a new multi-year agreement between the local authority and the rowing clubs of both TCD and UCD.

As part of this arrangement, the event previously referred to as the Colours Boat Races was renamed the Dublin City Colours Boat Races.

This year’s event took place as DULBC celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The prestigious club was founded in 1976 by a group of women including Jane Williams, the current President of Rowing Ireland.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Ray McAdam, was in attendance to watch the racing.

The Lord Mayor said: “It was fantastic to attend this year’s Dublin City Colours Boat Races and I’m pleased that the event was supported by Dublin City Council.

“This historic and annual race day is an important part of Dublin’s sporting calendar, creating a superb opportunity for spectators to witness high quality, head-to-head rowing on the River Liffey through the heart of the City Centre.

“I would like to congratulate all the crews on their performances.

“The races were hard fought and the wins were well-earned.”