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• Current: Traditional Boats of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way

Traditional Boats of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way

A regular blog by Noel Campbell, Assistant Keeper of the Irish Folklife Division, on the development of a new gallery to display a selection of boats from counties along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Introduction

The National Museum of Ireland - Country Life is currently developing a gallery at Turlough Park in Castlebar, Co. Mayo for the permanent display of a selection of boats from the Irish Folklife collection. The gallery will focus on the traditional boats of the Atlantic coast with boats and associated material from counties along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Follow our blog Traditional Boats of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way for updates on the development of the gallery, as well as information on research and fieldwork on traditional boats along the west coast of Ireland.

Currach at sea off Inishere, Aran Islands, Co. Galway, 1968. © National Museum of Ireland

Tomás Ó Dálaigh with currach, 1971. © Máire Ní Dhálaigh.

The rich history of a Blasket Islands naomhóg

20 May 2024 - The file on any museum object is never truly closed. Additional information, no matter how trivial, is always out there and can lead a curator, and their successors, on to more fruitful lines of inquiry. We are extremely fortunate to have a boat in our Irish Folklife collection whose provenance is so rich that it would make a very special display on its own.

Voice of the next generation

05 April 2024 - Museums, naturally, are very much focused on the past. However, that statement is not as true now as it was a short number of decades ago. Listening to young people detail how their culture impacts on them is an important part of the modern process of museum engagement. In this post, 15-year-old Amélie Bonner from Árainn Mhór, Co. Dhún na nGall, (Arranmore Island, Co. Donegal), shares her experiences and hopes for her fishing community.

Amélie Bonner and attendees at the IFAYA conference in Galicia, Spain, November, 2023. Image courtesy of Amélie Bonner

James Madigan marking the centre of each rib. © National Museum of Ireland

Steamed ribs on the menu in County Clare

23 February 2024 - James Madigan’s grandfather Sinon Blunnie was the last of the commercial currach builders in County Clare and built Scattery Island currachs in his workshop overlooking Kilrush Harbour. It was in that workshop, with no electricity or running water, that a teenage James learned the craft of boat building from his grandfather.

Fishing in winter

12 January 2024 - Winter days are more often cold, short and dark but necessity meant fishing off the Irish coast never stopped. Fishermen who ventured out during the winter months often did so to fish with long lines.

A scoilteán set into gable wall. Image © National Museum of Ireland

“Sheebang” Framework detail mid section. Dan Shipsides (Shipsides and Beggs Projects) 2023. © Dan Shipsides

Exploring traditional boats with visual artist Dan Shipsides

15 December 2023 - My online talk to mark World Maritime Day last September continues to encourage conversations on Ireland’s traditional boats. Following the talk, I was contacted by multidisciplinary visual artist Dan Shipsides whose recent work involved exploring the boat or canoe and other forms of indigenous and traditional vessels from many places including Ireland.

The Madill Archive Project

7 November 2023 - To mark World Maritime Day on 28 September, I gave an online, illustrated talk that detailed the National Museum’s work on a planned traditional boat gallery. I am very grateful to Dr Wes Forsythe, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Maritime Archaeology, Ulster University for getting in touch with me after the talk to share with me the important work recently undertaken by the Madill Archive Project.

Harry Madill and project lead, Wes Forsythe at the launch of the Strakes and Skins exhibition at the Public Record Office (NI), June 2023.

Wild Atlantic Voices talk to mark World Maritime Day 2023. © National Museum of Ireland

Boat Gallery Update

11 October 2023 - I am happy to report that planning for the traditional boat gallery is entering a new stage. A meeting with representatives from the Office of Public Works has helped clarify work to be done and the movement of boats from the gallery space in advance of that work is progressing.

Online talk: Wild Atlantic Voices

25 September 2023 - Join National Museum of Ireland – Country Life curator, Noel Campbell, for an online talk exploring his work on the development of a gallery dedicated to traditional Irish boats of the Atlantic coast.

Michael Gallagher returns from fishing off Port an Chuaille, Clare Island, Co. Mayo. © National Museum of Ireland

Paddy Hegarty (2019) © Kevin O’Farrell. Image courtesy of Kevin O’Farrell

Documenting Ireland's last surviving traditional wooden boatyard

22 August 2023 - A beautiful exhibition of photographs closed earlier this summer after several weeks on display at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, Co. Cork. The exhibition Hegarty’s Boatyard: Last Surviving Traditional Wooden Boatyard in Ireland is the work of documentary photographer Kevin O’Farrell.

John Reck - My time on the Dún Aengus and the Naomh Éanna

05 July 2023 - In the weeks following the Museum’s public request last March for objects and memories of the MV Naomh Éanna, I was delighted to receive many phone calls and emails from people registering their interest in the ferry that serviced Oileáin Árann (Aran Islands) from the Galway mainland from 1958 to the late 1980s.

Amy and John Reck, Galway, 2023. ©National Museum of Ireland.

Master shipwright James Madigan working on a Dublin Bay 21 footer yacht, Kilrush Boatyard, Co. Clare. © National Museum of Ireland

Clare master shipwright James Madigan

17 May 2023 - James Madigan is well-known throughout Ireland for his boat building skills and his role in preserving traditional boat types. I first got to see James’s craftsmanship when I joined up with students and teachers from the Raheen Wood Steiner Secondary School at Lough Derg, Co. Clare in June 2021.

Damien Donnellan of Galway City Museum shares his research on the heritage of the Galway Hooker

05 April 2023 - Damien Donnellan works at Galway City Museum and has recently completed his MA in Public History and Cultural Heritage. Damien’s research was on the Galway hooker and he kindly agreed to share his work in this latest offering on Traditional Boats of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Damien Donnellan. Damien Donnellan. Image courtesy of Damien Donnellan

Passengers ready for the journey by currach to the waiting Naomh Éanna, Inis Oírr, Co. na Gaillimhe, 1968. © National Museum of Ireland

National Museum of Ireland seeks Naomh Éanna material and memories

03 March 2023 - The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo is developing a permanent gallery to display a selection of traditional Irish boats and associated material from Ireland’s west coast and we are looking for your help.

Irish traditional boats inspiring the next generation

22 February 2023 - Since opening in 2001, the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life has encouraged cooperation with third level institutions and we continue to strengthen those relationships. The Irish Folklife collection, and the various staff who work with the collection, provide valuable and relevant information to students who visit us at Turlough Park.

Fourth year students from ATU Mayo with lecturer Niamh Hearns, Turlough Park. © National Museum of Ireland

Hare Island lobster fishing

19 January 2023 - During a recent listing of our fishing related objects from Co. Cork, I came across a beautifully made, and well preserved, lobster pot from Hare Island. Hare Island (also known as Heir Island, Inishodriscol and Inis Uí Drisceoil) is an inhabited island located just north of the larger Sherkin Island in Roaringwater Bay, Co Cork.

Engagement with the north-west continues

05 December 2022 - October was a busy month in terms of the development of our new boat gallery. A kick-off workshop was held with Museum staff and the gallery’s design team Metaphor at which project objectives, key audiences and themes were discussed. These initial design stages encourage ideas and different approaches that promote the overall objectives of the gallery.

Achill VTOS Coastal Guiding group at Turlough Park. © National Museum of Ireland.

Details from the National Folklore Collection of bogdeal rope making in the Sneem area of Co. Kerry © National Museum of Ireland

Research visit to the National Folklore Collection at UCD

18 October 2022 - My recent visit to the National Folklore Collection in University College Dublin to view its boat and fishing related material, further demonstrated the close link that exists between that collection and the National Museum of Ireland’s Irish Folklife collection.

