A currach is a traditional Irish boat with a light wooden or wickerwork frame covered in animal hide or, in later construction, tarred canvas, historically built along the western coast of Ireland for fishing and short coastal transport in rough Atlantic waters. Its flexible, buoyant hull allowed it to ride ocean swells that would swamp a heavier wooden boat, and though motorized and fiberglass boats have replaced it for most everyday fishing, the currach survives in traditional construction and in competitive rowing.
Facts
SignificanceA hide or canvas covered Irish boat whose seaworthiness was demonstrated when Tim Severin sailed a traditionally built replica from Ireland to the New World. 1 Sources
1. Currach, Wikipedia
Modern currachs, Severin voyage sectionQuote, Modern currachs, Severin voyage section
Tim Severin constructed such a ship, following as best they could the Brendan descriptions and drawing on the skills and knowledge of a few traditional craftsmen, and showed that the result was quite seaworthy by sailing it from Ireland to the new world.
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