{"id":671686,"date":"2026-11-01T11:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T11:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671686\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T11:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T11:08:15","slug":"its-in-the-blood-the-millennial-all-ireland-winner-keeping-currach-racings-flame-alive-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671686\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s in the blood\u2019: The millennial All-Ireland winner keeping currach racing\u2019s flame alive \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The currach glides out, passing serenely by the high pier of Ros Muc<\/a>, and into open Atlantic water. It\u2019s a still day. The only sounds are from the oars revolving on the thole as they swivel back and forth, and a gentle whoosh as they enter the water.<\/p>\n

As we round the end of the pier, the inlet opens up before us and a vast Connemara<\/a> landscape is revealed. It\u2019s like a Paul Henry painting: cloud, blue sky, and the unmistakable profile of the Twelve Bens peaks to the north.<\/p>\n

Rowing out smoothly into the waves, the young man at the helm picks up pace. He talks quickly and fluently in an Irish<\/a> unsullied by 21st century expressions.<\/p>\n

He explains that boats in this part<\/a> of south Connemara (Ceantar na n-Oile\u00e1n) were traditionally made of wood, and canvas currachs came from the Aran Islands farther west. The canvas ones were lighter and easier to carry from shore to water, handy for the craggy rocks of Aran. As it happened, they were also better when it came to racing. <\/p>\n

Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in is 34 and has the sporting build and cropped haircut of an inter-county GAA footballer. He is an elite athlete but was never a serious Gaelic player. His speciality sport is obscure to most people in Ireland but has a huge cult status in Gaeltacht regions. <\/p>\n

\u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in is part of a three-man crew that have won multiple All-Ireland titles in probably the only sport conducted wholly through the Irish language. <\/p>\n

His day job is in Maynooth University as director of programmes for professional Irish, a pursuit that combines his academic and personal interests. He has a degree in physical education from University of Limerick but is now completing a PhD in Irish and sean-n\u00f3s singing. <\/p>\n

Born and bred in Connemara, he is the grand-nephew of Joe Heanue, one of the most famous traditional singers of all time. Miche\u00e1l is a well-known exponent of sean-n\u00f3s singing in his own right and can sing the repertoire of songs associated with the sea. <\/p>\n

Still, racing is his main passion. To train during the winter he transported a currach to the Liffey, keeping it in a boat club. For motorists crossing the East Link Toll Bridge, the distinctive tar-black boat with its raised prow gliding down the river has provided an unusual \u2013 and anomalous \u2013 glimpse of south Connemara in the centre of the capital. <\/p>\n

\"MicheálMiche\u00e1l \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in: ‘Locals don\u2019t look at currach racing as endangered or an intangible cultural heritage. We look at it as another sport.’ Photograph: Harry McGee <\/p>\n

In a way \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in also straddles that anomaly. He is a millennial and lives a modern urban life. He is also the keeper of the flame for unique Irish traditions that extend back centuries and have been passed on from generation to generation, \u00f3 ghl\u00fan go gl\u00fan. He is a modern young man and a throwback all in one go. <\/p>\n

He comes from close to Carna in the island district of Connemara. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother is from [the townland of] Ard Thoir where I was born. My father is from Maighinis Island, which is maybe 3km or 4k away by road, but if you go by currach, it\u2019s only maybe 400m. <\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose that shows the importance of the currach going back generations here. It was the main mode of transport, the sea, so I suppose it\u2019s nice to see the tradition still kept going.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you grow up in an area like this, it\u2019s just second nature to you. You don\u2019t really think about the importance of it outside of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t remember a time when currachs and currach-racing was not part of his life. \u201cIt was the talk of the town. Who won last weekend, or who was going to win the next weekend? Rowing was intrinsic. <\/p>\n

\"MicheálMiche\u00e1l \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in: ‘Things might be changing in the Gaeltacht, but they\u2019re changing in the rest of the country too.’ Photograph: Harry McGee <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the same thing with the language and with songs. I come from a family that is well known for sean-n\u00f3s singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this part of south Connemara, there are boats, currachs and Galway hookers, that have passed through generations of families. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather on my mother\u2019s side, M\u00e1irt\u00edn, his currach was known locally as Currach Heanue. It\u2019s still in the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currach racing emerged around the dates of the big holy festivals during the summer, the so-called patron (or pattern) days commemorating a local saint. <\/p>\n

In this area, it was L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile Mhic Dara (Macdara\u2019s festival) on July 16th, when the whole community travelled to the unpopulated St MacDara\u2019s Island (Cruach na Cara), with its elegant medieval oratory. On that \u201cfree\u201d day, currach racing between rival families started on an informal basis perhaps a century ago. <\/p>\n

\u201cI would have grown up hearing stories about L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile Mhic Dara and all the commotion around the currach racing that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modern-day currach racing was formalised in 1953 when it was made part of an Irish heritage festival called An T\u00f3stal. The first races were contested on Galway Bay near Salthill promenade. At the height of their popularity, as many as 80,000 spectators thronged along the seafront to watch. <\/p>\n

The races were fiercely contested. The most celebrated family of all were the Seoighe (Joyce) family from Inis Bearach\u00e1in who won four All-Ireland titles. Later came another great name, Clann U\u00ed Chual\u00e1in, and the Mac Donnchadhas from An Cheathr\u00fa Rua. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a song for the Seoighes and a song for the \u00d3 Cual\u00e1ins,\u201d \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in says. \u201cThey were composed maybe 40 or 50 years ago. The Seoighe song is about their exploits at the T\u00f3stal in the 1960s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially we row together but as I begin to shoot video \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in rows alone, pulling the thin oars (which have no blades whatsoever) through the water, effortlessly. <\/p>\n

