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ABOUT US - GALWAY BOATING HISTORY

Blessing of the Bay


The Blessing of the Bay ceremony held each year in the Claddagh, Galway. He sees it as a colourful expression of ancient, local faith.On a Sunday in mid August near the feast of The Assumption of Our Lady, crowds come to Claddagh for the age-old blessing of Galway Bay. The reason for the choice of a mid-August blessing is clear. About this date the herring season opens, and most probably the blessing of the bay originated in the anxiety of the Claddagh fishing folk to get God's blessing on their work, and his help in bringing their light hookers and currachs safely home after each voyage to sea.Volvo ocean race galway 2012 (30th June-8th July)


History of galway boats 


The traditional boat of the Claddagh fishermen was the unique Claddagh Hooker, named after the hooked fishing lines used before the introduction of nets.


The hooker was constructed by hand using tarred timbers and was blackened by a kind of emulsion of creosote and coal. Its sails consisted of three brown sails, the main sail, the foresail on either side of the mast and a jib sail extended beyond the bow. The special rust colour of the sails came from being soaked in a solution made from tree bark, a process known as "barking".

There were four types of hooker, each of a different size: an bád mór, an leathbhád, an gleoiteog agus an púcán.

During the 19th century the Claddagh fishing industry went into decline due to increasing competition from larger trawlers which were fishing in Galway Bay. This gradually led to reduction in the hooker fleet asthe larger and more efficient trawlers began to take over. This trend continued into the 20th century and as a result the hooker fleet was decimated. In 1980 there was no Claddagh hooker to take the Dominican priest out to bless Galway Bay. This was the first time this ever happened in the Claddagh.

In the past few years there has been a reversal in the fortunes of the Galway hooker and some people, especially in Conamara, have began to restore old boats and build new ones. The remaining Claddagh hookers are docked around the Claddagh, and there are many who hope they can be restored to their former glory. Click on the link below to learn more about the work being done by the Cumann hÚicéirí na Gaillimhe.