A Galway Hooker in Roundstone, 2014
Published in Blogging Irish History
The Galway Hooker in the picture on the right—Bláth na hÓige—was built on Leitir Mealláin (Lettermullan island) off the Connemara coast in the nineteenth-century, and as of 2014 is operating out of Roundstone in Connemara, bringing people on 2-3 hour sailing trips around Roundstone Bay and its islands. The distinctive shape of the hooker is a trademark of the Galway coastline; originally fishing boats, they became ubiquitous as cargo-carriers ferrying goods along the coast from Galway City (find out more about them here). On those grounds alone it makes for a fascinating excursion; the development of the Wild Atlantic Way has given Bláth na hÓige a new role in the twenty-first century, but in doing so it provides a striking insight into the nuts and bolts of a key feature of life off the west coast in previous centuries. Well worth a jaunt if you’re in the vicinity.
Thanks to Cliona Ní Chualain, and to Flan Kelly and co. for letting us on-board: www.wildatlanticadventures.com
