The Galway Hooker
Friday, 12 December 2014 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Yachting and Spa General
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Galway Hooker in Belfast © Ardfern/cc-by-sa-3.0
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The Galway hooker (Irish:
húicéir ) is a
traditional fishing boat used in
Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. The hooker was developed for the strong seas there. It is identified by its sharp, clean entry, bluff bow, marked tumble-home and raked transom. Its sail plan consists of a single mast with a main sail and two foresails. Traditionally, the boat is black (being coated in pitch) and the sails are a dark red-brown.
Recently there has been a major revival, and renewed interest in the Galway hooker, and the boats are still being painstakingly constructed. The festival of Cruinniú na mBád is held each year, when boats race across Galway Bay from Connemara to Kinvara on the Galway/Clare county boundary.
Galway Hooker at Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival © Sswonk/cc-by-sa-3.0
The origins of the craft are not clear. They have been in use for at least two hundred years, although it has been suggested that the design of the boat may date back further, owing to the Eastern appearance of the púcán sail and the craft itself. Some have suggested this as another example of
Coptic influence on the west coast of Ireland. The Conamara area had many boatbuilders and it is thought that they formed these boats especially to suit the area. The boats were able to sail in shallow waters and thus were ideal for the areas around South Connemara. It is most likely that the báid have their origin in the area as opposed to being inspired from outside. A major spark in the revival of interest was the publication in 1983 of “The Galway Hookers,
Sailing work boats of Galway Bay ” (Richard J. Scott), now in its fourth edition. For the first time detailed construction and sail plans were published. The late Richard (Dick) Scott was also a founder member of the Galway Hooker Association.
Galway Hooker have been the inspiration for a lot of artwork throughout their history, artists like James G Miles capture the movement and color of these magnificent vessels. James also records songs and creates Bronze Sculptures of Hooker and Currach boats.
Read more on
Galway Hooker Association and
Wikipedia Galway Hooker . Learn more about the
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