Community engagement at the National Ploughing Championships

21 September 2022 - The National Ploughing Championships is back after a hiatus of two years due to the Covid pandemic. On the first day of the event, 91,500 people visited the 900 acre site in Ratheniska, Co. Laois and the National Museum of Ireland was there to meet them. The three-day event is a great opportunity for the Museum to engage with rural Ireland and to share details of our own upcoming events and projects.

NMI’s Noel Campbell and Tom Doyle, National Ploughing Championships 2022. © National Museum of Ireland.

Members of the Metaphor team viewing the boat gallery © National Museum of Ireland.

Exciting progress at Turlough Park boat gallery

07 September 2022 - The planned boat gallery at the National Museum of Ireland – Country life took an important step to realisation a number of weeks back when key figures in the development met on site at Turlough Park. The gallery’s project manager Vincent O’Shea met with members of the NMI, Office of Public Works and Metaphor Communications Ltd. Metaphor are a UK based masterplanning, exhibition design and architecture company.

“The currach fed the people”

08 August 2022 - Earlier this year I published a post on the energetic work behind a push to revive interest in the large, five-man currach once used in Béal Deirg, Co. Mhaigh Eo. Work by Currachaí na Sceirí, an east coast based group of currach enthusiasts, and others including locals from Béal Deirg (Belderg or Belderrig in English), resulted in what was truly a very special and emotional day in north Mayo on 30 July. On that day, for the first time in 69 years, Béal Deirg currachs raced in their natural waters.

Breandán Mac Conamhna, born in Béal Deirg in 1936. © National Museum of Ireland.

Lobster pot made from willow from Lispatrick, Ringrone, Courceys, Co. Cork © National Museum of Ireland.

Lobster fishing season is no pot luck

This time of year is lobster season for many fishermen. Along the Irish coast, boats will make perhaps several journeys weekly out to the rocky inshore waters to check the catch in pre-set lobster pots. The money brought to the fisherman’s household from the sale of his lobster catch was always welcomed. Lobster fishing was relatively straightforward for anyone who had access to a boat

Community engagement central to boat gallery development

On the subject of traditional boats and wider coastal life there are scores of organisations working to capture, preserve and utilise seafaring knowledge. Those who live beside and work on our coastal waters are often best placed to inform our work in the Museum.

IIMRO secretary Séamus Bonner, Warsaw, Poland, 2016 © Séamus Bonner

Model Galway hooker rests in the large freezer © National Museum of Ireland

A new addition to the Irish Folklife boat collection

A year ago I wrote a post about the model boats in the Irish Folklife collection. We were very fortunate to have been contacted since then by a member of the public who offered to donate his model of a Galway hooker to the Museum. The model is a beautiful object in its own right, but its provenance and connection to people and place made it a perfect fit for the Irish Folklife collection.

Researching the Belderrig currach

In 2002, the National Museum of Ireland chose to build a Belderrig currach to be included in its collection and eventually to be put on public display. Skilled boat-builder, Pádraig Ó Duinnín and his team from Meitheal Mara, used traditional tools and methods to construct the Belderrig currach in the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park in Castlebar.

Albert Siggins’ drawing of the Museum's Belderrig currach © National Museum of Ireland

Garda James Campbell and his family, Sligo, late 1940s. © Noel Campbell.

Storm season in Sligo eighty years ago

Storm Barra has left us in no doubt that the 2021-22 storm season is upon us. Barra, the second named storm this winter, has done much damage and hampered the delivery of services across the island of Ireland. The west coast bore the brunt of Barra where footage of ferocious seas and high winds reminded me of a near tragic sailing that involved my own grandfather Garda James Campbell during the storm season of 1940-41.

Mayo defences against the wild Atlantic weather

In May 1955, the Director of the National Museum of Ireland, A.T. Lucas and leading Irish folklorist, Kevin Danaher travelled from Dublin to the Erris region of Co. Mayo to carry out a week of fieldwork. The Director’s handwritten fieldwork notes tell us much about how local people adapted to defending themselves and their livestock against the often-destructive weather experienced on the Mayo coast.

A.T. Lucas sketch of ‘the remains of a curious structure’ at Fallmore, Co. Mayo, 1955. © National Museum of Ireland.

Portdoon Harbour, Inishturk, 2020 © National Museum of Ireland

The last fisherman of Portdoon, Inishturk

The surname O’Toole has a long connection to Inishturk. Working on the first Ordnance Survey of Ireland, John O’Donovan wrote in 1838, ‘This island is said to be in the possession of the O’Tooles for an unknown number of centuries’.¹ Much of Mikey’s life has been shaped by the island.

1970s Inis Oírr - an American's diary

I was delighted to receive an email recently from Anita White from the midwestern US state of Minnesota. As a young artist in the mid-1970s, Anita moved her life to the unknowns of Inis Oírr to record the island people’s way of life. After viewing our online exhibition, Anita contacted me to share her own tale of Inis Oírr and her time spent with Mikey Conneely.

Anita White outside her rented cottage on Inis Oírr © Anita White

Early morning commuters rush past the relaxed currach rowers © National Museum of Ireland

Cork’s currach rowing success

The sport of rowing is strong in Cork with numerous clubs located across both the county and city. Nestled between two of those city-based clubs along the south bank of the River Lee is an alternative rowing club that I recently had the pleasure of visiting. The Naomhóga Chorcaí currach rowing club aims to promote an appreciation of the culture of traditional boats in Ireland.

Shellfish collecting objects from the Irish Folklife collection

Now that the summer has arrived, many of you will be planning trips to our beautiful beaches. The views along our coastline are unparalleled and you would be forgiven for spending the majority of your time gazing out to sea. As you crunch over the sand to access the best vistas, take a moment to look down at the history under your feet.

Limpet remover, called a sligheán in Irish. Inis Oírr (Inisheer), Aran Islands, Co. Galway © National Museum of Ireland

John Tynan rowing with students from Raheen Wood Steiner Secondary School © National Museum of Ireland

Clare students get a taste of the sea on Lough Derg

One of the attractive characteristics of the currach is its accessibility. They are relatively easy to transport and handle on the water which makes them a growing favourite for recreational rowers. I travelled to Mountshannon in County Clare recently to join students and teachers from the Raheen Wood Steiner Secondary School as they rowed their way up through Lough Derg in beautifully-built west Clare currachs.

The rebirth of a nobby in south-east Galway

or the past three years, Mattie O’Malley has been building a 40 foot nobby at the yard of his timber construction business. Mattie is building his nobby from the design and measurements of the ‘Santa Maria’ nobby that was built in 1918 for the Cloherty business family of Roundstone, Co. Galway. The ‘Santa Maria’ was built by Bartley Cloherty on Inishnee, Co. Galway.

Mattie O’Malley working on the frame of the nobby

Mikey Conneely, Inisheer, Aran Islands, Co. Galway. © National Museum of Ireland

Making a currach - Michael Conneely, a new online exhibition

n 1968, the National Museum of Ireland recognised the threat to the traditional currach and given the Museum’s role in preserving heritage objects for the benefit of the Irish people, it began the process of having one commissioned for the national collection.

Seaweed harvesting - the tools of the trade

For tenants living in coastal areas where the soil was not as fertile as further inland, seaweed was a productive manure. Because of its high potash content, seaweed is suited to potash feeders, such as potatoes. In the often rocky and barren coastal fields, mixing seaweed with quantities of sand could literally create soil in which crops were grown to feed families.

