305th AGM of the Royal Cork Yacht Club

At the 305th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, held on Monday evening, 26 January, Denis Byrne was elected the 45th Admiral of the Club.

In his acceptance speech, Denis paid tribute to outgoing Admiral Annamarie Fegan, thanking her for the outstanding manner in which she fulfilled the role over the past two years. He noted that Annamarie made history as the Club's first female Admiral and highlighted her exceptionally busy tenure, during which she was a driving force behind the purchase of Salve Marine. Denis wished her well in her future ventures before presenting her with a memento and a framed photograph of her Executive Committee.

An enthusiastic committee has been elected to support the new Admiral, bringing together a strong blend of experience across all areas of responsibility. Rob Foster takes up the role of Vice Admiral, moving from his previous position as Rear Admiral Keelboats. Tom McGrath succeeds Rob as Rear Admiral Keelboats, while Dominic Daly has been elected Rear Admiral Dinghies to replace Yvonne Durcan. Ronan Twomey was elected Chairman of the Marina & Facilities Committee and replaces Ray Clancy, and Billy Campion replaces Pat Harte as Club Treasurer. Pat steps down after many years of dedicated service as Club Treasurer.

Also continuing on the committee for another term are Paddy D'Arcy as Rear Admiral Cruising and Gwen Roche as Chair of Membership, Communication and Events.

In a fitting moment during the evening, outgoing Admiral Annamarie Fegan and incoming Admiral Denis Byrne acknowledged the contribution of outgoing Treasurer Pat Harte, thanking him for his long-standing commitment and service to the Club.

In his closing remarks, Denis commended the outgoing members of the Executive Committee for their dedicated and diligent work over the years, and the Club's volunteers for having the courage to step forward and embrace the challenges involved. He described his election as a "massive personal honour", adding that "when sitting at the back of the room during my first AGM after joining the club in 2016 in my wildest dreams I never imagined I would be elected to this position." He concluded by thanking the members and dedicated staff for their continued support.