IRISH CURRACH CLUB OF BEAVER ISLAND
PO BOX 22 // BEAVER ISLAND // MICHIGAN // 49782 // bicurrach@gmail.com
Established 2020
Background
In September of 2019, the Irish Currach Club of Milwaukee brought two currachs and ten members to the inaugural Emerald Irish Feile, due in part to a grant from the Milwaukee Irish Festival Foundation. The currachs were a huge success at the Feile generating so much local enthusiasm that the Irish Currach Club of Milwaukee left a boat here to encourage the development of a currach club on Beaver Island. In 2022 The Beaver Island Historical Society became the official sponsoring agent of the club as an active supporter, providing storage for the boat. In 2024 the Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group assumed official sponsorship of the club.
The currach has been used in Ireland for centuries for fishing, transportation and rescue. Currachs have a hand-made wooden frame and are today covered in canvas that is hardened and water-proofed with oil-based paint; older currachs were covered in cow hide and tarred. Each coastal region of Ireland has its own style of currach; the boat on loan from the Irish Currach Club of Milwaukee is modeled after the 4-seat currach from the Dingle Peninsula. The currach is flat-bottomed and has no keel, so it sits very high on the water and can navigate up shallow rivers and can also handle rough waves out on Lake Michigan. Currach oars, each about 10 feet long, are distinctively blade-less, used for stabilization and to propel the boat through high surface contact.
Club Goals
The Irish Currach Club will seek to introduce the currach and its connection to the nautical heritage of Ireland to the Beaver Island community and to the northern Michigan region. Additionally, it will introduce the Beaver Island community to the culture of currach racing in North America. Beaver Islanders are naturals around the water, and the introduction of the currach club may lead to a group which could race in sanctioned regattas. Another goal of the club will be the development of ties between members of the overall Milwaukee Irish community and the Beaver Island Irish Community. Finally, the club will provide a healthy leisure activity for members.
Membership / Sponsorship
Anyone interested in promoting the Irish Currach Club of Beaver Island is welcome. You may wish to join because you are interested in rowing for fun, developing skills to be a competitive rower, want to work on boats, or just want to see these beautiful boats add a beautiful silhouette as they glide across the harbor. Membership dues and sponsorship donations will be used to pay for insurance, safety equipment, annual dues to the North American Currach Association.
Annual Membership Fee: $75.00 Adults; $35 Youth. This allows the member to use the currach during regularly scheduled practice times. Memberships valid from May 1–April 30.
Sponsorship: Donations in any amount will be accepted. Donors will be recognized on the club’s webpage, Facebook page and in press releases.
2025 Expected Rowing Season Activities
Full Year Membership for 2025 is $75.00; $35.00 fee for those ages 15-17.
Fee can be paid:
by check to ICCBI PO Box 22 Beaver Island MI 49782 or
by Venmo to @KittyMcNamara
CLUB RULES
- No person is allowed to go on the water without an approved ICCBI Captain.
- The boat captain is in charge of the boat and their instructions have to be followed.
- All persons on the water must wear a lifejacket/buoyancy aid from the moment the slip area is approached and must be worn until leaving the slip area.
- Each person must ensure that all equipment is always treated carefully.
- All persons have the right to be treated with respect, both on and off the water.
- No person is permitted to go towing while under the influence of intoxication liquor or other substances.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult or guardian and should be always supervised while around the slip or in the currach.
- All persons must be satisfied that they are physically able to row and must inform the captain of their boat if they become unable to row.
Data Protection: ICCBI will hold and use your personal and sensitive data for the purposes of your involvement in club activities. You understand that by submitting this form you are consenting to receiving information about the club by post, email/MMS, text, online or by phone. Your data will not be shared with any third party. If you become a Club Captain, your contact details including your phone number will be shared with all current members.
Membership runs from May 1 – April 30.
Irish Currach Club of Beaver Island
PO BOX 22
bicurrach@gmail.com