Gathering seaweed with a racán ceilpe, a seaweed hook © National Museum of Ireland.

Model of a drontheim yawl © National Museum of Ireland

Model boats of the Irish Folklife collection

The National Museum of Ireland’s Folklife collection contains about 35 model boats of varying size and quality. While attention to detail and scale are not always guaranteed, those that are of a good quality can tell us much about their full-size versions. Models can be a useful reference when one cannot access the ‘real deal’.

Tim Severin's The Brendan Voyage

Tim Severin was an explorer, author and historian who sadly passed away last month at the age of 80. Throughout 1976-1977, Severin led a small group of fellow explorers as they sailed the journey from Ireland west across the Atlantic Ocean to the Promised Land believed to have been completed by Saint Brendan in the sixth century.

The Brendan currach. Photograph by Cotton Coulson.

Inis Óirr currach, Co. Galway. Artist Dónal Mac Polin © National Museum of Ireland

Dónal Mac Polin artwork donated to Museum

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life received a very generous donation of 18 boat prints recently from artist and traditional boat expert Dónal Mac Polin. Dónal was the assistant editor and art editor of Traditional Boats of Ireland: History, Folklore and Construction, which was edited by Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh. Dónal is also the author of The Drontheim: Forgotten Sailing Boat of the North Irish Coast and of The Donegal Currachs.

The hand line - if it's not broke, don't fix it

While working in the stores of the Irish Folklife collection recently, I came across a fishing hand line that was acquired by the National Museum of Ireland in 1928. It did not look familiar and a check of our object database told me that in my almost twenty years working on the collection, I had not worked on this particular object.

The hooker Nóra Bheag, rebuilt by Cóilín Hernon © National Museum of Ireland

Reviving the Galway hooker

Covid restrictions have struck again and travel outside of Mayo has been controlled. Thankfully, I was able to get to Galway city on Culture Night (18th September) to get updated on the tremendous work being carried out locally to revive the iconic Galway hooker. The hooker is an iconic symbol of Galway and the west coast that was admired in the past for its usefulness in a range of tasks and today for its beauty and history.

Currach fishermen of Clare Island

In planning this year’s fieldwork last spring, I drew up a list of locations that I was keen to visit during the summer months. Traveling during the favourable summer weather would allow for some nice photography, more flexibility with extended ferry timetables to the islands and calmer seas which would permit more activity on the water. My plans were dealt a blow with the introduction of pandemic restrictions but once travel within your own county was permitted I immediately set about organising a visit to Clare Island.

Currach at the quay, Clare Island. Photograph by Noel Campbell © National Museum of Ireland

Out on the ocean. Michael Gallagher, Clare Island © National Museum of Ireland

An afternoon with a currach fisherman

Standing at Port an Chuaille on Clare Island, I scanned beyond the quiet pier and tried to imagine what the seascape would have looked like when working currachs delicately hugged the lobster rich rocky coast and crisscrossed the choppy waters on route to the better local fishing areas. I did not have to imagine for long when a fisherman appeared on his motorbike and began to ready his currach for a day’s work.

What boats are in the Irish Folklife Collection?

The collection contains over thirty traditional Irish boats. These boats are stored in three sites throughout Ireland including the home of the Irish Folklife collection at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Currachs are particularly well represented in the collection with fifteen examples.

Traditional boats in storage at Turlough Park. Photograph by Noel Campbell. © National Museum of Ireland.

West Village, Inishere, Aran Islands, Co. Galway, June, 1968. © National Museum of Ireland

Remembering our West of Ireland boats

Did you grow up in a fishing community, was your family involved in boat building or have you a memory of boats from the west coast? If you do, we would like to invite you to contribute your memories to inform the development of a new gallery at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life.

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History, Folklore and Construction

• About the Project
• The Scanning Process
• Mackerel Yawl
• Kinsale Hooker
• Water Nymph 1885
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• Blasket Island Curach
• Naomh Brigid
• Kerry Naomhóg
• An Faoileán
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• Galway Hooker
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• Inishturk Curach
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• Boat 1 - coming soon
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Traditional Boats of Ireland Book History, Folklore and Construction

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Inland Waterways

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Copies and / or reproductions of material on the web-site shall Not be made without the express permission of Traditional Boats of Ireland."

The Traditional Boats of Ireland Project is the result of a combined effort by Irish people who are passionate about the rich diversity of boat types throughout the country. This project is a by-product of a loosely affiliated group of individuals with a shared realisation that Ireland's traditional boat types are rapidly disappearing. The purpose of this website is to raise awareness of the rich diversity of our maritime traditions.

Background The cooperative originated as a group of enthusiastic and committed volunteers whose founding aim was to raise awareness and interest in Ireland's diversity of coastal and inland water craft. The need for a comprehensive survey of Ireland's traditional water craft has been recognised for some time. It is a need which becomes more pressing as our stock of indigenous boats diminishes. But tradition is persistent, and Ireland still possesses a remarkable diversity of boat types on its coasts, in lakes and on rivers, even if their numbers are in decline. Much work remains to be done in relation to Ireland's traditional boats. A great many boats of heritage value have yet to be recorded, particularly those of the inland waterways whose stock of indigenous craft has proven more vulnerable to change than those of coastal districts. The Revival The growing interest in 'classic' boats has helped sustain traditional skills and knowledge. Without this skills base, the ability to restore, replicate and handle the boats is endangered. It is therefore vital that we act now to preserve and record this irreplaceable part of our cultural heritage. This site is intended to provide a platform to continue the work of the many contributors to the book Traditional Boats of Ireland, and to invite others to participate in this important work. It is hoped the resources and information presented here will encourage people to share their knowledge and interest in the subject of traditional boats. Sponsors The Traditional Boats of Ireland project is an independently-funded initiative, but field work has benefited from the support of the Heritage Council of Ireland and generous individuals at critical moments. The organising committee warmly thanks the Council and its staff for its continuing financial assistance and encouragement. It also wishes to acknowledge the generous support of Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Marine Institute, Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann [The Folklore of Ireland Council] and Údarás na Gaeltachta in the realisation of Traditional Boats of Ireland.

The 1994 lecture that inspired Traditional Boats of Ireland

Yachting Monthly

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Sailing Ireland: southern ports and harbours to cruise to

• Miranda Delmar-Morgan
• August 31, 2022

Sailing Ireland is ideal for those who have limited time afloat, and the ports, harbours and anchorages in the south offer a varied cruising ground

South Harbour on Cape Clear Island near Baltimore. Credit: Panoramic Images/Alamy

Newlyn is a good leaving point for Southern Ireland. It is the last place with (a few) marina berths.

One favoured route is to take the ITZ (Inshore Traffic Zone), and a tidal lift, inside the Off Land’s End TSS to just above Cape Cornwall and then start your crossing of the Celtic Sea from the northern tip of the TSS.

Alternatively the Isles of Scilly shorten the distance, New Grimsby Sound is a good jumping-off or arrival point and passages between southern Ireland and the Isles of Scilly: avoid the Traffic Separation Schemes.

Kilmore Quay is delightful. It is a very busy fishing port, with resident seals, and fine for a departure but not so good for an arrival owing to shallow water outside.

Barlogue Creek is in a loch with a safe anchorage and handy for Loch Hyne. Credit: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Dunmore East is a favoured landfall with deep water, a pontoon and is a nice little place.

