This week we spent a lovely evening learning about the restoration of Galway Hookers by the The Claddagh Boatmen (Bádóirí an Cladaig).
We took a boat trip from the Claddagh across the Corrib via the Mud Dock to the lay-by near the Galway Lifeboat Station. From there we went to Galway Ocean Sports Club to meet the Claddagh Boatmen and view the restoration project and learn about the Galway Hooker fleet.
Mud Dock Galway
During the session a question arose regarding the history of what is known as the Mud Dock. Rob Murphy kindly researched its origin..
On the 1651 map there is just a sea wall where the long walk is now, with no buildings after the Spanish Arch. On a 1747 map the mud dock is there, at the end of the sea wall, but the docks as we know it had not been built, so just a bay/swamp in that area. So there you have it, the mud dock was built between 1691 and 1747. The commercial docks was built in 1842, so the mud dock pre-dates it by between circa 100 to 150 years.
Pictures Speak Louder Than Words
You can visit The Claddagh Boatmen site here: www.claddaghboatmen.com