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| Short name | RCYC |
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| Founded | 1720 |
| Location | Crosshaven, County Cork, Ireland |
| Website | royalcork |
The Royal Cork Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Crosshaven, County Cork, Ireland. Founded in 1720, it is a claimant to the title of the world's oldest yacht club, although this is challenged by the Neva Yacht Club in Russia. [1]
The predecessor [2] of the present-day Royal Cork Yacht Club was the "Water Club of the Harbour of Cork". It was established in 1720 by William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, a great-grandson of the 1st Earl of Inchiquin, who was a courtier of King Charles II. As a result, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is widely held to be the oldest yacht club in the world. [3]
On returning to England from exile, King Charles II developed an interest in sailing on the Thames, and his courtiers (including the 1st Earl of Inchiquin) subsequently followed his example. Upon the Earl's return to Cork, recreational sailing commenced. Some years later, the 1st Earl of Inchiquin's great-grandson, 26-year-old William O'Brien, and five of his friends formalised their activities and in so doing established The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork in 1720. [4] This body became inactive in 1765 and was re-established in 1802.
By 1806, it was known as the Cork Harbour Water Club. During the 1820s, it changed its name to the Cork Harbour Yacht Club. Later in that decade, it dropped the word "Harbour" and became the Cork Yacht Club. In 1831, the club received the privilege of using the "Royal" prefix from King William IV and became the Royal Cork Yacht Club. In 1966, it merged with the Royal Munster Yacht Club, [2] and the combined entity was known as "The Royal Cork Yacht Club, incorporating the Royal Munster Yacht Club". [4]
The club was originally located on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour. During the early nineteenth century, it transferred to Cove, subsequently named Queenstown, now Cobh. It is currently located in Crosshaven, near Cork City. [4]
By the mid 19th century, membership was keenly sought after due to the club's popularity, and club records show that many candidates were disappointed at not getting membership. [4] One who was admitted was Prince Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, later to be Emperor of Mexico. Prince Ferdinand was the founder of the Imperial Austrian Navy and a brother of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) attended several RCYC regattas, sailing his famous yacht Britannia . [5]
In 1872, the Munster Model Yacht Club was founded as a Corinthian Yacht Club to provide for amateur racing rather than racing for wagers on yachts of wealthy owners with paid hands. It eventually received a royal charter and became known as the Royal Munster Yacht Club. It settled in the clubhouse of the Cork Harbour Motor Yacht Club at Crosshaven during the 1930s. The Royal Munster Yacht Club merged with the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1966. [4]
Cork Week is hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club and is held every two years, usually in late June or early July.
It was initially Ireland's largest sailing regatta, but has been superseded in popularity, in recent years, by the Dun Laoghaire biennial regatta, as determined by large entries in multiple classes and competitors [6]
Baron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was one of two titles created on 1 July 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who claimed descent from Brian Boru, a High King of Ireland. The English titles were granted under the policy of surrender and regrant, and therefore conditional upon the abandonment of any Irish titles, the adoption of English customs and laws, pledging of allegiance to the Crown, apostasy from the Catholic Church, and conversion to the Church of Ireland. Murrough was made both Earl of Thomond in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his nephew Donough O'Brien and Baron Inchiquin, with remainder to his male heirs. Following the death of his cousin, Conor Myles John O' Brien in June 2023, Conor John Anthony O' Brien is currently the 19th Baron Inchiquin
Crosshaven is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in lower Cork Harbour at the mouth of the River Owenabue, across from Currabinny Wood. Originally a fishing village, from the 19th century, the economy of the area became more reliant on a growing tourism industry.
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.
A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting.
The Royal Irish Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Dún Laoghaire Harbour, County Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Republic of Ireland. The club was founded in 1831, with the Marquess of Anglesey, who commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo being its first Commodore. John Skipton Mulvany designed the clubhouse, which still retains a number of original architectural features since being opened in 1851.
The Battle of Liscarroll was fought on 3 September 1642 in northern County Cork, Munster, between Irish Confederate and Royalist troops. The battle was part of the Irish Confederate Wars, which had started in the north in 1641 reaching Munster in 1642. The Confederates, about 8,500 strong, were led by Garret Barry, an Irish veteran from the Spanish Army of Flanders. The Royalist forces, about 2,400 strong, were commanded by Murrough O'Brien, 6th Baron of Inchiquin, an Irish Protestant. Despite his numerical disadvantage Inchiquin routed his enemies by the strength of his cavalry and the firepower of his musketeers.
The National Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland.
Events from the year 1720 in Ireland.
His Majesty's Yacht Britannia was a gaff-rigged cutter built in 1893 for RYS Commodore Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. She served both himself and his son King George V with a long racing career.
Events from the year 1647 in Ireland.
William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, KB, PC(I) was an Irish peer, Chief of Clan O'Brien, and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1722 and 1754.
The Measle is a small sailing boat, popular in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Twelve Foot Dinghy was designed by George Cockshott, an amateur boat designer from Southport, England in response to a 1912 design contest. It became the first one-design racing dinghy to achieve international recognition. The class was granted the 'International' status by the IYRU in 1919 and remained this status until 1964 when it was revoked by the same authority. The class was selected as the dinghy class for the Olympics in 1920 & 1928. In 1924 the French wanted to use an alternate French design.
Murrough MacDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin, was an Irish nobleman and soldier, who came from one of the most powerful families in Munster. Known as Murchadh na dTóiteán, he initially trained for war in the Spanish service. He accompanied the Earl of Strafford into Leinster on the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was appointed governor of Munster in 1642. He had some small success, but was hampered by lack of funds and he was outwitted by the Irish leader, Viscount Muskerry, at Cappoquin and Lismore. His forces dispersed at the truce of 1643.
Dún Laoghaire is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dublin. It was known as Dunleary in the English language, until it was renamed Kingstown in honour of King George IV's 1821 visit, and in 1920 was given its present name Dún Laoghaire, the original Irish form from which "Dunleary" was anglicised. Over time, the town became a residential location, a seaside resort, the terminus of Ireland's first railway and the administrative centre of the former borough of Dún Laoghaire, and from 1994, of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
John Somers Payne was an Irish sport sailor, doyen of Cork Harbour Sailing and double Olympian. Payne competed as a member of the Irish National sailing teams in November 1956 and again at the August 1960 Olympics, earning himself the title of a double Olympian. In the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia Payne competed in the Men's Finn single-handed dinghy category and placed 16th. Four years later at the Olympic Games held off the coast of Naples, Italy, he competed in the same category and placed 18th, in what was his final sailing competition. John Somers Payne, also simply known as 'Somers' was often described by family and friends as an ‘inspiration’, as he was one of the first individuals from the coastal Cork village of Crosshaven to sail into the olympics.
Situated on the waterfront setting of the Greenbank area in Falmouth, the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (RCYC) was formed in 1871, and is the 15th oldest “Royal” yacht club in England.
The Britannia Yacht Club (BYC) is a private social club, yacht club, and tennis club based in Britannia, a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1887 by a group of cottagers.
The Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta is a biennial sailing regatta hosted by the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St George Yacht Club in Dublin Bay, Ireland. With 2500 sailors and 400 boats competing in 28 classes, it is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and the second largest in the British Isles. The inaugural event was held in 2005, and the next event is scheduled for 6–9 July 2017.
Joe English was an Irish yachtsman, professional sailor and sailmaker. He competed at multiple world championship-level sailing events, including America's Cup, the Whitbread Round The World Race and Admiral's Cup race series. In 1989, English skippered Ireland's first entry to take part in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.
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