Waterford is a long way up the river but sheltered and an interesting trip. The pontoons are near the town, facilities modest. Waterford Crystal have tours around their factory.

Crosshaven is the best place from which to visit Cork since there are no facilities on the city pontoon.

However, the trip up the harbour is very scenic with handsome Anglo-Irish houses looking out to sea.

Credit: Maxine Heath

At the city pontoon you can step ashore into the centre of Ireland’s second city.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club, Salve Marina and Crosshaven Boatyard all have some visitors’ berths.

Kinsale is a very popular small town with two good marinas and anchoring and mooring buoys.

Seals are a common sight while sailing Ireland. Credit: Alamy

Blind Harbour in Glandore Bay has a very pretty anchorage but is open to the south.

Barlogue Creek is in a beautiful small loch which provides a well protected anchorage. You can dinghy in and watch the rapids at Loch Hyne.

Baltimore is within a large bay protected by Sherkin Island. You can anchor on the east side of Sherkin for shelter in westerlies, it is exposed to easterlies.

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Baltimore is a thriving place with a Fiddle Fair in early May. You can anchor below the ruins of Dunalong Castle at the western end of the harbour and there are robust moorings.

Cape Clear Island has a deep inlet called South Harbour with very attractive rock formations.

It is subject to swell but has good holding on sand.

Crookhaven, Schull and Union Hall at Glandore have visitors’ moorings.

Kinsale will cheer you on a grey day. Credit: George Munday/Alamy

If you get the opportunity to go out and do a tour around the Skellig Islands it is well worth it. There is a small quay but landing is discouraged with the exception of a daytripper boat.

There are precipitous steps and beehive huts at the top.

From there you can make for the island of Valentia and the little town of Cahersiveen which has pontoons.

The Shannon estuary has several anchorages and a marina at Kilrush.

Kinsale has many historic buildings and plenty of pubs for the thirsty tourist. Credit: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

The west coast of Ireland is completely exposed to the full force of the Atlantic.

The deep inlets and peninsulas mean that you have to work your way back out again, so you can end up feeling vulnerable.

It is quite possible to get stuck and be unable to get out.

There are places to hide, but often only at anchor and supplies may be difficult to acquire sometimes, so you need to stock up as and when you can.

The surrounding countryside is verdant, unspoilt and beautiful and the welcome ashore with lively music in the pubs is wonderful.

Sailing Ireland: southern coast

Time taken: 3 weeks

Newlyn to Longships – 13M Newlyn to Dunmore East – 147M Longships to Kilmore Quay – 130M Longships to Dunmore East – 135M New Grimsby Sound, Isles of Scilly to Kilmore Quay – 132M New Grimsby Sound to Dunmore East – 133M New Grimsby Sound to Crosshaven – 133M

Ferries: Cork – Roscoff, Rosslare – Fishguard, Cherbourg, Roscoff and Pembroke Dock

Hazards: Tuskar Rock TSS, Off Land’s End TSS, Longships, The Runnel Stone, The Saltee Islands, The Fastnet Rock

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WATCH: How currachs, ancient Irish boats, were made

In 1968, the national museum of ireland recognized the threat to the traditional currach and began the process of having one commissioned..

"Making a currach - Michael Conneely," a National Museum of Ireland online exhibition , reveals unique currach-building video and archive material, part of the institution's role in preserving Irish heritage.

The currach, with its primitive design of a wooden frame and waterproof skin, is the best-known of all the Irish boats.

By the mid-20th century, this once common boat was noticeably disappearing from Irish shores, and rarer still were the currach builders who held a knowledge passed down from generation to generation.

In 1968, the National Museum of Ireland recognized the threat to the traditional currach and given the Museum’s role in preserving heritage objects for the benefit of the Irish people, began the process of having one commissioned for the national collection.

When asked by the then Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Dr. AT Lucas, the renowned Irish folklorist Ciaráin Bairéad identified Michael Conneely for the job - a carpenter and farmer who learned the craft from his own father, who was mostly self-taught.

Michael Conneely was best known locally as Mikey, but he was also known as Mac Johnny Tom Andie (son of Johnny Tom Andie), Mikey an t-siúinéira (Mikey of the carpenter, as his father was a carpenter) and he signed his name Michael Conneely (John). He made currachs for people on the other two Aran Islands , as well as the mainland and had the craft well-honed.

The finished 19 and a half feet, three-man currach complete with mast and sail, over 200 photographs and video footage documenting the build, along with details logged in the NMI team’s notes and correspondence, have left us with a significant and complete record of the vanishing skill of traditional Irish currach building.

Mikey and Sarah Teresa Conneely with family.

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Noel Campbell, curator at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, in Castlebar, Co Mayo , said: “Mikey Conneely was a well-respected currach builder who received orders for his dependable currachs from the Aran Islands and the coastal communities of counties Galway and Clare.

"We are very fortunate that over 50 years ago Dr. Lucas, curator John O’Sullivan, and photographer Brendan Doyle saw the importance of recording one the west coast’s currach building masters."

In "Making a Currach – Michael Conneely," Michael’s daughter Máire Conneely recalls the excitement from the week the Museum visited their home on Inisheer ; “The currach was being made on the sand outside the house, so we children were able to keep an eye on all the work.

"We were surprised they were so interested in the work, they were writing down every word that my father said. Of course, pictures were being taken of the work. My mother had a job chasing us away, telling us not to be getting under their feet!”

The unique footage, following Michael Conneely through the step-by-step building process, is now available to view on the National Museum of Ireland’s website for the first time in an online exhibition called "Making a currach – Michael Conneely."

Broken down into nine parts on www.museum.ie , the video documents the process from preparing and fitting the 29 oak ribs that cross under the seats and preparing and nailing 20 laths lengthways, to measuring and fitting the canvas skin, which was then coated inside and out with tar to make it waterproof.

Despite the fact that people on the islands didn’t "get the sail" at the time, he also fitted a mast and sail at the request of the Museum, made from calico, a type of unbleached cotton that is lighter than canvas.

Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland, said: “What is commonplace today, is the history of tomorrow and an important part of the National Museum of Ireland’s remit is to take an active and ongoing role in ensuring that our traditions and culture are preserved for future generations.

"The detailed documentation undertaken of Michael Conneely’s creative process in 1968 is a fine example of this, and our national collection is richer today as a result of his talent, and the foresight of my predecessors at the Museum in capturing it for conservation."

Campbell added: "The Mikey Conneely recordings and other boat-related material from the NMI’s Archive are currently being researched as part of the development of a new gallery at Turlough Park which will focus on traditional boats of the west coast.

"The National Museum of Ireland - Country Life has begun a new program of fieldwork and outreach along our Atlantic coast to further document traditional boats and building techniques. The findings will add to our Archive and greatly inform our future work and exhibits.”

Museum of Ireland – Country Life, at Turlough Park, Castlebar, County Mayo.

The Irish Folklife Collections of the National Museum of Ireland amount to over 37,000 objects. The collection contains over 30 traditional Irish boats, 19 of which are currachs. Michael Conneely's currach is on permanent display in the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, at Turlough Park, Castlebar.

The National Museum of Ireland is home to the greatest collections of Irish heritage, culture, and history. Admission is free. The National Museum of Ireland has four public sites and a Collections Repository. The public sites include the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology (Kildare Street, Dublin), National Museum of Ireland – Natural History (Merrion Street, Dublin), National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History (Collins Barracks, Dublin), and National Museum of Ireland – Country Life (Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo).

