Once again hoisting sails with families sailing Ireland’s oldest and most native boats, and battling it out in the Galway Hookers Association Racing League, Bádóirí returns tonight, March 5 at 8pm for a second series on TG4.
On the western edge of Europe, lies a unique culture that depended on and fought with the Atlantic Ocean for thousands of years. It is the native sailboat, the Galway Hooker, that sustained this poorest of communities, and the new generation of these same families of sailors still sail the coast of Connemara, now racing to be champions.
The rocky inlets west of Galway Bay host the Galway Hooker boat racing series each year. Once the workhorses of the West coast, the distinctive rust-red calico sails of the Galway Hookers now race for glory throughout the summer months. The rivalry is local and intense, the competition fierce, and the waters treacherous.
Producer and Director of Bádóirí, Donncha Mac Con Iomaire says, “There are few societies in the world where a 200 year old boat is the epicentre of the same family for 2 centuries.
“The maritime community of Connemara never underestimates the Atlantic, and the unity of their families cannot afford to succumb to failure at sea. This ancient world that works hard and plays hard is what is still most genuine culture of Ireland.”
Series 1 saw the family owned boats battle one another for the coveted prize of All-Ireland champions. This series sees the introduction of a new boat and a new family to the fleet. Young and eager to impress, this new crew from ‘The Truelight’ becomes a racing force to be reckoned as all the crews push themselves and their boats to their limit.
Series 2 also delves deeper into sailing families lives and histories. One skipper’s illness brings the boatmen together where they share their personal stories, as well as their hopes and fears from their sailing culture.
Towards the end of the series, however, the racing and rivalry becomes more intense and the waters become treacherous. Galway Hooker Racing League is the most extreme of sports!
The four-part series, Bádóirí begins Thursday March 5th, 2020 at 8pm on TG4
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