Currach oars

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Hydrozoan

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I have just watched ‘Wild Ireland: The Edge of the World’ and noticed (again) that presenter Colin Stafford Johnson was using oars of uniform rectangular section without much, if any, blade. I find that is traditional for currachs for the reason I suspected: rough ocean waters would catch paddle blades. You perhaps all knew that - but I didn’t!
 
Hydrozoan said:
I have just watched ‘Wild Ireland: The Edge of the World’ and noticed (again) that presenter Colin Stafford Johnson was using oars of uniform rectangular section without much, if any, blade. I find that is traditional for currachs for the reason I suspected: rough ocean waters would catch paddle blades. You perhaps all knew that - but I didn’t!
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That's a coincidence but I was watching that as the other day as we're staying with friends who have Sky or whatever it is and I said exactly the same.... Why do those oars have no blades. Very strange and hard work I imagine.

Richard
 
The oars of a curragh are long, slender blades with no paddle. This is because the curragh is designed for rowing in rough ocean waters where large paddles can get caught on the wave tops. The key to rowing with the curragh oars is to dig a good length of the oar into the water, perhaps 5 feet. This length times the width of the oar gives it plenty of surface area to push the water and propel the boat. The oar locks must be the traditional design of the block and thole pin. Oak blocking is used on the gunwale and oar, and pins are made of either oak or metal. The curragh oar does not feather like the standard crew oars.
Source http://nacarowing.org/FAQ.asp
 
Slowtack said:
The oars of a curragh are long, slender blades with no paddle. This is because the curragh is designed for rowing in rough ocean waters where large paddles can get caught on the wave tops. The key to rowing with the curragh oars is to dig a good length of the oar into the water, perhaps 5 feet. This length times the width of the oar gives it plenty of surface area to push the water and propel the boat. The oar locks must be the traditional design of the block and thole pin. Oak blocking is used on the gunwale and oar, and pins are made of either oak or metal. The curragh oar does not feather like the standard crew oars.
Source http://nacarowing.org/FAQ.asp
Click to expand...

Thanks - yes, that was one of the sites I visited, and one of the more informative ones.
 
I love that series, fantastic scenery and photography and wild life, but every time I see him rowing I just want to fit blades to the oars.
I understand the theory about rowing in large swells but I suspect that the early currach builders didn't have the technology or materials to form narrow oar blades.
 
Mrs E asked me the same question but I did not know that the answer was the swell (lumpy bits to her).
I tried to explain about the surface area and the oar going deeper but did not do a good job. It did look a simple and elegant design that would not be as easy to damage on rocks and quick to replace.
 
I raced against Currachs at Cork a couple of years ago. Please take my word for it that the lack of a blade does not seem to slow them down! The boats are light and skillfully used they easily outrun wooden skiffs with one oar per rower and a cox.
 
I’ve been rowing currachs since the late sixties and have owned one for most of that time (we have a holiday home in Connemara). I also spent much of my teenage years messing about in more traditional rowing boats in Dun Laoghaire on the East coast where I live. As pmcgowan and Romeo have said, the currach oars are fine!

A currach handles very differently to a traditional clinker-built rowing boat. It has no keel so it slides around on top of the water. The absence of a keel also means it needs constant attention to keep it going in a straight line, tending to spin at the slightest hint of a gust of wind or lump of wave. Sometimes it’s impossible to even know what’s causing it to turn, it seems almost to have a mind of its own. In terms of behaviour, the most similar craft that I’ve ever experienced is a slalom kayak.

And as with the slalom kayak, the trick is to use sweep strokes to correct early and often. Rowing a currach, one needs to find a fixed point on the horizon over the transom (a cloud will do) and correct as soon as any spin begins. It sounds awkward but actually it becomes second nature.

The oars are actually very powerful. Their D-section does mean they don’t hold as much water, but that is compensated for by the length of the stroke. Currach strokes are much longer because the oars cross in front of the oarsman. Also, the oarsman has more leverage as the grip is further from the pivot point (thole pin, rowlock or whatever). The fact that the oars cross can cause bumped fingers at first, but one quickly learns to row with one in front of the other, with the one currently needing the sweep stroke further from the chest.

Another advantage of currach oars is they are softer in use and not so hard on the wrists. Rather like the boat itself, they softly engage with the sea rather than fighting with it. They also don’t need to be gripped so hard to prevent catching a crab.

They also aid manoeuvrability, which is surprisingly important in the open Atlantic. Seas often have two simultaneous wave patterns – ocean swell and wind-generated chop – with frequent unexpected lumps arising. The currach can be turned into these with a quick flick of an oar.

