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Final of International Cup at Cork Regatta between Leander and Berlin. The International Cup Races were held at Cork over three days in July (21st , 22nd, 23rd) and they marked the climax of the great Cork Exhibition of that summer. The regatta was probably the greatest rowing carnival ever held in Ireland and the final day was attended by an estimated 80,000 spectators. The regatta races were run over a course from Blackrock Castle to the city in superb summer weather. There were nearly forty races and the premier event was the International Cup or the "Lord O'Brien Cup" as it was sometimes called. Lord O'Brien of Kilfenora was the then Chief Justice of Ireland and he was the principal promoter and fund raiser for the regatta. Considerable doubt was expressed from foreign crews that a two mile course could be obtained on the River Lee. However Frank S Forde, a former prominent member of Shandon, then resident in London, supplied a chart which showed that a straight two mile course was feasible. T.C. Butterfield of Shandon was one of two regatta secretaries. The following thirteen clubs entered: Shandon Boat Club, Newry Rowing Club, Bann Rowing Club,City of Derry Boating Club, Metropolitan Crew Commerical/Dolphin/Nepture), Dublin University Boat Club, Shannon Rowing Club, New Ross Boat Club, Leander Rowing Club (London), Emmanuel College Cambridge, University College Oxford, Magdalen College Oxford and Berlin Rowing Club. The course was from the White Lighthouse below Blackrock castle to a Grand Stand beside Shandon Boat Club, a distance of two-and -a-quarter miles. Shandon was drawn in Heat 2 with Bann and Derry and finished third to Derry. In the final Leander beat Berlin by 2 lengths. As a result the Leander Trophy was introduced at the Cork Regatta in 1904. It is reported that Leander Club committed that if any crew outside the United Kingdom ever entered for the trophy, Leander would send over a crew to defend it. Unfortunately, Leander seem to have regarded this as more legend than reality." www.shandonboatclub.com This film is part of the Mitchell and Kenyon collection - an amazing visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century. For more information about the films of Mitchell and Kenyon see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mk/ To buy the DVD click here - http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore You can watch over 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque