Loveen was officially launched on Saturday 16th October 2021 after a 2 year restoration project.

Building a boat took a community and is an experience we are proud to have achieved with the help and guidance of many. There are many people and businesses who helped us to get this project to the end;-

Galway Bay Seafoods for the space to work and safely store everything, Port of Galway Sea Scouts for the help in the workshop and all they did on Saturday, Galway Maritime for all the supplies and meeting our needs even at the last minute (the bunting looked amazing!) Claddagh Arts Centre & Katie's Claddagh cottage for the many cups of tea, providing us with a home and hosting our after party on Saturday, Gourmet Tart CO, Ground And Co and TheHouseHotel for fueling us with tea, coffee and food on our splash last week and our official launch, The Village Salthill for all the support, Galway Bay Sailing Club, Galway City Sailing Club, Spiddal Sailing Club, Wild Galway Boat Tours and Corrib Rowing & Yachting Club for the support on the water and being our boating friends, This Is Galway, Connacht Tribune - Galway City, The Galway Advertiser, Galway Bay FM and RTÉ One for all the media coverage and spreading our progress over the project, Portofgalway for all the support, Galway City Council and Galway Sports Partnership for funding and support, Scoil Bhríde, Shantalla for getting involved with such enthusiasm, Galway Bay Boat Tours and Galway Docklands Experience for providing the boats, crew, skills and knowledge, Eoin Fealy Photography, Grzegorz Dutkowski, Marcus Hogan, Peter Sheppard, Pat Cantwell and Sean Breathnach for capturing it all on camera , Galway Atlantaquaria, Galway City Museum Ireland and Marine Institute - Foras na Mara for continued support and involvement in the marine industry, Tripart and Paintrite for supplies and TMS Chauffeurs for the early morning delivery of sails (2am Saturday!!) to make sure the launch could go ahead. Thanks to all the musicians who entertained us throughout the day and thanks to Blueprints Printing Copying for the super fast, efficient and great value service. Also thanks to our Mayor Collette Connolly, the local Parish Priest for the blessing and all our special invited guests and the Claddagh Hall for hosting our event.

The Hernon family for their dedication, commitment, expertise, advice, skills and patience. We will never be able to put into words how grateful we are and honoured to have been able to work alongside you on the project.

Our commodore Ciaran Oliver and his extended family for all the hard work and time in all areas of the club and out on the water. It has been a long project and we are grateful for everything you’ve done for the club. The Port of Galway Sea Scouts, especially scout leaders (and crew members) Marty Concannon and Tina Concannon for their time and dedication during the project.

The local Claddagh community for embracing our project and getting involved at every opportunity and our neighbouring club The Galway Hookers - Bádóirí an Chladaigh for sailing alongside us and also having the love for these beautiful craft.

We cannot individually name our 120 crew members but a massive thanks to each and every one of you for all you’ve done over the last two years and pulling it all together, for all the time spent of social media posts to keep followers updated as we progress through the restoration. The launch of Loveen was an amazing scene to come across the river and see and hear all the activity in Claddagh.

13-October

Loveen Rigging. She’s a beaut.

26- September

Reached another huge milestone this week…sails were measured and cut by the Hernon’s and a few crew who helped out.

Launch day is getting real close now!!!

August 20221 Update: We’re counting down to the launch of the Loveen. It’ll be happening very soon and will be a historic day for the club & community. Most recently, we’ve sanded the spars and got another coat of varnish on, and done the same for the seats. We keep saying it, but it’s true - we have an amazing bunch of enthusiastic volunteers who challenge themselves to all sorts of tasks.

July 2021 Update: Between sailing and cups of tea, the work continues. Our boat builders were working till 11pm to prepare the baot for primer. At the crack of dawn we had a crew in painting. While next door we had a crew making spars.

March 2021 Latest Update: The steaming and planking has been completed on the port side and planking her starboard side has begun. Once completed, it will be time for laminating new spars, caulking, sanding, painting, cutting of new sails and assembling of new rigging. Progress is still slow due to Covid-19 restrictions however we are making good headway and on track for her launch this summer.

loveen

Galway Hooker 2020 has been awarded FLAG funding toward a new restoration project: Loveen. This award is part of the Western Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) / Coastal Community Projects in Galway, and it will enable our group to restore Loveen for the Port of Galway Sea Scouts. 

Photos by Mary McGraw:

We are on track to launch Loveen this summer. Keep an eye on our social media pages for progress updates.

If you would like to get involved please get in contact.

‘Loveen’. Loveen was built as a 22-foot rowboat (bád iomartha) by John Francis Reaney (John Mhichil a’ Ráinne) in 1925. John Francis Reaney also built MP McDonagh’s Gleoiteóg, ‘Claddagh’ as well as the original ‘Truelight’.

Loveen was built on the site of what is now the Galway City Museum at the Spanish Arch. The boat was built for Martin Conroy (Máirtín Pháraic Phatchsín) from Tír an Fhia, Leitir Mór. During this time the boat would have been used for carrying seaweed and for fishing, among other things.

The boat was later sold to Michael McDonagh (Michaelín Mhaitias) of Rosmuc, Co Galway in 1927. Later it was sold to Val Clarke, also of Rosmuc. Val fitted the boat with a 13 horsepower Lister inboard engine in c.1978. This was done for towing climíns of seaweed which he had cut along the local shoreline. Val would then load the seaweed into his truck and transport it to the Arramara Seaweed Factory in Kilkerrin where it would be processed and exported.

In 1983, Páraic Hanniffy of Maree, Co Galway bought the boat from Páraic McDonnacha (Páidín Choilmín Jeaic Sheáin Dhomhnaill) of Doirín Glas, Leitir Móir. Páraic Hanniffy would later name the boat ‘Sorcha Mairéad’ after his two daughters. During Páraic’s ownership, the engine was removed, and the boat was rigged for the first time as a Gleoiteóg (gaff rig). The boat then began taking part in the local regattas, especially Cruinniú na mBád in Kinvara. In the earlier years it was skippered by Cóilín Hernon who is now our club’s resident boat builder.

In 2009, Nicholas Dolan of Claddagh Quay, Galway City, bought the boat. Sadly Nicholas (or Nicky as he was better known) passed away during Christmas time of 2011 after a short illness, may he Rest in Peace.

In September of 2012, Molly Dolan (Nicky’s mother), kindly presented the boat to the Port of Galway Sea Scouts. The boat was sailed a number of times this year by Ciaran Oliver and the Sea Scouts. However, it became clear that the boat was going to need a major rebuild in order to be seaworthy for Sail Training and Scouting activities. The boat was left in storage for a number of years after this.

In 2019, ‘Galway Hooker 2020’ sourced sufficient funding from FLAG/ BIM to enable the complete rebuild of the Loveen. The Hernon family were tasked with carrying out the restoration work. Alongside over 100 volunteers from Galway Hooker Sailing Club, the boat was fully rebuilt over a two-year period from September 2019, to September 2021.

Loveen will now be used for Sail Training in GHSC and for the Port of Galway Sea Scouts.

Researched and compiled by Cóilín & Cóilín Óg Hernon.