Traditional wooden boat to sail to sea in colourful rowing event

A wooden boat, traditionally used only by the fishermen of the Shannon, is to sail from a West Cork town to the sea for the first time this weekend.

The Shannon Angling Cot — which was in use by Shannon fisherman for 600 years until the 1980s — will participate in a colourful rowing race which will start at the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen on Saturday morning and finish at the seaside village of Baltimore.

After the race, which takes place as part of the annual popular Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival down the Ilen River and features a variety of curraghs, the winner will be presented with the first West Cork Hotel Perpetual Trophy for the River Race.