Seol Sionna Wooden Boat Building Project

Building on the success of the recent traditional currach project, Seol Sionna, a group that has grown out of the West Clare Currach Club, is preparing to reintroduce classic wooden sailing boats to the Shannon Estuary.

The Seol Sionna project is an ambitious training project to build, a 25ft wooden sailing boat, evoking the small-to-medium class Shannon hooker that once sailed in the estuary. It is to be built for sail training purposes. The project draws on the extensive boat building, boat handling skills, and local knowledge inherent in Seol Sionna membership.

Seol Sionna in collaboration with local West Clare Learning Network (WCLN) members, is delivering complimentary courses on research and video making. It is intended that there will be a promo video for Seol Sionna and lots of research collated on maritime related interests on the Shannon.

In preperation for sailing people have completed a yachtmaster shorebased navigation course under guidance of Brendan Travers, West Coast Cruising School.

The boat is being built in Querrin overlooking the Shannon where we will launch in September 2011. Hopefully it will be one of many similar boats in time to come.


If anyone has any interest in participating in this project please contact us. Richard Collins (087 6744550) or Trea Heapes (086 3819 216).

Check us out on Facebook or http://www.seolsionna.org

This project has been funded by the Clare Local Development Company under the LEADER programme, through the National Development Plan and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.