Traditional Boats

A currach is a traditional Irish, wooden framed boat with a skin of leather or canvas coated with tar used for fishing and transport on sea or on inland waterways. It is still used in the west of Ireland today.

The Galway hooker is another iconic boat that has made a revival in recent times. Clubs and associations across Ireland are now dedicated to the restoration and preservation of these traditional boats and which has also sparked an greater interest in sea faring activity among younger generations. In a similar way to the currachs, Galway hookers are carefully constructed from wood. Their distinctive design consists of a single mast, a main sail and two smaller foresails. They are easily identifiable from their reddish brown sails and black body, traditionally coated in pitch, which is derived from tar. Hookers were originally used in Galway Bay for fishing purposes and designed to endure rough seas and to navigate shallow waters such as the waters around the southern part of Connemara.