Galway Hooker Boats

The bad mor and its smaller relatives - the leathbhad, gleoiteog and pucan - were the working boats of Galway Bay and the Connemara coast, built with heavy black tarred hulls and sails dyed rust-red with a mixture that preserved the canvas. Their main trade was turf: Connemara had peat and the Burren coast, on bare limestone, had almost no fuel, so hookers carried turf south across the bay and brought back limestone, potatoes and livestock. The trade ended in the mid twentieth century and most boats rotted. A revival from the 1970s onward has restored a substantial fleet, and they now race at regattas through the summer - Cruinniu na mBad at Kinvara in August is the best known, recreating the turf run across the bay. Boats are still being built traditionally in Connemara. Watching from shore is free; sailing on one means finding an owner willing.

What you actually see

• The black hulls and red sails - the working rig, preserved in the restored fleet.
• Cruinniu na mBad - the August gathering at Kinvara recreating the turf run.
• The summer regattas - racing along the Connemara coast and in Galway Bay.
• The turf trade - the reason the boats existed at all.

When to go

June to September for the regatta season. Cruinniu na mBad at Kinvara is in August. Racing depends on wind, and light days can mean very little sailing.

Honest expectations

Watching from shore is what most people do - getting aboard requires knowing an owner or booking a rare charter. Regattas are weather-dependent and can be becalmed. Kinvara is small and fills during the August gathering.

Nearby

Kinvara and the Burren are south; Roundstone and Carna are in Connemara.