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Donegal Canoe Club is a voluntary canoeing club run by enthusiasts. We are based in Letterkenny, County Donegal, North West Ireland. We run rivers, sea kayak, kayak surf and canoe. Our members also enjoy marathon kayaking, slalom kayaking and kayak polo and have been offering these sports to the wider community as a club since 1997. Please find out about membership here or CONTACT US to find out more.
Trying to get a large group of people and their children together for a weekends camping and canoeing can at times seem an impossible task. To find a weekend that suits everybody and doesn’t clash with weddings, holidays and work commitments would drive anybody round the bend but most trips eventually gather pace and increase in size and momentum like a giant snowball.
But not this one! In fact even 3 days before we were due to leave we still didn’t know where we were going. Andy Harron had mentioned Bun Beg to Michael “Spanners” Roulston, a few phone calls later and there was a gathering of Canoes (open boats), some planks and rope and before you could say the “A-Team” we had a great family camping trip planned. As Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith would say….“I love it when a plan comes together!” 
On Friday the tents went up, the fire was built and the head torches went on. The adults sat around the fire while the younger children spent the night sand surfing a kayak down the steepest sand dune and the older ones played cards in one of the tents.
On Saturday the canoe’s were tied together and we set of across the bay having impromptu pirate battles along the way. On reaching the island we snorkelled, explored and did some cliff jumping before having a picnic and paddling back. That evening Denis, Michael and Zoe set up a couple of ropes and nearly everyone had a go at abseilling down the cliffs. Afterwards we went back for a barbeque.
On Sunday we set off again in the canoe’s for more pirate battles and landed at the nearby harbour for some pier jumping. The children then went off on their own across the bay in one of the canoe rafts supervised by Holly, Aoife, Sinead and Andrew. After the camping gear was stowed away and the litter collected, we had a final game of rounders on the beach in the glorious sunshine. Happy days!
The Liffey Descent this year will be on Saturday 4th September, 2010. The greatest canoe race in the world, the Liffey Descent caters for everyone from the serious marathon enthusiast to the have-a-go-hero. Every year Donegal Canoe Club members make the annual pilgrimage to Dublin to try their luck and over the years we have had many meddalists and even more fun!
We will meet at Denis’s house in Burt on Wednesday 1st September at 7pm to load boats on the trailer. We leave Friday 3rd September to travel down, race on the Saturday, celebrate Saturday night and return to Donegal on the Sunday.
Entry Forms Download your entry form here Location: Co Kildare Official Website: www.liffeydescent.com
Anne Donnell seen here in the 2008 Liffey Descent is originally from the Uist islands in the outer hebrides of Scotland. A working mum of three Anne is a trained vet and alternates her paddling sessions with her husband so that someone can stay at home with the kids. They also share a river boat and a sea kayak, a great arrangement!
Anne lives in county Tyrone with husband Hall and their three sons David, Peter and Andrew.
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