Water skiing is about fifty years old in Ireland. The Irish Waterski association was founded in the 1960s. It later became the Irish Waterski Foundation when the Irish Association and Northern Ireland Waterski Association combined their activities, 14 waterski clubs and 200 members with the Irish Waterski Federation.

The Cork Power Boat and Water Ski Club was formed in 1963 to promote water skiing and power boat racing. Seán Kennedy, Denis Buckley and Des Clarke were involved in setting up the Club. Seán used to ski in Glenbrook near Monkstown. His hobby was boating and over the years, he developed an interest in making boats faster. At Glenbrook, he used to race power boats. He was involved around the country and on Irish teams around Europe from Paris to Amsterdam. Seán’s son Ronan remembers when he was young his father running the Cork Powerboat Championships in the Lee alongside the Marina. Ronan and his brother sold programmes along the Marina. They operated out of Cork Rowing Club. The event ran every year for a number of years. As Ronan notes: "Powerboats were not common in the sixties. We had the only power boat. It was a unique possession back then. They are much more common today".

Skiing developed as an aside. Seán Kennedy was in his forties before he started skiing. Around 1966, the Cork Power Boat and Ski Club moved to Byrne’s Farm, Fergus, overlooking Innscarra Reservoir (near Dripsey Village). Power boat championships were held in Fergus during those years. The Club spent six years there until they moved to Farren Wood in 1972 to the site of where the National Rowing Centre is now. Seán Kennedy was the Club chairman at that time.

The forestry department was approached as well as the ESB. Farran as a forest park was not developed yet. The club was there before any of the National Park was put in place with its seats, tables and other pathways. They were granted a space in Farran. A chalet was built and a roadway created from the main road to the lake. Ronan remembers: “We lived in Farren, we were there after school, did our homework there, manned the chalet tuck shop at the weekend the shop offset the cost of petrol and insurance. We lived out there from May to September”.

Despite the 300 members in Club, in the 1970s, there was a limitation on development of the Club House and facilities. The younger people wished to bring the skiing to a more competitive level. Many went on the ski circuit. In the 1970s, Ronan and his brother Ray were in the top three in skiing. They were on the ski circuit for many years. Munster, Cork and Irish championships were held on the Reservoir. Ronan notes: "Hundreds of Cork people looked on every Sunday. At various times, the sport of skiing got on the front page of the Echo and the Examiner There was a huge nucleus of guys competing". In the early 1980s, power boat racing was developed even further on the lake. Seán Kennedy canvassed people to break the Irish National Power Boat Record of 100 miles an hour on water. That was an exceptional speed in those days.

More next week… Sincere thanks to Ronan Kennedy and Barry Galvin of Cork Powerboat and Water Ski Club, Lower Dripsey, www.waterskireland.com

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