Claddagh Hooker dream becoming a reality as fleet gets ready for 2020

The red sails and black hulls of the iconic Galway Hooker have seen a resurgence in recent years – with a group of local volunteers working tirelessly to ensure that the long tradition of making and sailing the vessels is not lost.

Back in 2010, Báidoirí an Cladaig – the Claddagh Boatmen – commissioned local artist, Mike Devlin, to produce an image that reflected their dream – to once again have the renowned Claddagh Boats lining the wall of the Spanish Arch.

That dream became a reality on Culture Night last September when six of the vessels made their long awaited return to the Claddagh.

Reflecting the dream: the sketch by local artist Colm Devlin.

While the sight was spectacular and representative of centuries of tradition, Secretary of the Claddagh Boatmen, Peter Connolly, explains that it wasn’t all plain sailing.

It started back in 2008 when the group was revived and a collective of dedicated locals, with sailing in their blood, took on the restoration of their first hooker – Croí an Cladaig.

Fast forward just nine years and the group will this year have 14 of the famous boats displayed in the Claddagh Basin for their annual regatta in May – all as part of their aim to bring the boats front and centre for Galway’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2020.

Peter says that the need for the group came about when the tradition was threatened by an ever decreasing stock of the boats – mainly due to the costs involved in maintaining them.

“It was always a struggle – the boats are expensive and the average cost to do basic maintenance is probably €1,500 to €2,000 a year.

“That becomes prohibitive when you are doing it year after year,” says Peter.

The group specialises in acquiring the boats for restoration and rebuilding – this is something he says can be quite a contentious issue when it comes to securing the Boatmen’s position as a “bona fide heritage group”.

“The struggle is if a new boat is authentic or not – if it’s a piece of heritage and we believe it is.

“James Harrold [City Arts Officer] likened them to moving sculptures and living pieces of heritage and that’s what they are.

“We are dealing with a tradition – the boat builder in our case is an artist, it’s his pair of eyes and all we can do is aid and abet what he is doing, his shape and his design – he is the creator,” says Peter.

For Peter, the project is all about keeping tradition alive – something he sees as more than just creating museum pieces.

The important thing for the group is that these boats are in working condition and available for the people of Galway, and further afield, to sail on.

“If such a symbol of Galway can be rebuilt and showcased and we can get our young people to sail it, it’s either that or go look at a boat hanging from the ceiling in a museum.

“We don’t want that – it’s in our blood. We need to sail the boats, we need to get people sailing them and we need to get visitors sailing the boats,” exclaims Peter.

Peter believes that their structure as a group puts them in a better position to provide this exposure to sailing.

“It’s different when an individual owns a boat because you are always aware that insurance and pubic liability is a factor and taking people out can be problematic.

“With a community group and having bloc insurance and obviously being extremely careful, it is much easier to take out a visitor and expose people.

“What we have done for the last three years, we have targeted community groups and individuals and get as many people out in the bay as possible,” Peter says.

One of the key factors in this project has been the hard work and dedication of people on Community Employment schemes getting involved.

According to Peter, the Department of Social Protection can see the value in working alongside skilled trades people – especially when it comes to seeking long-term employment.

“The Department of Social Protection have to be applauded because they have constantly said that the access to solid work experience has been terrific.

“The Civic Trust Community Employment Scheme has, I think, over 80 per cent of people returning to work from people who go on work experience – that’s unbelievable and that’s the highest figure in the country at the moment,” says Peter.

As Peter outlines, the group hope that Community Employment Schemes will continue to supply workers for maintenance programmes for many years to come – with a stern commitment from the group that they will ensure those involved will leave with a range of new skills.

“The up-skilling alone on that is invaluable in terms of being employed in the future with any company.

“If you have someone that’s cross-trained – they can handle a boat, they can maintain an engine, they know the tides, that’s the versatility you need,” he says.

Plans for the Baídoirí and Cladaig’s fourth annual regatta are in full swing with a festival atmosphere set to envelop the Claddagh on May 27 and 28 – and the group has joined forces with boat owners across the county to bring their total tally up to 14.

“We are going to have 14 Claddagh boats displayed in the Claddagh Basin and each one will represent the 14 tribes.

“We have also just got word that the Viking Project in Northern Ireland, a community group that started building the Viking Boats, are going to bring down two boats for the event and display them in the Claddagh Basin as well,” says Peter.

Works on the Claddagh Basin that started in recent weeks will include an upgrade lock-gates – something Peter believes this creates a new opportunity for the berthing of the boats at the centre of the Claddagh – on full display for residents.

He feels this will be a great opportunity for locals to take ownership of the boats and see them at the heart of the community.

Peter said that the entire city has thrown its support behind the Boatmen with the business community providing backing for their festivals each year.

“The Latin Quarter has been very supportive for the last five years to bring the regatta to life in Galway City.

“The Salthill business group have come behind it totally this year as has the West End group of businesses and with that type of input and that kind of support – it keeps you going,” says Peter.

He credited City Council with praise for funding the project to the tune of about €10,000 per year for the past five years – a figure that the group matches through fundraising.

The Boatmen hope to be able to become self-sufficient and while it’s something Peter concedes won’t happen overnight – they do hope that their reliance on Council funding will reduce with a second licensed boat on the horizon and a licence just granted to hold a regular club lotto.

“We are hoping that we become self-financing with the licence and the lotto where we won’t constantly need the reliance on City Council.

“We want to break the reliance on going back to the Council for aid when other groups are starved for funds,” explains Peter.

Be sure to mark your diaries for the week of May 21 as the russet sails, instantly recognisable as quintessentially Galway, will once more fill the Claddagh Basin with colour.