Our Focus
Lough Neagh and the River Bann have a rich
heritage of boating and fishing and the oldest artefacts,
fore-runners of the present boats, found on these waters go
back more than 6,000 years. Much of the established knowledge
of the local waters as well as the complex skills of building
and using its sprit-rigged clinker fishing boats are now under
threat of becoming extinct [*EcoNote].
This not only diminishes regional cultural diversity and quality
of life but more so effects future development. The combination
of boat building with regenerative materials and propulsion
by sail and oar offers an important aspect of sustainable
living that needs to be preserved and developed further for
future generations. We hope to promote sustainable development
[*EcoNote]
on a social, economic and environmental level in conjunction
with cultural sustainability. See Our Ethos.
The project started out as a currach building
workshop in 2004 which led to the forming of an independent
group in 2005. The group is now building two 16' and 20' Lough
Neagh fishing boats and some flat-bottomed cots used on the
lough and the Bann. Like the currachs, these will remain within
the local community to be used for training, demonstration
and leisure use.
We are also assembling a database for materials,
boats, objects, folklore, stories and archive
material.
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What we have done so far
Prior to the Lough Neagh fishing boats project,
we made four 16ft Dunfanaghy rowing
currachs under guidance of Holger
Lönze, artist-in-residence for the Art in the Wetlands
project, funded by SLNRA, Sustrans and Craigavon Borough Council
through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Lough Neagh
Partnership. The boats were constructed from regenerative,
recycled and local materials, offering an affordable, low-carbon
[*EcoNote]
and environmentally-friendly leisure boat alternative to the
Lough Neagh area. The workshop provided the participants with
first boat making skills and historical knowledge about the
Irish currach tradition.
In a second series of workshops we then
advanced to technically more sophisticated types of currachs:
three 21ft Kerry Naomhóga
and two 12ft Tory Island keeled currachs. This project was
funded by the Community
Foundation of Northern Ireland. With these boats we have
participated in many maritime events, regattas and races in
Ireland, including Newry, Rathlin Island, Carlingford Lough,
Kilkee, Co. Clare, Dublin, Portadown and Portrush.
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Our Funders
We would like to acknowledge the generous
support of our funders.
For
the clinker boat project:
Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development NI,
The European Union Structural Funds and Lough
Neagh Partnership
Awards
for All
The Flight of the Earls
Quarry Products Association
of Northern Ireland
For former currach projects:
South
Lough Neagh Regeneration Association
Craigavon
Borough Council
Sustrans
The Community
Foundation of Northern Ireland
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