* Originally published in April 2021. Updated in December 2022. 

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Phrases in the Irish Language > boat

How to Say: “boat” in the Irish language

bád bawd boat

Pronunciation for how to say

This is an approximate phonetic pronunciation of the phrase.

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Translation in Irish Language

Disclaimer: this translation was extracted from our Bitesize Irish program. There may be more context around this translation than we can show here for non-members. For example, don't get a tattoo with our translation above!

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What is The Irish Language?

If you wanted to get the translation for “boat” in "Gaelic", Now's your chance to dive deeper!

Irish Gaelic is the native ancient living language of Ireland.

It is two thousand years old .

Maybe you call it “Gaelic”. But that can lead to confusion with the related language spoken in Scotland.

In Ireland, we just call it “the Irish language”, or simply “Irish”.

If you have Irish blood, your ancestors spoke Irish Gaelic .

Why You Should Learn to Speak Some Irish

The Irish language itself is in peril. That's with half of the world's language expected to become extinct (unused) in the next couple of generations.

Speaking even just a little Irish lets you make a real, deeper connection with your Irish heritage.

How Can I Learn Irish?

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This historic Cork-built sailboat has finally come home

Sister of the first Irish boat to circle the globe - now the Cork-built Ilen has been reborn

• 12:30, 15 MAY 2019
• Updated 13:38, 29 MAY 2019

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Built in a little boatyard in West Cork - the beautiful Ilen sail boat had a wildly adventurous life, as the ship built and sailed by the first voyager from the newly-born Irish state to circumnavigate the globe.

But this jewel of Cork's maritime history was thought lost for decades, until a recent dramatic return from the Southern Oceans to be reborn once again on our Atlantic shore.

The beautiful sailing Ketch Ilen recently made her first voyage in Irish waters in almost 100 years, coasting from Baltimore in West Cork to Limerick, where she will be berthed on the city centre quays and on view to the public. She will also sail as a community resource, she recently hosted a crew of people recovering from addiction issues for a long trip around our southern shores.

The ocean-going sailboat was designed and skippered by one of the most romantic figures from the turbulent years of Ireland’s struggle for independence, a Limerick-born son of the gentry and adventurer who ran German guns for the Irish Volunteers in 1914, becamea best-selling author and circumnavigated the globe under the tricolour.

Edward Conor Marshall O’Brien was the first skipper to take a small boat around the world via the three great southern capes, writing the maritime classic Across Three Oceans after returning to his home-port of Foynes, Co. Limerick in 1925.

Conor O’Brien later married the American artist Katherine Clausen and their colourful, wandering life included several years in an artists’ colony on the island of Ibiza.

An architect by profession, O’Brien never really settled on land and instead, chose a nomadic life at sea. And despite his strong Irish nationalist beliefs, O’Brien enlisted in the Admiralty Ferry Service at the outbreak of WWII – aged 60 - to skipper American-built ships across the U-Boat infested North Atlantic for the British Navy.

The intrepid sailor designed and built three sail boats.

And now an epic rescue and restoration project, which started when Limerick sailor Gary McMahon and his team located the 52ft wooden ketch Ilen in the Falkland Islands, has been completed with the boat sailing in Irish waters, from West Cork to Limerick, for the first time in almost a century.

“She made a fantastic voyage, she performed really well, we took advantage of the fine weather and did a single hop from Baltimore to the Shannon Estuary in 17 hours,” said Gary McMahon after the trip.

“She surprised us all with her speed and capabilities, she absolutely charged up. There was a certain amount of relief and it’s been a great adventure. But this is only the start of it for her”.

The Ilen was built in Baltimore, West Cork and named for the Ilen River which flows through Skibbereen.

Much of the work on her restoration and fit-out has been carried out by master shipwright Liam Hegarty at his yard at Oldcourt, near Skibb. “Ilen” is pronounced like Eileen, in Gaelic it means reflection of moonlight on the water, so it’s fitting,” says Limerick sailor Gary McMahon.

The Ilen had been built and delivered to the Falkland Islands in the 1920s as a service boat for the Falklands Trading Company, to transport everything from food and livestock to doctors, teachers and schoolchildren for the scattered communities around the roadless archipelago.

“We started looking for her in 1996,” says Gary. “I found her in the Falklands, went out there and struck a deal with the owner, we found a ship that could take her and transported her back to Dublin.”

That 12,000-mile trip from the Southern Oceans was only the beginning of more than two decades work, with the building of a special boat-shed and workshop in Limerick (with another in West Cork) and the setting up of the Ilen Project, which would bring enthusiasts, volunteers and craftsmen from all over Ireland (and the rest of the world) to help rebuild the Ilen from the keel up.

Gary, who works as a graphic designer and web-designer when he’s not rescuing old boats from far flung corners of the world, says the Ilen will now have the docks of Limerick as her home port and they will welcome anybody who has an interest in beautiful old boats.

And she will regularly sail off our shore - making trips around from Limerick to harbours like Baltimore and Bantry.

It's a joy to see her sailing again with (as Gary says) “just compass and chart to guide her”, in the waters around our West Coast.

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Sailing in Ireland

Whether by cruising from port to port or dinghy sailing on the lakes, many regions of Ireland can best be experienced from the water. The craggy and indented coastline has plenty of safe havens for overnight stops -- there are more than 140 between Cork Harbor and the Dingle Peninsula alone. This region of West Cork and Kerry is the most popular coastline for cruising, and several companies offer yacht charters.

Some of the harbors in the southwest that are most popular with sailors include Cork, Kinsale, Glandore, Baltimore, and Bantry. On the west coast, Killary Harbour, Westport, and Sligo have sailing clubs and are in areas of great beauty. There are also several sailing clubs and yacht-charter companies in the Dublin area.

Sailing Resources

Sailing schools hold courses for sailors at all levels of experience, and sometimes offer day sailing as well. Ireland also has more than 120 yacht and sailing clubs along the coast and lakes. The best sources for information are Tourism Ireland; the Irish Sailing Association, 3 Park Rd., Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin (tel. 01/280-0239; www.sailing.ie); and East and North Coasts of Ireland Sailing Directions and South and West Coasts of Ireland Sailing Directions (both published by Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson Ltd. of Wych House) from the Irish Cruising Club ( www.irishcruisingclub.com ). The guides give information on harbors, port facilities, tides, and other topics of interest. They are available in bookshops in Ireland or online at www.imray.com.

The International Sailing Schools Association is an excellent resource for finding a sailing school; you can find links to members at www.sailingschools.org. Sailing Ireland (tel. 053/913 - 9163; www.sailingireland.ie) runs a variety of sailing courses, and also offers yacht charters from its base in Bridgetown, County Wexford.

Kinsale Yacht Charters, 2 Castlepark Marina Centre, Kinsale, County Cork (tel. 087/271-0371; www.kinsaleyachtcharter.com), is one of the largest charter firms in Ireland and also offers package deals. A full range of yacht sailing options is available from Sovereign Sailing (tel. 021/477-4145; www.sovereignsailing.com). They also offer racing charter packages if money is no object. Yacht charters are also available from Shannon Sailing Ltd., New Harbour, Dromineer, Nenagh, County Tipperary (tel. 067/24499; www.shannonsailing.com).

