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From Castlebar - County Mayo - Mayo Historical and Archaeological Society
Cruinniu na mBad, Kinvara.
Yesterday, dozens of Galway Hookers, boats of traditional design, were on display at the annual Cruinniu na mBad (Gathering of the Boats) festival in Kinvara, Co. Galway. These boats were at onetime used extensively to ferry cattle, sheep, pigs, turf and other necessities of life, up and down the western seaboard, before the advent of trains and motorised transport made them redundent.
Today, they are used for more leisurely pursuits, and some sailing purists take great pride in restoring the old vessels, while others have new vessels built on the old design. Unique features of these craft are the sails, red in colour, which makes the vessels very pleasing to the eye when they are unfurled and filled with a stiff breeze. They were traditionally covered with butter, which acted as a preservative, and over a period of time turned red giving the fabrics their familiar colour, I can't say if the smell was all that pleasing. The modern vessels have their sails dyed red, or a reddish hue, in keeping with tradition.
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