The Marion Bridge Canoe Club started in 1979 primarily from the efforts of John and Archie MacGlashen and then with Alvin Brien as head coach. The club entered the CCA the following year. Members stored their boats at the home of the MacPherson family in Marion Bridge and competed in local regattas in New Waterford and North Sydney with occasional trips to Dartmouth to compete in the Lake Banook Natal Day races. Since the Cape Breton Canoe Club was located in Mira and donated their boats to the Orenda Racing Canoe Club upon folding, it is unlikely that Marion Bridge is connected to the former island club. The official name for the club was Abhainn Vira, "Mira River" in gaelic.