Under sail

See ? This is what the sculpture in Eyre Square is supposed to look like – Galway Hookers under sail in Connemara last Sunday.

Phew -it’s been a busy few weeks, and for those of you that I’ve promised pictures, it might be next week before I have them ready. I have a huge backlog of pictures to process and upload. Last weekend was especially hectic – a couple of weddings, a boat race and the beach races at Omey.

Luckily, the rain only made an appearance once over the four days. The Féile an Dóilín takes place just outside Carraroe (An Cheathrú Rua) in Connemara every year – spectators gather from Caladh Thaidgh to the headland at An Dóilín to watch a flotilla of Galway Hookers race along the length of a small inlet called  Cuan  an Fhir Mhóir.

I first stumbled across this sort of race five years ago (the race in the links took place in a neighbouring inlet in Leitir Mor) and , for various reasons, I’ve managed to miss the Cruinniú na mBád in Kinvarra every year (though hopefully not this year). Unsurprisingly, the last time I photographed a regatta (in Roundstone), it rained.

Not many people showed up for the Feile last Sunday, partly due to the rain, and also due to the fact that the main road through Carraroe was closed off for much of the day due to a fatal road accident the evening before.

It has taken me most of the week to upload a gallery (mainly because my gallery host – Smugmug – has been very flakey this week). Anyway, there are more pictures of Galway Hookers than you can shake a stick at here.