Four oarsmen are attempting the first north Irish Sea crossing by racing currach this weekend to raise money for west coast lifeboats, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent
The four, from Galway - Patrick O'Malley (21), Martin Freeney (22), Niall Higgins (21) and Fergus Colleran (21) - took a ferry crossing to Scotland last night with their currach in preparation for the east-west transit on Saturday.
The weather forecast is "reasonable" for the sea area, according to Patrick O'Malley, However, the crew will face considerable exposure during the 35km (22 mile) journey, due to the light nature of their canvas craft.
"It is known that racing currachs are built for speed,and don't have the stability of working currachs," Mr O'Malley said. "So we will just have to get over fast!"
The four will be accompanied by a support vessel, and both Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offshore craft at Portpatrick in Scotland and Donaghadee, Co Down, hope to shadow the attempt.
"The lifeboats will be on duty, so we can't rely on them completely," Mr O'Malley said.
The target of €20,000 will be divided between the Aran Islands' offshore lifeboat - one of the busiest on the coastline - and the Galway inshore craft.
• Donations can be made to the Irish Sea Challenge - RNLI, through Allied Irish Banks.
