Cantonese in Ireland at the Carlow Dragon Boat Race 2025 - Recap

On Sunday (8th June), our dragon boat team "Cheung Po Tsai 張保仔" returned to the Carlow Dragon Boat Race faster, better and stronger! We smashed our previous record with a new personal best of 2 minutes 22 seconds, beating last year’s 2:56 by over 30 seconds! 🔥⏱

As tradition, we began the day with a ritual incense offering for luck and protection.
To share our culture, we brought along some authentic Cantonese treats, freshly made egg waffles (雞蛋仔), barbecue goose (燒鵝), and sticky rice dumplings (糉) for the festival crowd to enjoy.

We were also proud to gift the three winning teams with handmade papercraft artworks, each inscribed with auspicious phrases:
“揚帆奮進” (Sail forth with determination)
“舟行萬里” (May your boat travel ten thousand miles)
“鼓聲催漿” (Let the drumbeat drive the paddles)

A huge thank you to @dublinvikings_dragonboat_club for the training sessions, and to every teammate who gave their all in practice and on race day.
And to our amazing supporters, your cheers and photos powered us forward!

We had an unforgettable time and can’t wait to return next year!
加油！gaa1 jau2, Keep it up!

「張保仔」喺Carlow 龍舟賽勇奪佳績！
我哋龍舟隊「張保仔」喺 6月8號再次出戰 Carlow 龍舟賽，以 2分22秒 打破舊年 2分56秒 嘅紀錄，進步超過 30秒，刷新記錄，成功突破自己！ ！🔥⏱

賽前我哋依傳統進行咗簡單而隆重嘅上香儀式，祈求順利平安。
我哋仲帶咗地道廣東美食比大家分享：新鮮製作嘅 雞蛋仔、節日必備嘅 糉，同埋香噴噴嘅 燒鵝！

今年我哋亦為三支勝出隊伍準備咗 親手剪紙禮物，寫上祝福語：
「揚帆奮進」
「舟行萬里」
「鼓聲催漿」
希望將粵文化同心意傳遞俾大家。

特別多謝 @dublinvikings_dragonboat_club 嘅賽前訓練支持；亦要多謝每一位努力嘅隊員，正因為你哋投入嘅汗水同團結，「張保仔」先至可以划得咁快！

最後唔少得感謝在場支持嘅朋友仔—你哋嘅打氣、靚相同笑容，係我哋最大嘅動力！

張保仔，加油！廣東話，加油！粵語人，加油！下年見！

Event sponsored by @deptcde