Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo Club hosted The 2024 Irish Open, successfully accommodating 37 teams and over 300 players with teams from all across Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The event took place at Mullingar Harbour on Saturday, 7 September and Sunday, 8 September. Historically, the event has taken place in Kilcock and Belfast and has been described as “the most prestigious event of the years.
Club member, Ivan MacDonald, hailed the “great” event and praised the Mullingar Harbour teams who took part, including the under 14 team which reached a final.
Ivan, said: “It was great to see so many people coming to Mullingar. It was hectic and non-stop. It was a great spectacle for people passing by.
“We were blessed with the weather which does help.”
There were four separate divisions in which some superb canoe polo was played. Teams from Dublin, Scotland, Belfast and Kilcock won their respective divisions.
DIVISION ONE EXPERIENCE
Asked about the highlights for Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo, Ivan answered: “That would be the under-14 team, which made the final in Division Three. They took the game to extra-time. They didn’t win it but it was a phenomenal, exciting final that everyone stopped to watch.
“It was also the first time to have a team in Division One. We would be a relatively young club but Division One would be where experienced players play. This was our first time there and we came sixth.”
Ivan also wished to thank local schools who helped allow the club to host the event. He commented: “We were very lucky because we had such a great venue with the harbour but also a lot of help from the local schools.
“Loreto gave us their carpark. When you have a venue, you need good car parking.
We had Coláiste Mhuire, who allowed us to use their harbour field for camping which was brilliant. We got 50 camper vans and tents in there.”
Hopes were also expressed that Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo Club would be able to grow from the success of the 2024 Irish Open, and hope to host the event again for 2025, where they are confident of hosting an equally enjoyable event.
