Cruinniú na mBád Kinvara (20th - 22nd August 2010)

Cruinniú na mBád Festival 2010

Cruinniú na mBád Festival Kinvara takes place this year from 20th to 22nd August 2010. The festival celebrates the living tradition of the sailing of beautiful Galway Hookers, this fabulous regatta hosts the legendary turf boats as the harbour village of Kinvara throws itself into a frenzy of sessions with the cream of Irish traditional musicians and singers.

Up to 100 Galway Hookers boats, once the workhorses of the coast of Connemara and North Clare, will gather for a weekend of racing and celebration at Cruinniú na mBád (Gathering of the Boats) festival in Kinvara, Co. Galway, in August 2008. Since its revival in 1979, the festival has become one of the most unique and successful weekend festivals in Ireland.

It will include a series of races for the four types of Galway Hookers. They include: the Bád Mór, which is the largest vessel measuring between 35 to 44 feet in length; the second largest, the Leath Bhád , has a hull length of roughly 32 feet; the Gleoiteog; and the diminutive Púcán. During the festival the pubs in Kinvara are alive with the sound of music, as this festival attracts the very best traditional Irish musicians.