Finally, a note on freeboard. The currach in the programme was travelling very light and was filmed on exceptionally calm days. Currachs generally have surprisingly low freeboard in use but don’t ship much water as they can turn into waves so quickly. The low freeboard is more comfortable for rowing as it allows it to be done horizontally rather than digging down . Also the more of the boat is in the water and the less in the air, the less the wind tends to make it spin.

Hope that helps.
 
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pmagowan said:
Yes, remember it was not unusual to have a cow or two in the bottom of a curragh
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Actually, they swam them behind. A cow would have been way too heavy for such a small boat and even a much lighter animal could punch a hole in a currach hull.

And everybody knew it. One of the most famous laments in the "sean nós" repertoire was "Anach Cuain", about twenty people drowning in 1828 when a sheep put a hoof through the floor of a boat.
 
Jag Race said:
Actually, they swam them behind. A cow would have been way too heavy for such a small boat and even a much lighter animal could punch a hole in a currach hull.

And everybody knew it. One of the most famous laments in the "sean nós" repertoire was "Anach Cuain", about twenty people drowning in 1828 when a sheep put a hoof through the floor of a boat.
Click to expand...

They often put a cow in the boat, tied its feet and rolled it onto its back.
 
pmagowan said:
They often put a cow in the boat, tied its feet and rolled it onto its back.
Click to expand...

I'll take your word for that. I can't imagine it myself. Apart from anything else I would have thought there isn't enough distance between the thwarts, which can't be removed for structural reasons. I could see that technique working for a calf or sheep though.
 
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Jag Race said:
I’ve been rowing currachs since the late sixties and have owned one for most of that time (we have a holiday home in Connemara). I also spent much of my teenage years messing about in more traditional rowing boats in Dun Laoghaire on the East coast where I live. As pmcgowan and Romeo have said, the currach oars are fine!

A currach handles very differently to a traditional clinker-built rowing boat. It has no keel so it slides around on top of the water. The absence of a keel also means it needs constant attention to keep it going in a straight line, tending to spin at the slightest hint of a gust of wind or lump of wave. Sometimes it’s impossible to even know what’s causing it to turn, it seems almost to have a mind of its own. In terms of behaviour, the most similar craft that I’ve ever experienced is a slalom kayak.

And as with the slalom kayak, the trick is to use sweep strokes to correct early and often. Rowing a currach, one needs to find a fixed point on the horizon over the transom (a cloud will do) and correct as soon as any spin begins. It sounds awkward but actually it becomes second nature.

The oars are actually very powerful. Their D-section does mean they don’t hold as much water, but that is compensated for by the length of the stroke. Currach strokes are much longer because the oars cross in front of the oarsman. Also, the oarsman has more leverage as the grip is further from the pivot point (thole pin, rowlock or whatever). The fact that the oars cross can cause bumped fingers at first, but one quickly learns to row with one in front of the other, with the one currently needing the sweep stroke further from the chest.

Another advantage of currach oars is they are softer in use and not so hard on the wrists. Rather like the boat itself, they softly engage with the sea rather than fighting with it. They also don’t need to be gripped so hard to prevent catching a crab.

They also aid manoeuvrability, which is surprisingly important in the open Atlantic. Seas often have two simultaneous wave patterns – ocean swell and wind-generated chop – with frequent unexpected lumps arising. The currach can be turned into these with a quick flick of an oar.

Finally, a note on freeboard. The currach in the programme was travelling very light and was filmed on exceptionally calm days. Currachs generally have surprisingly low freeboard in use but don’t ship much water as they can turn into waves so quickly. The low freeboard is more comfortable for rowing as it allows it to be done horizontally rather than digging down . Also the more of the boat is in the water and the less in the air, the less the wind tends to make it spin.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that very full response - and to everyone else, too. I appreciate that currachs are light, but your point about similarity to slalom kayaks made me wonder if their hull form is also highly 'rockered'?

As to cows, they don't seem to need to tie them up before transporting them by boat in the Vendée: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d6/82/64/d6826439d30eb3f7b7cc9a52f6d355ab.jpg

(Yes I do appreciate the differences - and not the Vendée Globe, obviously! :))
 
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Hydrozoan said:
your point about similarity to slalom kayaks made me wonder if their hull form is also highly 'rockered'?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is indeed rockered. Typically the base of the stem and base of the transom barely kiss the water, maximum draft occurs about half way between the two and all three points are joined by an elegant curve in side elevation.

Edit: I've just remembered one variation on the type actually lifts the stem clean out of the water.
 
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