HOLIDAYS in IRELAND

Dun Guaire Castle in Kinvara in the fading evening light.

The lovely town of Kinvara is situated on the southern shores of Galway Bay. It is a town steeped in the history of sea. Its harbour was once upon a time a very busy port. In bygone days traders from both sides of Galway Bay sailed back and forth across the bay with their goods. The fishermen likewise. Much of the trade was with Connemara which lies on the northern side of the bay. One of Connemara's main assets in bygone days was their turf (peat) which was used by everybody to heat their homes and to do their cooking. Connemara is renowned for its peat bogs and as there were none on the southern side all the turf had to be imported by people on the southern side. The people on the Kinvara would either have to pay for their peat or trade something for it so it was a busy port indeed. The boats that were used were known as Hookers (yes.....not a misprint) and they were an ideal boat for the conditions encountered on this coast as they were a sturdy boat and could carry a good load. They were easily identified as they always had a reddish sail and the hull was always black. They did not need a large crew and a couple of men could handle a Hooker, eventhough they would have more than two on many occassions. These boats are still in use today but not to the same degree as in olden days. They have get-togethers at different times of the year along the west coast to celebrate the Hookers and their tradition and Kinvara hosts one of the best known gatherings annually in August. This is known as Cruinniu na mBad, the "Gathering of the boats" and next weekend once again this takes place in Kinvara. Many of these boats will sail into Kinvara harbour at the weekend and they will take part in races on Kinvara bay over the period. Let us hope that they get the right weather conditions for this occassion as many people come here to celebrate this event. The pubs will be alive with great traditional music and song and they celebrations will continue all through the weekend. Not a place to be at all if you are around.