Gandelow
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The gandelow is a traditional wooden fishing boat used on the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
on the west coast of
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The boat has been in use by fishing communities since at least the 17th century, mostly for catching salmon and cutting reeds. The gandelow is a flat-bottomed boat about 7 metres long constructed by local craftsmen following traditional designs. It has recently experienced a revival and is now in use for sport, exercise and recreational fishing.


History

The origins of the gandelow’s name are unknown - it may be connected with that of the Italian
gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...
('small boat') or, possibly, be a version of the
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
name for their flat-bottomed boats. Most gandelows were around 7 metres (23 feet) along and were rowed by two or three fishermen whose main catch was
salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
. The boats were also used for cutting thatching reeds and for transporting people and the occasional cow or sheep. In
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
, some boats were used to take pilots out to the ocean-going vessels or acted as small
Lighter (barge) A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps" and the motive power of water currents. Th ...
s transporting goods to the docks. The boat's variations in form reflect the unique different conditions up and down the Shannon estuary. In Limerick, the fishing village was on Clancy Strand opposite King John's Castle. The story of the gandelow has been described in Jim McInerney's book "The Gandelow: a Shannon Estuary Fishing Boat" published in 2005. The fishermen of those times would no doubt be astonished to see that their working boat is now being built again, prized by the Limerick riverside community for its beauty and raced for entertainment and exercise. By the 1950s it was getting harder to find the long spruce boards needed for building the boats and so shorter boats of 21 feet, or even 18 feet long became more common. Eventually, gandelow building faded away as fish stocks declined and limits on fishing on the Shannon were applied.


Construction

The 23-foot boats of the traditional Shannon type are specialised craft which evolved different forms in various parts of the estuary over the centuries. These variations enabled the fishermen to deal with the challenges of the river with its exceptional tidal range. The different forms are described in the book "Traditional Boats of Ireland" (2008). The gandelow has 'butterfly planks' at the stern and this design feature (seen in the photograph) differentiates it from the
Dory A dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. It is easy to build because of its simple lines. For centuries, the dory has been used as a traditional fishin ...
which is superficially similar. Gandelow building requires the kind of long, clean planks that were available in Limerick's timber port - maybe that's one reason why gandelow building became popular there. Most fishing families had at least one member who had the skills and eye to be a boat-builder. These skills were handed down within the families where such expertise was a considerable asset. As a result, templates and plans were jealously guarded and so few records remain. The boat-builder's shed would be a modest affair - nothing like a modern workshop. Nevertheless, the boats were made with care and became handy craft which could last up to twenty years if maintained well. The construction techniques were simple and effective, the tools used minimal and a great deal of 'eye' was used to fair the lines. Each boat was therefore unique with parts shaped to fit the minor variations caused by the quality of wood available and whether the builder used any moulds, frames or templates (many did not). Gandelows are being built again in Limerick. Four were built at the
Ilen School The Ilen School and Network for Wooden Boat Building is a charitable organisation based in Limerick in Ireland. The school provides work-based learning and therapy for students with a range of backgrounds, abilities and needs. History The schoo ...
and Network for Wooden Boat Building in 2014. The build process was carefully documented and a book produced which serves as a record for future generations.


Gandelows and gondolas

In 2014, at the invitation of the mayor of
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
, four gandelows were taken there to take part in the annual ''Festa degli asparagi'' (Asparagus festival). This was also an opportunity to directly compare the gandelow with local Italian boats of a similar design (such as the 's'ciopon' - meaning 'big gun'- or a 'sandolo'). Indeed, when seen side by side, A gandelow among local boats in Venice (http://www.ilen.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gandelow-Racing-Venice.jpg - photo Gary MacMahon,
Ilen School The Ilen School and Network for Wooden Boat Building is a charitable organisation based in Limerick in Ireland. The school provides work-based learning and therapy for students with a range of backgrounds, abilities and needs. History The schoo ...
, 2014)
there were many similarities in design and methods of construction which lent some support to the theory, voiced annecdotally in Ireland, that the names gandelow and gondola were somehow connected. However, no conclusive evidence has been found yet.


See also

*
Fishing vessels A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
*
Boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood W ...


References


Further reading

* Beautement, Patrick (2014) "''Building a River Shannon Gandelow - A Basic Step-by-Step Guide''", Beautement Books, * Mac Cárthaigh, Críostóir, Editor (2008) "''Traditional Boats of Ireland''" (http://www.tradboats.ie/ Traditional Boats of Ireland consortium) The Collins Press, Cork, {{ISBN, 9781905172399 * Venetian small wooden boats, photographs and construction details at http://www.veniceboats.com/it-restauro-restauro.htm


External links


Ilen School and Network for Wooden Boat Building

Traditional Boats of Ireland
Types of fishing vessels G