On 05 – 06 September 2026, the rescheduled Fireball Munster Championship was held in Monkstown having been postponed due to significant Nationwide fuel protests and blockades in April. Ewen Barry and Sandy Rimmington (15183) were decisive winners of the event, finishing on five points after six races. The pair discarded the last race, taking the title with an eight-point lead. The Monkstown Bay SC duo delivered a masterclass of boat handling in the shifty, gusty weather of Monkstown Bay. Ewen noted that the event had “great sailing” and one of the highlights of the event being the many new faces seen at the event.
Despite the strong winds forecast, Race Officer, Ciarán McSweeney and his team of John Moynihan, Ruth McSweeney, and Dave Barry managed to complete all six races as scheduled albeit Sunday’s races had to be held inside the Bay. The Race Committee was aided by an incredible team of safety and mark laying volunteers made up of Bella, Daisy, Robbie, Shane, David, and Sarah. Terrific event photography was courtesy of Shane O’Connell Photography. Ewen Barry and the whole team at Monkstown Bay SC put on an incredible event.
The four races held on Saturday took place in Cork Harbour and were Olympic courses. Ewen Barry and Sandy Remmington won all four races on Saturday. However, there were significant jostling for second and third position in the four races.
In race one, Monkstown Bay SC sailors dominated with second place going to Brian Jones and Gary Frost (14770) and third place going to Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes (15017). Adrian and Ed went on to take second place in race two while third place went to Jack McNaughton and Olin Bateman (15156). Jack and Olin improved further taking a second in race three and The Wrong Trousers, with a subbed in Alan Blay helming for Matthew Cotter (14855), secured third in race three. The fourth and final race of the day saw Alan and Matthew finish second and Daniel Thompson, with THE Orlaith Connolly subbed in as crew (15114), finish third.
Sunday’s two windward leeward races were far less consistent, with significant shifts and lulls near the start line and approaching the windward mark with the interference from the land. With two of the leading boats being forced to retire from the races (Alan and Matthew from race five and Ewen and Sandy from race six) there were significant opportunities for a mix up in the results.
However, race five was decisively won by Ewen and Sandy, second place went to Jack and Olin, but third place went to Monkstown Bay SC pair Ronan Kenneally and Dennis Ryan (14870) with the pair proving how best to capitalise on the shifting and gusty winds of Monkstown Bay. These shifts and gusts led to a number of capsizes. Jack and Olin won the sixth race which secured them second overall with 13 points. Jack described the event as “consistently inconsistent” with “pressure bands on the left side of the course, the tide bringing you over the line and shifts at the top mark, it was a mad mix of conditions all amounting to a typical Monkstown event!”. Brian and Gary took second and Alan and Matthew took third in the sixth race, with the latter pair taking home third overall on 17 points.
The Munster Championship experienced large participation from Silver Fleet boats with nine of the fifteen boats registered for the event being Silver Fleet, and this led to a lot of competition right down the fleet. The Monkstown Bay SC pairing of Liam Duggan and Seán O’Herlihy (14629) only got faster throughout the weekend and won Silver Fleet, as well as Best Youth Boat and Best Classic Boat, finishing on 30 points. Luke is new to the Fireball class and he commended the event management and noted that the fleet is “welcoming and competitive and there’s so much skill to learn from” and he was looking forward to the next event. Second in Silver Fleet went to Rachel Deasy and Daithí Murphy (14775) of Tralee Bay SC and Monkstown Bay SC. Rachel Deasy was also Best Woman Helm and Orlaith Connolly was Best Woman Crew. Third in Silver Fleet went to Alan Henry and Alan Stamp (1506X) from Galway Bay SC.
The Munster Championship also marked the first Fireball event for a number of the sailors and boats in attendance. Stevie Leask and Gerard Pierse (15022) from Tralee Bay SC managed to secure a fourth in the final race of the event having only recently started sailing the Fireball together. IDRA National Champion, Orlaith Connolly, also had her first event in the Fireball, managing to finish third in race four on her first ever day of sailing Fireballs. Adam Torrens, the 2025 GP14 Youth Champion, also gave helming a Fireball a try hopping in with Michael Keegan (15179/4676) and taking fifth in Silver Fleet at his first event. Adam praised the Fireball fleet for its “competitive, close, fast paced racing” saying he hopes to buy one in the near future.
The Fireball Fleet now looks forward to the final event of the season, the Fireball Open, scheduled for 19 – 20 September 2026 in Blessington Sailing Club see entry form linked here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/blessingtonlakessailingclub/2367765.