This is just a quick one,

Only the other evening I was out with the local Kayak Club here in Kilkenny ( Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club) for the first time in a while, just out with some of the young guys who have an interest in freestyle and white water boating as a whole.

Last summer I paddled with one young guy in particular ( Billy )who was getting to grips with the basics of freestyle paddling, fast forward a year and Billy is not long gone 15 and progressing quickly. Here is just a few seconds of footage I took from the boat.

Its not just Billy there is a core bunch of kids who are all pushing each other on and doing really well, much like the guys from Dublin scene from Wild Water Kayak Club. I’m sure there are others much the same all round the country that I’m not aware of.

There seems to be plenty of talent about which can only be a good thing for the future of the Irish Freestyle Scene.

Well done to them all and to those that help them on their way.

Just a bit of a plug for upcoming Junior Paddlefest that’s happening next month in Wicklow.

More information and application from HERE .

Adrian

Don’t do places to learn the basics of free style kayaking, but if they did they might start with somewhere like Kilkenny!

I’m sure most paddlers have heard of the river Nore which flows through Kilkenny City but I’d be fairly certain only a small few are aware of the little gem of a play spot that was created some years ago during the flood relief scheme.

To be clear this is no Curragower / Sluice / Clifden or Tuam but it is in my estimation one of the best places I’ve been to to introduce people to the the basics of freestyle kayaking.

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