‘Once you are on the water you just forget everything’

This year marks the 10th anniversary of a heartwarming and uplifting club established to help cancer survivors.

For the past decade, the Gráine Mhaol Mayo Dragon Boat Club have been a familiar sight on Lough Lannagh in Castlebar.

The club is named after the infamous pirate queen Gráinne Mhaol who hailed from Mayo. The unique spelling of Gráine is in memory of a friend called Áine, who passed away from breast cancer.

The club boasts two 42-foot, 20-person boats with a drummer setting a pace on the bow. The paddling action helps prevent and alleviate the symptoms of lymphedema, a condition caused by removal or damage to lymph nodes as a part of cancer treatment.

Breast cancer survivor Louise Killeen founded the dragon boat club to provide an exercise outlet for other recovering women.

“The idea came out of the Rocks ‘n’ Roses choir we had for cancer survivors. I was aware that while we were fulfilling a social and emotional need there was need for something physical as well.

“A girl I know in Cork told me about how she had joined a dragon boat club. Like myself she had breast cancer as well. I said right that sounds like something we could do in Lough Lannagh,” Louise recalled.

Within a month, Louise had sourced a boat and a few months later a second boat arrived at Lough Lannagh.

The benefits of the club go well beyond physical fitness.

“For me personally, the mental side of it is equally as important as the physical and getting fit. The whole cancer journey, you have surgery and treatments, but they don’t really look at the mental side of things and the impact it has on your mental health. That’s why the dragon boat is really good. Once you are out there on that water you just forget everything. You just have to focus on the now and be very present because you don’t want to end up in the water!

“You are focused on what you are doing right now. All your worries and cares are put out of your head because you can’t be dealing with them at the same time. It’s really good from a psychological point of view and you’re with like-minded people as well,” said Louise.

She said the club is a safe and welcoming space for everybody.

“The breast cancer girls find it just so good, because they are in a safe space. They can ask someone if they are in bother over something related to their journey.

“It’s for all levels and abilities you don’t have to be of a certain fitness to take it up. You can be someone who has never left the couch and you can step onto a boat.

“There is a boat for every ability so its very inclusive. The girls feel so welcome and they can just chat. I have seen girls who have come and are maybe s little nervous and by their second and third time they are hugging and kissing everybody else!

“Everyone just seems to gel quickly and it’s like they have known each other all their lives. A few have gone off on holidays together and would never have known each other before.”

She said the Dragon Boat is something that people can take personal ownership of while also feeling part of something very special.

“You are meeting up with people you can relate to. It just becomes a whole different part of their lives as well. It’s something that their family aren’t involved in, their other friends aren’t a part of, and it gives them their own little safe space. You can forget what you have been through. Just for that time you can put it out of your head. It’s really empowering, and makes people feel better, stronger, and more positive.”

The club has doubled in size since its inception and attracts members from all over the county.

Originally a breast cancer survivors club, the club now welcomes friends and family of cancer survivors, beginners or experienced paddlers, any person over the age of 18 years.

“A good few Ukrainian people have joined as well as people who may have had addiction or mental health difficulties,” Louise stated.

The club takes to the water twice a week. They were rocked by storm damage last winter but are bouncing back.

Louise overcame breast cancer more than 20 years ago and was determined to give back to those who face a similar battle.

“It was a journey of discovery and made me a better person. That’s only my personal experience. It taught me to be a better person and taught me how I can help other people. That’s all I really have tried to do since.”

Louise also established a business providing wigs to women who lost their hair through cancer treatment.

“It’s not about the wigs that I sell, it’s about helping people on their journey,” she explained. “People come to you really raw. They have been bombarded with information and there is only so much you can take in. I try and help them work it out and go through it with them. That’s what cancer has given me. You are not the person you were before cancer but you can be a better person after cancer. That’s my motto anyway.”