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A team of O G A members from Northern Ireland joined in the Celtic Voyage in tthe summer of 2000 by
sailing their Curragh across from Falmouth to Brest.
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Colmcille Celtic Voyage 2000
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The Colmcille project began in 1997 with the recreation of the historic voyage of St Colmcille/ Columba
from Derry/ Londonderry to Iona in the Western Isles of Scotland. Its aim was to promote greater understanding
of the tradition of maritime links between Scotland and Ireland, to foster an appreciation of our shared
Celtic heritage, and as a symbol of reconciliation between the divided communities of the Island of Ireland.
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The voyage was undertaken by a crew drawn from diverse backgrounds crossing the divides of religion,
nation, age and gender. The boat itself, a 38 foot purpose-built currach (a traditional canvas or leather-skinned
boat), is the largest of its kind ever built, and serves as a focal point for the ongoing community work
of the project.
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The voyage attracted considerable media attention, for both the outward leg via Islay & Jura, and the
return trip via the Crinan canal and the East coast of the Kintyre peninsula. Newspapers and local radio,
both here and in Scotland carried articles and reports on the trip and its progress. There was also coverage
on local TV, and National Geographic provided equipment to film a video diary of the expedition
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This Millennium Year presents another unique opportunity for Ireland, north and south, to project a
more positive image to our fellow Europeans on the continent. The planned itinerary of the Colmcille
is to join other boats in the Celtic Fleet at Penzance, Cornwall and sail/row to Brittany. The boat will
spend the greater part of July visiting the festivals and spreading the ethos of Colmcille. After winter
storage in France, it will continue on the Celtic Odyssey along the coast of France and Spain in 2001.
Already this year BBC News 24 has aired a report on the voyage, and more coverage is planned.
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During the summer of 2000 the currach Colmcille made the voyage from Penzance to Brittany and participated
in the maritime festivals at Brest and Douarnenez, under the leadership of Ivor Neill.
The currach
is presently in storage in Brittany and this year will continue on towards Galicia in Spain.
There
is an opportunity for folk to be involved as crew if they can spare the time and money. There is no charge
for the voyage as such but crew will have to make their own travel arrangements to meet the currach.
If you are interested send your details to Aileen Armstrong. Send your name, address, telephone and email
to 16 Jerusalem Street, Belfast, BT7 1QN.
As well as the dates that you would be available to crew
the boat
Or to aileenar@nortelnetworks.com
If folks would like more information about the voyage
they can contact either Ivor Neill (ivorneill@hotmail.com ) or (robinruddock@hotmail.com ). The journey
could take most of the summer and progress will be dictated by weather and tide as well as crew availability.
This is a great opportunity to explore the coast of France and Spain in an ancient type of craft. The
Colmcille requires a crew of fourteen and is capable of sailing as well as cruising under oars. The currach
St. Efflam from Brittany will also be making the voyage and it is hoped that other currachs will join
in if they are available.
The currach is a skin covered craft that is known to have existed along
the Atlantic seaboard of Europe and this will be a historic voyage linking up the Celtic nations through
a journey in skin boats along a route that they have not undertaken for centuries.
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