Note : This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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• The Ulster Canal 15: spinning in the grave
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• The Ulster Canal 17: the official position in November 2011
• The Ulster Canal 18: Sinn Féin’s canal?
• The Ulster Canal 19: update to February 2012
• The Ulster Canal 20: update to April 2013
• The Ulster Canal 21: update to August 2018
• The Barrow Study 01: head and tail
• The Barrow Study 02: The English^H^H^H^H^H^H Norman Barrow
• The Barrow Study 03: the objectives
• The Barrow Study 04: the assessment and audit
• The Barrow Study 05: action and implementation
• The Barrow Study 06: the proposed programmes 1
• A bonfire at Collins Barracks
• WI’s non-houseboat policy January 2012
• Attracting British narrowboaters to Ireland
• WI’s Lakelands and Inland Waterways Strategy
• Clontarf to Clondra
• The Park Canal 01: it says in the papers
• The Park Canal 02: local government
• The Park Canal 03: sinking the waterbus
• The Park Canal 04: the Limerick weir
• The Park Canal 05: cruisers from the Royal Canal
• The Park Canal 06: What is to be done? (V I Lenin)
• The Park Canal 07: another, er, exciting proposal
• Accounting for risk
• Tax-dodging boat-owners
• The Lartigue Monorail in Listowel
• The West Clare Railway at Moyasta
• Lundy Island Railway and Colonization Company
• Lady Northcote’s Fancy Fete and Shannon River Show

Traditional boats and replicas

ttleHere are some photos of traditional boats of Irish inland and estuarial waters. This is nothing like a comprehensive account; for the full story get the book Traditional Boats of Ireland : see www.tradboats.ie .

Several of the traditional boat types were involved in commercial fishing, mostly small-scale salmon-netting. That has now been banned, and it seems that many of the boats have now been removed from the water. If they dry out unduly, they may never sail again. However, the anglers’ boats are still in use, and there are still some wooden “lakeboats” around, although GRP (fibreglass) is now much more common.

There are some photos of larger wooden boats, mostly motor-cruisers, here and here .

There are photos of a replica Shannon Estuary turf boat [ Seol Sionna ]  here and of a Slaney cot here .

Update May 2010

Added some maps and some photos of Cashen gandalows.

Update 26 July 2009

Added three photos of Nore cots.

Update 25 June 2009

Added a photo of an Erne cot, kindly supplied by Tina of Wasserrausch. Her website has material on Irish waterways in both English and German, and lots of photos. The copyright in the photo used here is owned by Wasserrausch and I am very grateful to Tina for permitting me to use it.

Boats at Corrib Rowing and Yacht Club, Galway

Here is a traditional wooden lakeboat that has been repaired by John-Joe Quigley and his son John: see my page on The boat-builder’s heritage .

Wooden lakeboat on Lough Ree

On the “three sisters” rivers of the south-east, the Barrow, the Nore and the Suir, slim cots were used for snap-netting. Here is a Google map, on which you should be able to see the Suir coming in from the left, passing through Carrick-on-Suir and then turning seaward through Waterford. It is joined by the Barrow, coming down from New Ross; above New Ross the Barrow is to the right, tidal as far as St Mullins, and the Nore is on the left, tidal to Inistiogue.

Here is a pair of boats snap-netting in Carrick-on-Suir, drifting down with the tide. In each boat, one man uses the crude paddle while the other holds one end of the net. When a salmon is felt to hit the net, the fishermen snap it shut, trapping the salmon. Or they did, before it was banned. When several pairs of boats were active, they would drift down in a line; a boat that had taken a fish would fall out of the line and rejoin at the end.

Snap-netting in Carrick-on-Suir

Here are some cots ashore in Carrick-on-Suir.

A cot ashore in Carrick-on-Suir

Another cot ashore

There were differences in design, not only between cots on different rivers but also on different stretches of the same river, to take account of local conditions and fishing methods.

The next two photos show two cots, stacked one on top of the other, at Inistiogue, which is the head of the tidal navigation on the river Nore. These boats may have been used for salmon-fishing; they may never be used again.

Two cots at Inistiogue 1 (June 2009)

Two cots at Inistiogue 2 (June 2009). Note the interesting seats

Happily, not every Nore cot has been taken out of the water. I don’t know the name of the place where I took this next photo, but perhaps the Ferry King might be able to tell me …. Note the differences in size and design and, again, the interesting seats.

Nore cots afloat (June 2009)

Here is a cot from the River Blackwater (the Munster Blackwater that joins the sea at Youghal).

Blackwater cot

And here is one from its tributary, the Bride. This was taken at Camphire Bridge.

Cot at Camphire Bridge

In that photo, you can see the stern of a small boat afloat. Here’s another photo of it. I don’t know how to describe it.

Ineffable boat at Camphire Bridge

This is a cot at Castleconnell on the River Shannon. It may be a shorter descendant of the brecaun that was used for snap-netting on the Shannon. This boat is removed from the river every winter and returned, freshly painted, every spring.

Cot at Castleconnell

Incidentally, these slim river cots are to be distinguished from the wide-beam vessels, also called cots, that were used on several of the lakes and on some rivers for carring turf, hay, cattle and even funerals.

Erne cot at Crom Castle 2007 (copyright Tina of Wasserrausch)

I think that the Erne cot’s sloping end was designed to make it easy to run the cot ashore and load or unload animals. However, I think that traditionally, when cots were rowed, the slope was at the stern rather than at the bow.

The name cot was also applied to vessels that carried sand into Limerick from the Plassey area. Here is a colourful fishing-cot tied to a reproduction sand-cot at Plassey. At the time when the photo was taken, fishermen were protesting about the University of Limerick’s proposed new bridge, which has since been built.

Cots at Plassey

On the Boyne, coracles or currachs were used, and Claidhbh and Sinead O Gibne of the Boyne Currach Centre (which is a wonderful website, by the way) are keeping the tradition alive. Here is Claidhbh with a coracle.

Boyne coracle

At several places on the upriver section of the Shannon estuary, gandalows were used for fishing, reed-cutting, inter-island transport, servicing lighthouses and carrying pilots. At Bunratty, the boats are mounted on boat-stands.

Inverted gandalow

Upright gandalow

Two gandalows

Clarecastle (formerly known as Clare), at the head of the Fergus Navigation, was the port for Ennis, and coasters used its impressive quay. Now, with the ban on fishing, it may be that even the gandalows will desert it.

The quay at Clarecastle

Two gandalows at Clarecastle

Here are three views of one of the gandalows.

Gandalow from the bow. Note how it is tied

Gandalow from astern

The lift at the stern

Here are two views of a new gandalow at St Michael’s Rowing Club in Limerick.

Close-up of gandalow at St Michael’s Rowing Club in Limerick

Head to head

This is a Co Clare gandalow at Massy’s Quay on the River Deel in Co Limerick.

Clare gandalow on the Deel

Two gandalows at Killadysert on the Fergus estuary.

Two gandalows at Killadysert

Close-up of the grey boat

Grey gandalow bows on

Green gandalow

Here’s one from the south side of the Shannon estuary, on the Maigue at Ferrybridge.

At Ferrybridge

The Cashen is a tributary of the Shannon Estuary, flowing in on the south (County Kerry) side, and gandalows were used there too. It is much closer to the open Atlantic and there are stony beaches to be contended with, so there are some differences in design between the Cashen gandalow and its upriver cousin. Here are some photos taken at Cashen Bridge in February 2010.

Cashen gandalow 1a

Cashen gandalow 1b

Cashen gandalow 1c

Cashen gandalow 2

Cashen boat-stands

There are more photos of gandalows on the pages about Rosscliff , Crovraghan and Lackannashinnagh .

