Conway Mill Trust

Nowhere is this proverb more apt than on the west coast of Ireland where the fishermen use the ‘currach’, a round-bottom craft with no keel. It was formerly covered with animal skins but now the boat is covered with tarred canvas over a frame of wooden laths. It is very sturdy but a sharp rock can put a hole in it. The crew of three or four men must row in unison, or the boat can easily capsize in the rough Atlantic. St. Brendan sailed in a currach from Co. Kerry to search for the ‘Promised Land.’ There is strong evidence he reached Newfoundland a thousand years before Columbus reached America. Some fishing is still done using this boat and now ‘currach races’ are popular worldwide.