Michael Walsh and Michael Madden Currach Making

My grand uncle Michael “Bobby”Walsh was a boat and Currach builder from Inishturk south, he mover to the mainland near Clifden in later years. We lived with him, As a child our front yard was always filled with a boat or currach he was building / repairing, He also spent time making traditional lobster pots from Oshers , and mending the fishing nets, there was always a smell of wood and tar about the house, all his tools were hand tools, our childhood was spent in the yard with him, playing in the shavings and cut offs of timber, sometimes we sat on the wood for him when he was cutting it to keep it steady. He was a beautiful gentle man who supported all the fishing community. He shared stories and fishing grounds with his community who consisted mostly of his extended family. Our childhood was the better of this proud island man and his traditions being a part Of our everyday lives