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sport · Wednesday 12 August 2026 · Various 
IDRA 14 National Championships
At Lough Erne Yacht Club · Lough Shore Road, near Kesh, Co. Fermanagh
At Lough Erne Yacht Club · Lough Shore Road, near Kesh, Co. Fermanagh
The IDRA 14, a two-person dinghy class unique to Ireland, brings its 2026 National Championships to Lough Erne Yacht Club from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 August. The Nationals move between host clubs around the country each year, and this year it is Lough Erne’s turn, drawing competing crews from sailing clubs across Ireland to race on Lower Lough Erne over four days.
Lough Erne Yacht Club is the oldest sailing club in Ireland, with its start and finish line set up in Gublusk Bay for more than 80 years of racing. The club occupies a former Second World War RAF site on Lower Lough Erne, giving competitors sheltered water and open lake racing within the same short stretch of shoreline. Over the four days, crews contest a series of races building toward the national title, following the official Notice of Race published for the event, with racing scheduled around the wind and conditions on the lake each day. The competitor entry fee is 300 pounds, which the notice of race confirms includes at least one evening meal for the registered sailor, on top of the usual class and club social events that run around a Nationals week. Spectators are welcome to watch from the clubhouse and shoreline free of charge, though the racing itself is best followed from the water or through the club’s own updates during the week.
Lough Erne Yacht Club sits on the Lough Shore Road, around six miles north of Enniskillen just off the main Enniskillen to Kesh to Belleek road, on the shore of Lower Lough Erne near Ely Lodge Forest. Car parking is available at the club, and it is a straightforward drive from Enniskillen, Kesh or Irvinestown.
Kesh is the nearest village to the club and a natural base for the week, with Lower Lough Erne’s shoreline and forest walks close by. There is more to see in Kesh and across Co. Fermanagh.
Heading to Lough Erne Yacht Club in Kesh? Fermanagh has plenty more to see. Read the Kesh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.