'Teamwork is central': How rowing boats with Meitheal Mara boosts confidence

Being part of a Meitheal Mara rowing crew helps teens develop skills and build an understanding of teamwork

Finn Paterson (far right) rows with Meitheal Mara on the River Lee. He had zero rowing experience when he went to his first summer camp in 2024.

AGED 16, Liam McCormick started rowing with Meitheal Mara, a maritime cultural organisation and community boatyard on the River Lee in Cork City.

“It was a way to get out of class,” says the now 24-year-old, a student of outdoor education at Atlantic Technological University, Castlebar.