'That's the boat that reared us'. Maritime culture, place and the role of the 'Galway hooker' in southwest Conamara. (2nd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ó Sabhain, Pádraig; McGrath, Brian
• Is Part Of: Folk life. Volume 58:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 77
• Page End: 96
• Publication Date: 2020-07-02
• Subjects: Traditional wooden sailboats -- Galway hooker -- place -- belonging -- family histories -- community culture -- south west Conamara; Folklore -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Folklore -- Ireland -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Periodicals; Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Periodicals; 398
• DOI: 10.1080/04308778.2020.1804161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0430-8778

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The West of Ireland 'Galway hooker' holds iconic status in the region's maritime heritage and identity. In this paper we explore its significance from the perspective of bádóirí (boatmen or hooker sailors) and saortha báid (boat wrights) in southwest Conamara, whose lives and family histories revolve around this traditional wooden sailing craft. Selections from thirty-three interviews reveal emotions and meaningful experiences resonating through family biographies: stories of sacrifice, loss, obligation, love, reverence and excitement. We also trace how the hooker characterizes a tangible culture, animating a distinct local, embodied knowledge and sense of place. No longer premised upon economic livelihood, but primarily practiced as a leisure and heritage activity, the hooker and its material culture confer an ontologically sensed continuity of connection to place and culture over time. Here we provide insights to the centrality of the hooker for coastal communities and its sedimented, intergenerational emotional and cultural connections.