The 38th Cruinniú na mBád, "The Gathering of the Boats" will take place in Kinvara this weekend with the action kicking off tomorrow at 3pm and concluding on Sunday August 21.
This Galway Hooker Festival, which has been held in Kinvara each year since 1979, celebrates the village's heritage of using turf boats to transport turf from Connemara to south Galway and north Clare.
Chairman of Cruinniú na mBád Mike Brogan said excitement in Kinvara is building for the festival. "We are very excited for Cruinniú na mBád. It is 38 years on the go now. There are a lot of memories and history, and although a lot of people have gone but it is still going strong.
"The one thing that is unique is the boats. They are called hookers now but the old name for them was turf boats and they were used to carry to turf from Connemara to the limestone area of north Clare and south Galway. I believe we are the only regatta that has a turf race, where the boats are filled up with turf from Connemara and that is a lovely tradition to keep alive; it has been done for over 200 years and it is a great thing for people to see the boats coming in, loaded up with turf.
"The hooker is the symbol of Galway corporation and Galway council. They are such a huge part of our maritime heritage. These boats have been coming into Kinvara up until the 60s with turf so it is nice to keep this tradition going, and what is better still, the families who own the boats wish to keep the turf tradition alive."
The festival was the brainchild of Tony Moylan, someone who Brogan described as instrumental in the revival of the Galway hooker.
"Tony started it all off. He went around Connemara in the early seventies, speaking with boat owners and people who originally owned hookers when they were all left lying against piers unused and Tony persuaded them to do them up and revive them.
"There were those who had the same enthusiasm as Tony out in Carna and Carroroe, so it all came together in the late seventies but he definitely was hugely responsible for the revival of the Galway hooker."
A big feature of this year's festival is the return of currach racing after an absence of 12 years, something which excites Brogan.
"Boats are actually coming in to the pier as we speak and the Currach racing will go ahead regardless of the weather, as it takes place inside the bay on Saturday evening. It is exciting. The beauty of Kinvara is the geography of the place. People can stand up on the pier and catch every part of the currach race."
A screening of Bob Quinn's Aisling Geal is another highlight of Criunniú na mBád says Brogan. "The video will be shown in the tent on the pier. I remember very well the first Criunniú na mBád in 1979, the year the film was shot. It was first time the boats came back to Kinvara since the 60s and it was very emotional thing for the people of Kinvara so Bob Quinn shot a video of this and it will be broadcast at the weekend. It was originally in Gaeilge but we have had it subtitled for people who do not speak Irish."
For details of the programme and all other events, visit facebook.com/KinvaraCruinniu or visit Twitter @CruinniúnamBád.
