Miriam Sheehan is an accomplished Irish International coastal rower with a wealth of experience in competitive rowing. In this interview for Women in Sport Week, she shares insights into her career, reflecting on her journey and achievements in the world of coastal rowing.
Tell us a little about how you started rowing?
I started rowing in Castletownbere rowing club when I was 21, just after I had finished my degree in Dublin. Rowing was always something I had been interested to try but I had never got around to it. That Summer I had a little more free time so went down to the local club. Although it took me a while to get the hang of the rowing, it was amazing to be getting out on the water. Whilst on the water and concentrating on learning the art of rowing there was no brain room for thinking of anything else, so it was a fantastic way of blocking out the rest of the world and de-stressing.
What do you enjoy most about coastal rowing?
I love the unpredictability of coastal rowing. There are so many variables from the waves and tide, to the wind directions, each boat going for the same buoy. The challenge of navigating the best line around the course adds to the element of adventure in the race. No race result is ever guaranteed in coastal rowing. Also the fantastic scenic locations where I get to row around West Cork and South Kerry are truly breath-taking. This coupled with regularly meeting a pod of dolphins or a flock of seagulls and passing by a fishing trawler in and out the harbour definitely brightens up the training sessions and makes sure there never too dull!
What have been the highlights of your international experience in coastal rowing?
I have been very lucky to be involved in both the endurance and beach sprint World and European championship and have had some fantastic and memorable experiences in some outstanding locations. I truly never thought that when I started rowing as a hobby that it would allow me to see so much of the World.
One of my best earlier memories is of being part of the Castletownbere quad that came 6th in the World Coastal Championships on Vancouver Island in 2018. This was a big achievement for us as part of a small club and to do this in a crew with my friends made it extra special. Another stand out moment for me was being selected to represent Ireland, rowing the women’s single at the World Beach Sprint Championships in Portugal in 2021 as well as the mixed double in 2022 and the mixed quad in 2024. In 2023 after a good few years knocking on the door of the podium, we finally reached the promised land and won a silver medal in the Women’s Quad at the European Coastal Championship and a month later a bronze at the World Coastal Championships with a composite crew made up of members from coastal clubs around Ireland. We were lucky to follow it up with another silver medal at the Europeans again in 2024.
Like in any other sport there were some forgettable days too, but it made the victories when they eventually did come even sweeter!
What does it take to successfully compete at that level?
It does require a lot of commitment to remain involved in coastal rowing at a competitive level. Training very hard whilst working full time and rearing two children is not easy but is something that is achievable and makes being involved even more rewarding. The other side of that is that I’m lucky to get to do this and to be involved in coastal rowing in a time when coastal rowing and rowing in Ireland in general has been on such an upward spiral. Of course I’ve also been tremendously fortunate to cross paths with some fantastic team mates, boat handlers and coaches who without I would not have been able to keep going. I’ve also had wonderful support from my family, friends and clubmates. It truly takes a village!
What advice would you give to any young athlete who was thinking of trying coastal rowing.
I think for any young person interested in getting involved in rowing is to just give it a go. Don’t be afraid to try it out, however it can take a bit of time to learn the techniques involved in rowing and to get used of being on the waves in the coastal boats. As rowers get older and develop undoubtedly there is hard work required to keep rowing competitively but once you love the sport, it won’t be difficult to put in the work required. It is wonderful that rowing is very much an equal opportunity sport as regards males and females participating and the support and coverage that they get is equally distributed.
As regards the future of the sport, beach sprinting and coastal rowing is quite literally on the crest of a wave and looks set to continue to grow at an astronomical rate. Undoubtedly with LA 2028 approaching swiftly, the growth of the sport has been catapulted forward even further as the ground work in prepping for same has commenced worldwide.
