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<h4>Vessel to be Used as Floating Arts Space and for Sail Training:</h4>
<p>The world’s largest Galway hooker boat, the Naomh Bairbre, has been officially donated back to Galway city and county.</p>
<p>The Naomh Bairbre’s new role as a sail training vessel and a floating arts space promises to enrich Galway’s maritime and cultural heritage.</p>
<h4>From Dream to Reality:</h4>
<p>When Connemara carpenter Steve Mulkerrins declared his intention to build and sail a Galway hooker from Chicago to his home, Maumeen, it seemed an ambitious dream.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The inspiration behind the journey was to honour the memory of his late father, Colm.&nbsp;</p>
<p>With the help of many, he constructed the largest Galway hooker ever in his shed, embarking on this project while living and working in Chicago for 12 years, and in Boston before that.</p>
<p>With the support of his wife Agnes and their three children, he imported wood from Wicklow in two 12-meter containers and invested a significant amount of his own money into the construction.&nbsp;</p>
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<h4>The Voyage Home:</h4>
<p>The project saw contributions from various individuals, including balladeer John Flaherty.</p>
<p>The 3,200 km navigation from Chicago to the Hudson River marked the beginning of a meticulously planned voyage home.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Naomh Bairbre traversed the Great Lakes, ventured to Newfoundland, returned south to New York, and finally made the Atlantic crossing in 2006.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The journey culminated after 28 days at sea, with a triumphant arrival past the Aran Islands and into the quay at Maumeen, accompanied by his shipmates Pat and Tom Joyce, Coley Newell, and Barney Flaherty.</p>
<p>Mulkerrins expressed his desire for the Naomh Bairbre to remain in Galway, emphasising its heritage as a Galway hooker.&nbsp;</p>
<p>He donated this magnificent vessel at a recent handover ceremony in the Claddagh Basin, attended by the Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Peter Keane, alongside notable community figures.</p>
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<h4>A Home for Artists:</h4>
<p>"I want it to stay now in Galway,” he said, "as it is called a Galway hooker for a reason, and it will be a great boat for sailing training and day trips in the bay, and for artists in the winter."</p>
<p>For Peter Connolly of Bádóirí an Chladaigh, the Naomh Bairbre represents” a striking presence in the Claddagh Basin, at 47 feet (14 meters) long and with a 47-foot-high mast.</p>
<p>"We are delighted with Steve’s gesture,” he said, “and we plan to ensure it becomes a municipal floating arts space for artists and musicians who can use it when it is not out sailing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Given Galway’s relative lack of artistic venues, this opportunity may prove invaluable for young artists."</p>
<p>Stay connected at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/galwayhookers/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/galwayhookers.</a>&nbsp;</p>
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World’s Largest Galway Hooker Donated To Galway City and County

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