Finally, I know it’s neither inland nor even estuarial, but that’s the problem with Galway: the river, lake and (unusable) canal are very close to the sea, and you might see one of these ….

Leaving Galway

22 responses to “ Traditional boats and replicas ”

glad to see some info on cots, we have refurbished a lough beg cot and made a new one as well,the cots of ireland are a marvellous reminder of the skills and adaptations of our ancestors and deserve to be preserved

Thanks, Kieran. I’ve tried to email you direct but it bounced back to me. Your group’s site http://www.loughneaghboats.org/ is very interesting: great to see wide-beam cots being made!

hi brian, this is a fantastic resource very well done. the 2 cots on the nore are at ballinagoc pier which is in the area of rathsnadigan. these are 2 recient types of cot, the original nore cot is a double ender! beautiful things there are a few still around.

many regards mick

Thanks, Mick. I presume the change of design was to allow an outboard to be used?

I hope to get an (incomplete) account of the Nore up soon, and again your help would be invaluable.

any thing i can do brian you have my no.

I just spotted a rare postcard which might interest you on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.ie/Co-Clare-Kilrush-Quay-Sailing-Coasters_W0QQitemZ170387887477QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Collectables_Postcards_MJ?hash=item27abe8d575&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Thanks, Declan: that’s very interesting. Incidentally, I hope to put up pages, over the next few weeks, about some of the other piers and harbours on the north side of the Shannon estuary.

Hello, Have you any info as to where fishings cots can be made or bought? We fish on the munster blackwater Many thanks

Brigid Mernin on behalf of the family

To Brigid Mernin.

River cots may be built to order if you contact Pat Drohan, Bridge St., Carriick on Suir. mobile 0868586889 Regards, Dave Kelly

to brigid mernin

my frather joe joyce clashmore maybe able to repair one ,

I am travelling to Wexford next week in an attempt to find out more about an ancestor who was born (1836) the son of a fisherman. I am told the local fishing boats weree known as ‘cobs’ however I have trawled the Internet and cannot find any reference to these boats. Can you assist? Unfortunately the Irish Maritme Museum does not seem to function or is closed.

I haven’t heard the word ‘cob’ used of any of the traditional boats, and it’s not in the index of *Traditional Boats of Ireland* (the main work on the subject, published by Collins Press). However, the word ‘cot’ is widely used, and I wonder whether your source might have confused the two words. There was a particularly interesting type of sailing cot used in Rosslare (near Wexford), from (at least) the 18th century up to the 1960s, and it is described in *Traditional Boats of Ireland*.

I’d suggest having a look in a library (perhaps in Wexford) for a copy of the book (it’s expensive, so you might not want to buy it just to research one boat type). It might be useful to know whether your ancestor was involved in sea fishing or in salmon fishing, as there would have been different types of boats (and, of course, different locations) for the two activities.

hi guys the word Cot is widely used in wexford to descrribe three very different types of fishing boat. 1: flat bottom rowing boat used on the River slaney, still used for recorational rowing. 2: a flat bottomed sailing dingy used in the esturay 3; a costal sailing dingy now extinct riged as a 3 master lug sailer. ill email brian a picture.

the name Hughes is also a well know wexford name, however i’m not aware of any Hughes currently sailing. perhaps have a look at Bassets wexford and the journels of old wexford society. i have had a quick look at the dictonery of worlds water craft and Cob is not listed, the nearest is coble also dont forget Cob in Lymes Regis is a well know fishing area. (in case yourinfo is incorrect)

regards mick

That’s great, Mick; thanks. I’ll email on a copy of your comment to Ian in case he hasn’t checked back here. bjg

D.W. Prowse in his 1898 History of Newfoundland mentions the Wexford Cot as a type of Irish herring sceine boat, that he speculated might have been copied or modified in the 1800s by Irish immigrants on the island of Newfoundland.

Perhaps it has been pointed out already but ‘coite’ (or cot in English) is the older name for a boat in Ireland – as opposed to the name ‘bád’. For example, Annacotty on the Mulkear river in Limerick is ‘Áth na Coití’ – the Ford of the Cots/ Boats. The ‘Bád Bán’ or ‘white boat’ took our ancestors into exile; possibly it earned its name from its white sails (?).

That’s very interesting; thanks, GordR. bjg

Brian: that’s a very interesting observation; thanks. It would explain why the word ‘cot’ is applied to such different types of vessels. bjg (a few miles from Áth na Coití)

Was there a book on gandalows in Limerick city And how can I get one thanks.

The Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandelow mentions some. There’s this too https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clunes-Lane-Fisherman-Shannon-Boatbuilder/dp/0955835003

Try Amazon or Abebooks.

I was tracing my grandfather x3 ago. On the 1901 census his occupation is Cotman. Is that the usual name for a person that sailed a cot for a living?

It seems to have been in common use, at least in the areas where cots were used. I’ve had a quick look at the British Newspaper Archive files and I’ve found examples from almost every decade from the 1830s to the 1920s:

1831 Shannon (Limerick), 1835 Shannon (Lough Derg), 1840 Erne and Slaney, 1851 Suir and Slaney, 1860 Slaney, 1870 Nore, 1881 Slaney, 1903 Slaney, 1911 Suir, 1927 Barrow.

I didn’t go any further than that and just looked for one reference in each decade rather than trying to find all of them, but I think that’s enough to answer your question. bjg

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CAB raids: Gardaí seize watches, vehicles, jet skis, and boats in nationwide search operation

Over 150 gardaí carry out raids on addresses in limerick, clare, tipperary, dublin, and mayo.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) carried out nationwide searches and recovered drugs and over €200,000 in cash. Illustration: Paul Scott

A number of properties across the country have been raided by the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) as part of an investigation into suspected criminality and money laundering linked to Limerick criminals.

A statement from the garda press office said that the investigation focused on a group involved in laundering the proceeds of organised criminality “through the second hand motor trade, real estate purchases, property developments and the purchase of high value goods”.

CAB seized €218,000 in cash, 27 vehicles, six Rolex watches, five jet-skis, two rigid inflatable boats and designer goods (Louis Vuitton bags),

Over 150 gardaí gathered at various locations at dawn, in an operation led by CAB, and supported by armed officers attached to the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the Armed Support Unit (ASU), as well as uniformed members and detectives attached to local garda divisions.

[  Holidaymakers warned over complex scams after almost €100m stolen last year  ]

The large Garda contingent searched addresses in Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Dublin, and Mayo in early morning raids.

Trump verdict a stunning end to a quintessentially New York legal tale

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Gardaí recovered drugs and over €200,000 in cash, and arrested one male on suspicion of possession of cocaine.

“During the course of these operations, €218,000 in cash was seized in addition to 27 vehicles, six Rolex watches, five jet-skis’, two rigid inflatable boats and designer goods (Louis Vuitton bags),” a statement from the garda press office said.

“Electronic devices and assorted documentation including financial documents were also seized.

“A quantity of suspected cocaine was also seized. One person was arrested in connection with this seizure of cocaine and they are currently being detained at a Limerick city Garda Station. The male was being held for questioning at a garda station in Limerick.”

Homes, businesses and professional offices were searched as part of the investigation.

150 Gardaí and colleagues in the Criminal Assets Bureau carried out extensive searches today in Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Dublin and Mayo. Here's a sneak peak of today's haul. #KeepingPeopleSafe Posted by An Garda Síochána on Thursday 30 May 2024

A number of car sales businesses were also searched in the operation, and gardaí seized up to 20 high powered vehicles, the source added.

