6 days ago
Hero's welcome planned in Kerry for world champion
Ireland's Jack Rafferty and Jonah Kirby won the gold at the World Under-19 Rowing Championships with a remarkable performance in Trakai, Lithuania at the weekend.
It was Ireland's first gold medal at World Under-19 level, and the first medal for a men's crew.
Jonah is from Kenmare and is a member of Kenmare Rowing Club who are proud to have a world champion in their midst. It is a great win for the Kerry teenager but also for rowing in Kerry and for a small club like Kenmare. The club have had huge success in recent years with talented rowers like Ayla O'Neill, Georgia O'Brien and Tom Kelly but this is the a first world medal to come home to Kenmare.
"It is brilliant to get any medal but this is superb but to get gold at World Championships as big as it gets. This is for first for our club,' said Coach Clive Johnston.
'This is the top league. Now we are world champions.'
Jonah is from Killaha, just outside Kenmare and is the son of Julie and Mike. He is a Leaving Cert student at Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine.
Jonah has been training with the club since he was 14 and under the tutelage of coaches including Clive and Tommy O'Sullivan (Arthur) and the late Noel Casey he began to flourish.
Having won the National Junior 16 championships and the Junior 18 championships he went on to win a bronze medal a the European Championships cementing his talent on the water and ultimately progressed through trials to make it the World team along side Jack Rafferty from St Michael's Rowing club in Limerick.
Clive says Jonah has the talent, discipline and mentality needed to progress 'in spades' and all the hard work paid off this week.
"To be selected for the Word Championships is amazing but to win is the cream on top,' said Clive.
And the club and the town are celebrating Jonah's big win tonight, Tuesday, August 12 with a homecoming planned in The Square in Kenmare at 7pm.
They are urging everyone to come out and welcome Kenmare's world champion home.