At this moment it seems we could be in Connemara at any time over the centuries. But you look over to the ribbons of houses on the shores and see satellite dishes, mobile phone masts, and legions of wind turbines on the horizon. Even here in the biggest Gaeltacht there is a medium-term existential threat to Irish as a first language and as the language of daily discourse. These are the trenches of the battle to keep Connemara Irish and all its traditions alive. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018It can be magical\u2019: Galway\u2019s swimming, kayaking underwater volunteersOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t say we are not affected by English,\u201d he admits. \u201cWe are, but there\u2019s things we can do to promote and preserve what we have here, and not to focus on the negatives \u2013 things such as life\u2019s going to change here and the language is going to die away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MicheálMiche\u00e1l \u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in: ‘For any of the families who are involved in it, it goes back generations.’ Photograph: Harry McGee <\/p>\n

\u201cWe work hard to ensure we value what we have and to preserve and promote that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in has rowed for 10 years with his brother M\u00e1irt\u00edn and with Joe Rua Seoighe from Ros Muc, who is originally from An Cnoc in Leitir Meall\u00e1in.<\/p>\n

Between them \u2013 in the standard currach, the Kerry naomh\u00f3g and the timber racers \u2013 the three have won nine All-Irelands. \u201cWith the naomh\u00f3g we were actually rowing with a fellow from Kerry, Jackie Goodwin. People might not know there are All-Irelands for currach racing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The racing boats are not what his grandfather would have known. They are 25ft long, against 23ft for the standard currach. Shallower and narrower, they are built for speed rather than rough weather. Builders refine them with each new boat. \u201cYou can see that each new iteration is a little bit quicker.\u201d A handful of builders remain locally and in Kerry, and he points out that building runs in families, \u201cin the blood\u201d, as the rowing does.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor any of the families who are involved in it, it goes back generations. There\u2019s something about currach racing when it\u2019s in the blood, there\u2019s just that extra bit of a push to to go and achieve what you can. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe locals don\u2019t look at it as something that\u2019s endangered or as an intangible cultural heritage. We look at it as another sport. For tourists, seeing currach racing for the first time, they think it\u2019s brilliant. For us it\u2019s just a regular part of life, and it\u2019s just what\u2019s done in the summer months.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018Economically it probably would make sense to close\u2019: Clifden businesses prepare for barren winterOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Passing the tradition between generations continues. His brother M\u00e1irt\u00edn\u2019s son, now 16, has started to sit in and row with the team. Most of their competitors are made up of brothers or cousins.<\/p>\n

A race takes between 14 and 15 minutes over a triangular course of two or three miles, with four boats drawn by lot for the final. \u201cFrom the first stroke to the last, it\u2019s pure pain,\u201d says Miche\u00e1l. \u201cBut when you get over the line and if you win, it\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sits in the stern, known in Irish as the seas deiridh (last stand) and he sets the stroke rate. M\u00e1irt\u00edn is in the middle (seas l\u00e1ir) and Joe Rua in the bow (seas tosaigh). Joe Rua watches the course and calls for more pace if it is needed. There is almost no talking. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a few years of rowing together you can see what needs to be done without saying a word.\u201d And when the crew are under pressure, instructions shrink to one or two words, usually \u201ctarraing\u201d (pull). <\/p>\n

The sport has spread beyond Connemara now with strong crews from Kerry and Donegal and there are races in Boston involving Connemara exiles. <\/p>\n

I ask whether he fears for Connemara and for Irish as a native language. All around there are obvious signs of depopulation \u2013 shuttered factories, villages where the pub and post office have closed, abandoned houses with boarded windows and collapsed roofs.<\/p>\n

He admits it is hard not to worry. People are leaving for work, and there are fewer native speakers in the Gaeltacht than there once were. But he points to the Gaelscoil movement, to Irish-language events in Dublin, and to the chance to play football, hurling or camogie through Irish outside the Gaeltacht. \u201cThings might be changing in the Gaeltacht, but they\u2019re changing in the rest of the country too,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0State\u2019s failure to provide homes for Irish speakers \u2018threatening future of language\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

His own contribution is a new podcast, featuring conversations with local people. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt will give us a chance to focus on the richness of the language that we still have in this area of Connemara L\u00e1r, and give a chance to hear people\u2019s stories that you mightn\u2019t usually hear. For those from outside the area, it will give them a chance to hear our dialect in its natural setting and allow them to pick up turns of phrase we have here. It will be called \u201cC\u00e9 T\u00fa F\u00e9in\u201d (Who are you?).<\/p>\n

\u00d3 Maoilchiar\u00e1in has also become an authority on the heritage and culture of currachs. In September he attended a festival of traditional boats in Verona, Italy, teaching workshops on rowing and how to build a currach. He also sang some of the songs associated with rowing and boatmanship on the west coast. <\/p>\n

He had hoped bring a full-size currach there, or even build one, and row it down the canals of Venice. It did not happen this time, he says ruefully, but he\u2019s still hopeful it can be done some other time. <\/p>\n

By now the tide has turned and we row back towards the pier at Ros Muc. His ancestors have traversed these waters in currachs like this for centuries. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The currach glides out, passing serenely by the high pier of Ros Muc, and into open Atlantic water.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[34919,15339,4500,61,60,34095,80,976],"class_list":["post-671686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-connemara","tag-gaeltacht","tag-galway","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-language","tag-technology","tag-weekendreview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}