The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
It was launch day for ‘The Five Pilots’ last Saturday on the bay at Carrigaholt, when the community built St Ayles skiff was introduced to the Estuary waters. Loop Head Rowing Club is the local group behind the building of the St Ayles skiff, a four oared rowing boat normally crewed by four sweep rowers with a coxswain. Built by 16 members of the club, the skiff has been named ‘The Five Pilots’ as a tribute to the five fishermen from Kilbaha who drowned when their boat was hit by a freak wave on May 8, 1873. The five pilots were Michael Brennan and his nephew Thomas Brennan, John McNamara, Patrick Carmody and Seamus Bán Crotty. Seats in rowing boats are ordinarily numbered but in this craft each of the eats will be named after a pilot. Poignantly, a reserve seat, a sixth position, was named after one of the boat builders, Fintan Ryan from Carrigaholt who died suddenly in …
Read More »