Cruinniu na mBad Kinvara County Galway

Kinvara County Galway

Kinvara is a quaint little town on the southern shores of Galway Bay, and the port itself was a very busy little one in bygone days when many different forms of goods and merchandise were transported by boat. The most famous of these boats was the Galway Bay Hooker, and this coming weekend, the annual festival to commemorate these boats takes place in Kinvara.
   

Kinvara Harbour

             This may look like a small harbour, but it serviced a very large area on the southern side of Galway, reaching right into County Clare and the magical Burren with boats regularly traversing the bay from the Galway and Connemara side. Everything from corn and wheat, many basic foodstuffs, peat for the fires, direct from the boglands of Connemara on the Northern side, and indeed people, were regularly transported in and out of this little port.

 During the great famine in the mid eighteen hundreds, many starving people were to set sail for far off lands from this small harbour. Dun Guaire Castle is located in the background just above the two boats on the left of this picture. Maybe you can make it out in an enlarged version of the above.Medieval banquets are held here regularly during the holiday season.

The traditional Galway Bay Hooker

 The Hookers were not only used for carrying all kinds of goods but were also the main fishing vessels on our western seaboard. If somebody tells you that they have their own Hooker in Galway, just bear this in mind please. These were sturdy boats and could stand up to the severe weather conditions common to this Atlantic coastline.

The festival known in Irish as Cruinniu na mBad, the Gathering of the Boats, attracts many people over the coming weekend, and these old boats will travel to Kinvara from other harbours and islands along our western coast, to take part in boat races and all the other festivities that make this a memorable weekend, and full of what we know as Craic. Now bear in mind also that what we call Craic here is the name we give to great fun, and if somebody tells you that they had great Craic last night you now know what that means. Got it?

If you enjoy traditional music and plenty of all that goes on in the old style Irish pubs, then Kinvara is the place to be this weekend.

If you need any further information you can contact me and i will help you if i can,