A native of Cootehall, Co. Roscommon, Jim Maguire was first introduced to the sport of rowing in 1950 with Carrick-on-Shannon Rowing Club before joining Neptune in 1953. Jim had the honour of being the first Captain of the Garda Boat Club and held the position from 1954 to 1961. There is no doubt that the Club’s success in those first tentative years was down to the dedication and hard work of Jim Maguire who put so much time and effort into getting the Club ‘off the ground’. Looking back at the end of his tenure he said:
In all, I had the honour and privilege of being Captain from 1954 to 1961 and I enjoyed every day of it, particularly because of the quality of the people involved, both those who rowed and those who gave their unstinting support in every way from the sidelines