Northern Ireland

Row, row, row the boat gently down the River Lagan on Saturday

The taster sessions on the River Lagan will take place in a 33ft currach named Mamach M&oacute;r (Big Mammal), which was built by volunteers over several months in 2016. Picture by&nbsp;Explore Home Photography as part of the Portaferry Sails and Sounds Festival.<br />
The taster sessions on the River Lagan will take place in a 33ft currach named Mamach Mór (Big Mammal), which was built by volunteers over several months in 2016. Picture by Explore Home Photography as part of the Portaferry Sails and Sounds F The taster sessions on the River Lagan will take place in a 33ft currach named Mamach Mór (Big Mammal), which was built by volunteers over several months in 2016. Picture by Explore Home Photography as part of the Portaferry Sails and Sounds Festival.

FOR those trying to avoid wall-to-wall coverage of a royal wedding and two football cup finals on Saturday, here's the solution - you can escape it all (for a while) on the River Lagan.

The Lagan Currachs club is inviting people to join them in their boat on a series of taster sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

Each boat trip will last an hour and will depart from the mooring dock at Stranmillis on the Governor's Bridge, which connects the Stranmillis and Annadale Embankments.

From there, it will head towards the Ormeau Bridge and then back up to Stranmillis Weir, where the boat will be tied to allow participants to enjoy a "floating cup of tea".

The first session will begin at 1pm on both days, with the last boat departing at 6pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.

There is space for crews of up to 12 people, with organisers stating that there are spots on each journey for "one or two" non-rowers who would prefer to take in the sights and let others do the hard work.

However, organisers have asked that anyone wishing to travel as non-rowers email them in advance to check availability.

The taster sessions, in their second year, will take place in a 33ft traditional hand-made wood and canvas currach, which the club has named Mamach Mór (Big Mammal).

The Lagan Currachs group was formed to build the boat - which officially launched in January 2017 - with the aim of using "our boat to bring people together and build new connections and gain new experiences, and draw more attention to the River Lagan and its potential".

The boat was built by volunteers over several months in 2016 and funded by a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Last year the National Lottery also provided the club with financial support to help its development and fund projects.

In the past year, the new boat has enabled the club to venture beyond the Lagan to Portaferry, Carrickfergus and Rathlin Island.

The boating club holds weekly trips along the Lagan. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The boating club holds weekly trips along the Lagan. Picture by Lagan Currachs The boating club holds weekly trips along the Lagan. Picture by Lagan Currachs

At the start of June, it will compete in the Ocean to City race in Cork.

Niamh Scullion, from Lagan Currachs, said that the club is "open to everyone" and pointed out that none of the founding members "had any experience before".

Ms Scullion said: "Our charity, Lagan Currachs, has been having a wonderful year so far rowing on the river Lagan and Belfast Lough, and we would like to invite people to join us on one of these taster sessions.

"The rowing sessions are incredibly good for mental health as well as being good exercise physically.

"The views from the Lagan are really special, they make a profound impact. We can forget when we live here that Belfast is a city on the sea.

"For us it's not about sport, it's about craic and about seeing Belfast from a different perspective," she added.

The event costs £5 plus booking fee and is part of a national campaign called Get Wet, which is co-funded by SportNI and Waterways Ireland.

Anyone wishing to book a place can do so at https://getinvited.to/lagancurrachs---1523110331/lagan-currachs-taster-sessions-get-wet/.

The process of building the boat took several months in 2016. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The process of building the boat took several months in 2016. Picture by Lagan Currachs The process of building the boat took several months in 2016. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The taster sessions are open to everyone regardless of ability or experience. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The taster sessions are open to everyone regardless of ability or experience. Picture by Lagan Currachs The taster sessions are open to everyone regardless of ability or experience. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The boat was officially launched in January 2017. Picture by Lagan Currachs
The boat was officially launched in January 2017. Picture by Lagan Currachs The boat was officially launched in January 2017. Picture by Lagan Currachs