Gardaí also seized expensive watches and were targeting other assets they suspected were linked to the proceeds of crime.

A garda source said CAB were examining the assets of a number of individuals, which included high-powered road vehicles and sea vessels, including jet skies and boats.

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Race Across The World winners break silence as they reveal how they’ll spend £20k prize after nail-biting final

• Caroline Peacock , TV & Showbiz Reporter in London, United Kingdom
• Published : 17:02, 30 May 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

RACE Across The World winners Alfie and Owen have broken their silence on how they plan to spend the £20k cash prize.

After a heart-pounding boat dash to the finish, the friends clinched victory in the epic 15,000km trek across Eastern Asia.

The pair - who are the youngest duo ever to win - have now revealed how they plan to splash some of their cash.

Owen said: “I’ll definitely take my parents away, do something nice for them.

"And then you know, treat my brothers to a bit of money, get my brother out his overdraft, because I'm sure he will need that."

Alfie joked: “I’m going to the Caribbean and then I need to go and live somewhere.

"So, I'm going to have to be sadly responsible with it… If it makes it through the Summer!"

The friends beat mother and daughter duo Eugenie and Isabel who came in second eight minutes behind.

Siblings Betty and James came in third while husband and wife Stephen and Viv came fourth.

The final episode of the BBC show saw Alfie and Owen begin the last leg in the lead by just 12 minutes ahead of Eugeine and Isabel.

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Starting in Jakarta, Indonesia, they faced over 1,000 km to reach the finish line in Lombok.

Despite making good time, they realised they needed to catch a boat to the small island of Gili Meno upon arriving in Bangsal.

The island is only accessible by boat during daylight hours, so Alfie and Owen had to wait until morning to leave.

This delay gave Eugenie and Isabel time to catch up and the pair came head to head as they both waited for boats to Gili Meno.

As Alfie and Owen were the first to disembark the boat, they received a message to head to the Masjid Mosque.

Despite leaving their compass in a rucksack, the boys managed to navigate their way to the temple where they were given further instructions.

After sprinting along the beach, the boys ran into the tropical waters where the guest book awaited them.

There, they discovered they had won the race of a lifetime and the £20,000 prize.

The friends were overcome with emotion as they screamed “We’ve done it!” and hugged each other.

“We came, and we saw, and we succeeded," Owen declared.

Alfie added: “Best moment of our lives. Undeniably. Can’t believe it.”

Read more on the Irish Sun

RTE 'biggest crisis' alert after double departure amid fears more stars to quit

Rory McIlroy & stunning TV reporter spark romance rumours with flirty interview

Race Across The World won a BAFTA award last month and is the BBC’s biggest factual title of the year to date.

The series and the reunion are available on iPlayer now.

Race Across The World: Where Did Contestants Finish?

First Place - Alfie and Owen

Second Place - Eugenie and Isabel

Third Place -  Betty and James

Fourth Place - Stephen and Viv

• Race Across The World (TV show)

Scammer claimed to be a psychic, witch and Irish heiress, victims say as she faces extradition to UK

She has crisscrossed the country saying she's an Irish heiress, a psychic and good friends with a movie star in order to run scores of scams, her victims say.

But now Marianne Smyth is in a Maine jail awaiting a hearing next month that will decide whether she can be extradited to the United Kingdom over a scam dating back more than 15 years in Northern Ireland . The 54-year-old American is accused of stealing more than $170,000 from at least five victims from 2008 to 2010 in Northern Ireland, where a court issued arrest warrants for her in 2021, according to legal documents. She was located and arrested last month in Maine.

Her case has similarities to Anna Sorokin , a grifter convicted in New York of paying for a lavish lifestyle by impersonating a wealthy German heiress.

“She’s a master of disguise completely changing her appearance and her grift to suit each mark,” said Johnathan Walton, who started a podcast in 2021, “Queen of the Con,” to warn others about her after he said he was fleeced out of nearly $100,000. She was always dressed in designer clothes, but said she needed the money for things like a frozen bank account and to post bail, he said. She told him she was due an inheritance of $7 million from her wealthy family in Ireland, Walton said.

They grew close over several years in Los Angeles, when she bought him expensive dinners and luxury vacations, he said. But her story began to unravel when Walton realized she was jailed for stealing $200,000 from a luxury travel agency where she worked. She was later convicted of stealing from him and briefly served time in prison.

“She has no shame. And she has no conscience,” the 49-year-old reality television producer, author and public speaker said. “She revels in casting countless victims as unwitting actors in her elaborate schemes to defraud.”

Smyth's attorney did not respond to a request for comment. From jail, Smyth referred questions to her attorney.

The podcast has drawn tips from dozens of victims from California to New York, Walton said. The tipsters described a fake charity for Ukraine as well as lies that she was an emissary for Satan, a witch, a hockey coach, a cancer patient and best friends with Jennifer Aniston. She often changed her name and appearance, her victims say.

“She honed in our vulnerabilities and got all our information and bank accounts,” said Heather Sladinski, a costume designer in Los Angeles who said she was scammed out of $20,000 for psychic readings, fake life coach sessions and cult-like retreats that included rituals, breathing exercises and yoga. Smyth was funny, smart and had credentials and other documents to back up her claims, Sladinski said.

The 50-year-old from Los Angeles blocked Smyth after she wanted to do a bizarre ritual involving a chicken to win back her ex-boyfriend, who had a restraining order against her, Sladinski said. Smyth then started making threatening phone calls and Sladinski "was so scared” that she moved homes. But after connecting with Walton, Sladkinski filed her own police report against Smyth and testified at Walton's trial.

Tess Cacciatore, who owns a production company and nonprofit charity, never lost money to Smyth, but met her in 2016 through a business partner who had employed her as a psychic. Smyth claimed to be a cancer patient, even sending her a photo of her in a hospital gown, and said she was set to get a $50 million inheritance. Smyth also showed Cacciatore emails purportedly from Aniston and, at one point, invited her to join them at the Golden Globe Awards before abruptly canceling.

In Northern Ireland, government officials say Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and arranged to sell a victim a home but took the money. She remains in the Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft pending the extradition hearing on April 17.

“She should have been an actress,” Cacciatore said. “She would have worked a lot and not gone to jail. She is so good at what she did.”

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

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With the exception of some boats used on the inland waterways, there is no legal requirement to register boats based or used for recreational purposes in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and United Kingdom and associated territorial waters. There are however, a number of different registers available to boat owners in Ireland and this page aims to provide some information on these.

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https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/0fc5df-mercantile-marine-office-mmo/

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There is currently no legal requirement to have a licence to drive either a Powerboat or a Jetski in Ireland. However, it would be preferable, if all operators of power-driven craft held a Powerboat Certificate. These can be obtained through various Sailing clubs and Commercial Watersports Centres throughout the country.

You should contact the Marine authority of the country/countries, you wish to visit.

Contact the Mercantile Marine Office  HERE  for MMSI number and VHF Radio licensing information.

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• Castlepark Marina
• Kinsale Yacht Club - by tanker if large quantities
• Baltimore - portable tank from Kieran Cotter
• Castletownbere – delivery by Beara Oil
• Lawrence Cove - in cans
• Bantry Marina - delivery by Biggs Oil or pop over the road to filling station
• Dingle Marina – cans and tanker delivery by McSweeney Oils
• Kilrush Marina - self service tank
• Roundstone - filling station 200m up the street

Thank you to Norman Kean of ICC Publications for his continued research into white diesel supply.

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