0:08:23 > 0:08:24SHUTTER CLICKS
0:17:08 > 0:17:10So, Paul, what is a currach?
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Well, a currach, I suppose, is a boat made from wood and canvas,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19it's got a canvas skin. It's a very light boat.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26As you can see, it sits on top of the water. It's almost like a canoe.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Over the years it's been used for fishing
0:17:29 > 0:17:34and transporting people to and from the island,
0:17:34 > 0:17:39but more recently it's been used for generally racing, I suppose.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44And nobody really uses them any more for working purposes.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Very safe boat when used correctly, but also a very dangerous one
0:17:49 > 0:17:53if not used correctly, I suppose.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55You're telling me they're an easy boat to manage,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59but I really haven't got that part of it yet, so I haven't!
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Yeah, you're constantly aware of the wind
0:18:02 > 0:18:07and what the wind's doing to you, aware of the movement of the boat.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09You feel the wind on your head,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13you realise which way the wind's coming and then you react
0:18:13 > 0:18:17accordingly with your oars to hold the boat where you want to put it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21- You really direct it with your senses.- Yes, yes, definitely.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24How many people are there here based in the Kincasslagh area
0:18:24 > 0:18:27that are active in currach racing today?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31We had two men's teams this year
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and we had two ladies' teams at some of the races also,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and for the first time we had a junior team this year,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42an under-18 team, and they did very well this year,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and it's good to see them coming into it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And you yourself, all-Ireland champion?
0:18:48 > 0:18:54Yes, I won the all-Ireland single man race in Roundstone this year.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Must've been nice to go down
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and beat the boys in Connemara on their own doorstep, yeah?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Ah, it was unreal. I was delighted.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04It was something that you only maybe dreamed of before, and you
0:19:04 > 0:19:08dreamed of it happening but you never thought it would come true.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47We sit here with... HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- But you've a great connection to that island as well, don't you?- Aye.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00When I was younger I would go there on holidays.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03My grandmother, of course, lived there at that time
0:20:03 > 0:20:05and my uncle, and his family,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09his wife and family, his family were all brought up there.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15So that house is still there and my cousins now have done it up
0:20:15 > 0:20:19and my wife and myself, we bought a wee house there last year,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21so we're in the process of doing that up.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25It's lovely because there's no electricity
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and the people that are there don't want the electricity,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31because they feel that it's almost, again,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35a world away from the remoteness and the peace that even we have here.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41There's no computers, no outside interest at all, and it really is...
0:20:41 > 0:20:43It is all about people in there.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56MARCH DRUMMING
0:22:10 > 0:22:12MARCH BAND PLAYS
0:24:55 > 0:24:57FRAINC:
0:25:11 > 0:25:14THEY SING IN IRISH
0:26:21 > 0:26:24GIRL SINGS IN IRISH
0:27:29 > 0:27:32# One moment with you
0:27:32 > 0:27:37# Come on, baby, with me, we're gonna fly away... #