The currach is a traditional Irish and Scottish boat design that has been in use for over a thousand years. The frame is made of strong wood and covered with materials such as canvas. Currachs were used for fishing, exploration, and transportation. The design was supplanted by larger boats, but currach rowing remains a popular sport.
A currach is a type of vessel native to Ireland and Scotland, and is closely related to the Welsh coracle. The basic design of the currach has been in use for over a thousand years, with written records dating back to Roman descriptions of the currach in use along the coast of Ireland. Traditional currach makers are in decline, but some still exist, and some boating hobbyists are also involved in currach production.
The design of a currach begins with the placement of a frame made of a strong wood, such as oak. The frame is then covered to create a lightweight, airtight boat. Historically, the frame was covered in cured animal skins, although modern currachs are usually covered in canvas and other alternative materials that are coated with paints to resist water. People maneuver the currach with the use of oars, and they may row alone or in teams, depending on the boat’s design.
The Irish and Scots historically used currachs to fish in inland waterways, as well as the open ocean. Some evidence suggests that the seemingly fragile ships were used in exploration, and that people may have even reached the New World on currachs. In 1978 a sailor successfully traveled from Ireland to Canada in a currach, proving that such voyages would have been possible. Various regional variations on the basic design addressed unique conditions, such as shallow rivers requiring shallow draft boats, or rough seas requiring the use of a high-sided currach to avoid sinking the boat.
In addition to being used for fishing and exploration, the currach was also used for the regular transit of people and cargo. Unlike the Welsh coracle, a traditionally small ship, the currach could be made quite large when made by a skilled craftsman, and some regional variations were even made from solid wood, making them quite heavy and extremely strong.
This boat design was supplanted by the development of larger boats and all wooden boats, both of which could cause serious damage to currachs in the event of a collision. Ships were also driven off by the use of sails and other propulsion techniques that were not considered practical for the currach. In some regions, people retained the use of traditional currachs to keep in touch with history, and currach rowing is a popular sport in various regions of the world.
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