Gaoth Dobhair brothers win annual Three Island Challenge currach race

A team of brothers from Gaoth Dobhair have won the fifth annual Three Island Challenge taking place in Skerries today.

Having won the race for traditional currachaí in 2021, Simon, Ronan and Michael Ó Domhnaill were motivated to come back strongly this year, to account for the fact that they did not manage to win the 2022 edition of the hotly contested race. 

The 2023 race course was altered due to inclement weather, with the 12 competing boats completing a seven-kilometre trajectory on the leeward side of the three islands off the coast of the north County Dublin town. 

The Ó Domhnaill brothers racing their way to victory

Cllr Adrian Henchy, who was elected Mayor of Fingal on Friday, performed the prize giving ceremony, presenting the 'East Coast Currach Rowing Championship Perpetual Cup' to the victorious O’Domhnaill brothers. 

Mayor Henchy said: “I am absolutely delighted to be here, as Mayor of Fingal. It is my first event; I was elected last night. It turned out to be a magnificent afternoon, with the boats and the community coming out in force. 

"The currachaí are magnificent, and the craftsmanship that has gone into making them is phenomenal.

"And it’s great to see so many people travelling to be part of this event; people coming from overseas and all over Ireland, with competing teams coming from Clare, Cork, Down and Donegal and other counties.

“The Three Island Challenge is a wonderful community event, and Skerries is a fantastic town, right in the heart of Fingal, and I want to pay tribute to the organisers of the Challenge, the Currachaí na Sceirí group and all the volunteers that made today’s event possible."

Currachaí na Sceirí is a group of boatbuilding rowers and enthusiasts of traditional currachs. They have revived the currach racing tradition that began in 1959, when Denis Guiney, founder of Clery's department store, presented a silver cup to the Skerries Currach race.

The group has built a number of its own currachaí, and purchased boats from Cork, Clare and a North Mayo-style Belderrig, which had previously featured in ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘King Arthur’.

The Skerries Three Island Challenge / Dúshlán na dTrí Oileán na Sceirí differs from other regattas, in that it is open to all types of currachaí, including two, three and four hander boats, with a handicap system being applied.

The race is a showcase not just of athleticism, but also of the many different crafts involved in traditional Irish boats.