Fine entry for Maharees All-Ireland currach event

PINING for the old traditions and snapshots of how Ireland used to be?

Then let us direct you to Scraggane Bay, Maharees in West Kerry, this weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, this little piece of heaven is host to the All-Ireland Currach Championships, the third time this event takes place in the Dingle Peninsula.

Crews from Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry contest the races which range from U16 contests to the sinew straining senior men’s and women’s events.

Over 150 competitors are signed up for the weekend’s competitions with multiples more expected on shore to cheer on the daily action and partake of a few celebratory drinks when the day’s racing is complete.

The distance varies through the age groups. The youngest competitors, the U16, face half a mile; its double that for the U18 grade while the seniors face a mile and half. Four is the optimum number per currach, though the weekend programme also includes three-man (or woman) and single-hand races.

In total 11 finals will be decided on Sunday evening.

Jackie Goodwin, one of the event organisers, admits that the sport is still attracting strong numbers despite the fall off in currach usage in daily life.

Said Goodwin: “The numbers are holding. Over the last few years we are making efforts to get more and more underage involved. And that is working, but what we notice is that when they hit 18 not many of them continue in the sport.

“Maybe that is due to other distractions,” he says with a laugh.

“It is like any other sports in that regard.”

The weekend event is confined to counties on the west coast, not out of some sort of maritime snobbery, but as the history of the currach is strongest along the Atlantic coastline.

Though the numbers may have dwindled, the desire for victory remains undiminished.

He revealed: “These boats are built specially for racing. Many, many years ago they would have used working boats for racing events. But these are much lower and straighter than the older vessels to get maximum speed. The rules are pretty simple. Once the currach doesn’t exceed 25 feet in length. Four men could cover a mile-and-a-half in under 15 minutes but naturally a lot depends on the weather.”

The championship decider is a one-off weekend of the currach racing world, but almost every weekend from April to August the currach racing community plays host to a regatta or a race.