A TEAM made of up members of the Shannon Dragons, Shannon Rowing Club, and the Dublin Vikings pulled together at the prestigious Ningcheng International Dragon Boat Open Festival under their united Celtic Dragons moniker.
The team, which included paddlers from Limerick and Clare, contributed to a commendable fourth place finish in the 500m final at the competition in Inner Mongolia, China.
The local members of the crew were Jessica O’Keeffe, Fiona McKeon, Kenneth McDonald, Amanda Kiely, Emily Walsh, and Liz Gabbett, while the crew was completed by Dublin Vikings representatives Lorraine Leonard, Lynsey O’Kelly, Ursula Murray Gillian Mangan, Feena Sheeran, and Ciara Sobolewski.
The festival was broadcast to a domestic audience across China of an astonishing 1.4 billion viewers.
Beyond the adrenaline-fueled races, the festival’s attraction lay in its picturesque location and the unwavering generosity of the Ningcheng people and Chinese hosts.
“Their warm hospitality made this event truly unforgettable,” remarked Kathleen O’Donnell, a Shannon Dragons member who made the trip for the festival competition.
Shannon Dragons is a local dragon boat club catering for breast cancer survivors, their friends, and supporters.
“The exercise while paddling on a dragon boat is highly recommended for rehabilitation following breast surgery by health professionals,” a representative of the Shannon Dragons club explained.
“Not only does it benefit members physically, it also gives emotional support, while doing something they enjoy.”
The Shannon Dragons club is based in O’Briensbridge and Montpelier and comprises of breast cancer survivors as their friends, family members, and supporters.
