Northern Ireland

Galway Hookers and their boatmasters to feature in TG4 series

One of the crew members on deck of a Galway Hooker during the summer championship race
One of the crew members on deck of a Galway Hooker during the summer championship race One of the crew members on deck of a Galway Hooker during the summer championship race

A new TV series follows the story of seven Irish families and their ancient Galway Hooker boats as they compete in a championship race.

The hooker, a traditional fishing boat used in Galway Bay, was developed for the wild waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

The crafts have enjoyed a revival in recent years and many of those featured in the programme are more than 120 years old.

Bádóirí, which translates as boatmen, will be screened on Irish language channel TG4 over four episodes.

It follows the families and their boats as they race during the summer to become champions of the Galway Hookers Association Racing League.

TG4 said: "Each boat is different as are their crews, but they share the common goal of maintaining the most elegant wooden vessels in the world.

"This is not a cheap hobby, and these families bear the responsibility of keeping their ancient boats in perfect condition.

"Today’s sailors are still of the same ilk as that of the great boatmasters that went before them, in ability and most definitely in competitivity."

The first episode will be screened on Thursday at 8pm.