Video transcript
Hello there, my name is Ciaran Oliver. I’m the Commodore in Galway Hooker Sailing Club.
What the ocean means to me, I suppose, it’s a place to, well, live, work, enjoy. I say work first—well, work second, but work was my primary occupation: fishing. My family are fishermen from the Claddagh, and we still fish to this day commercially for lobsters and shrimp.
A number of years ago, we formed Galway Hooker Sailing Club—myself and a few friends and relatives and stuff. We have a small fleet of boats here. We’re here in Kinvarra, and we’re just enjoying the festivities, sailing, racing, the banter, and the social aspects and all that, you know.
But the sea and the ocean is a very, very special place for us, you know what I mean, for lots of reasons. Obviously, it was our livelihood, and still is for some of our family members. The boats that are here in Kinvarra, the hookers, they’re part of that culture. This was a turf route from Connemara to Kinvarra back in the day when they were delivering turf, exchanging goods, and doing all sorts of things.
Now, this is kind of a remembrance of that in a way. We’re just having Mass behind us here now—the priest is saying Mass as Gaeilge. There’s going to be music, singing, racing, and hookers today, so it’s fun.
But the ocean is a special place for lots of people for different reasons. Unfortunately, there’s tragedies as well associated with the sea. Our own family were struck by tragedy a number of years ago, so it’s kind of also a time to remember loved ones and stuff that were involved in the sea for their lives, too.
Ciaran Oliver
