Category: Events

Events such as historical events, races, exhibitions, processions, regattas and so on.

Curraghs caught in action on YouTube

Court of the Silver King curragh at Clovelly

Court of the Silver King curragh at Clovelly, seen on YouTube

I can’t remember what took me to the the Court of the Silver King website, but while I was there I learned that our salmon-admiring friends are now engaged in building their third curragh – they must be pretty experienced by now.

I also spotted a link to this YouTube clip of them rowing one of their earlier boats, and was struck by the sheer bouyancy and apparent lightness of the boat in action.

Inspired to search a little further, I found some further bits of curragh video:

Here’s a series of YouTube clips of curraghs racing.

Here’s a naomhóg rowing on the river Lee.

And I also found this nice old clip of a curragh taken in the late 1950s. It’s marred by a horrid commercial watermark, but it’s still charming.

Click here for more on curraghs at intheboatshed.net, including photos and excerpts from old books including plans.

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There’s nothing like a little scatology in the early morning

So I was tickled by this post about boat-naming from the way Londoners do it from Messing about in Boats.

Penryn stocks at Falmouth’s Old Curiosity Shop

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Penryn stocks outside Falmouth’s Old Curiosity Shop

Two interesting characters pose for in Penryn Stocks outside Falmouth’s Old Curiosity shop. I feel sure the one on the right is my old mate Bill Crawford. You out there Bill?

I wrote about a Falmouth quay punt for sale a few days ago, and thinking of Falmouth reminded me of a National Maritime Museum Cornwall’s small exhibitions earlier this year.

It was held to celebrate the centenary of the death of John Burton, 19th century owner of the legendary Old Curiosity Shop in Falmouth, and a great local character. Burton claimed he could sell ‘anything from a monkey to a pulpit’, and his shop contained an amazingly diverse collection of objects reflecting the sailors and passengers who passed through Falmouth at the time. Click on the photo above and take a close look at the larger image, and you’ll see what I mean.

One of Burton’s great dealing successes was acquiring the Penryn borough stocks bearing the date 1673, bought from the Mayor of Penryn who had been instructed to sell some council possessions.

No sooner was the purchase complete than there was a howl of indignation from Penryn Council. A heated discussion followed, and to allay ill-feeling Burton wrote to the press to making the following offer: ‘If three of those grumbling Penryn Town Councillors will consent to be placed in the stocks outsid my show next Monday to get their photos taken in the stocks, I will present the said stocks to the Borough of Penryn to prevent further grumbling.’

The offer was not accepted, and the stocks were sold to an antique dealer, and today, the stocks can be seen at Penryn Museum.