Meet our Galway Hooker Sailing Club Crew

Ciarán Oliver - COMMODORE

Ciarán’s family history dates back over one-hundred years to the fishing village known as the Claddagh (his great-great uncle was the last ‘King of the Claddagh’ Máirtín Oliver).

To say the sea is in his blood is probably the best way to describe him! Ciarán has considerable experience in maritime instruction and commercial fishing, and together with his extended family he also runs Galway Bay Boat Tours.

His passion for the seas around the west coast of Ireland is contagious. Keeping traditional fishing & boat-building practices alive is his vocation - a life-long mission. He is, without doubt, the heart & soul of our community and club and his dedication to the growth of the club is reflected in the clubs many achievements since it began. He is a selfless community volunteer, an extremely talented sailor and seaman (with multiple certificates), teacher & wonderful friend to countless people in Galway and beyond. When he’s not fishing, sailing or on the water - he works as a firefighter with Fire & Rescue Galway.

Ross Forde

Ross is a trained Skipper holding a commercially endorsed ISA Advanced Powerboat Licence, together with a Maritime Radio Operator Certificate and RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore qualifications. He is a crew member with the local Galway City RNLI Lifeboat and a firefighter with Fire & Rescue Galway. The emergency services are in his blood.

After partaking in the first Hooker Skills Training course with Ciaran Oliver & Cóilín Hernon, Ross (who is the great-great grandson of famous boat builder, Patrick Brannelly) developed a relentless passion for traditional sailboats; so much so, that he undertook the mighty task of bringing the Brannelly boat, Lovely Anne, back to Galway and back to life! The synchronicities that unfolded with Ross’ endeavour to restore Lovely Anne have been miraculous, and these interactions and coincidences remain the thread of inspiration that keeps our project moving forward, and developing further.

Tina Concannon - Secretary

Tina hails from the other fishing village, Freeport in Bearna, and is definitely a born and bred Galway girl. With absolutely no background or experience in sailing (or anything maritime) Tina joined as a youth leader in the Port of Galway Sea Scouts in 2017 and completed the National Powerboat Course. From there she completed the Hooker Skills Course and signed up as crew for the Lovely Anne restoration project. After the success of this restoration, Tina helped setup GHSC to restore the next hooker Loveen on behalf of the scouts.

Tina went on to complete the RYA Day Skipper Course and one of her happiest memories of 2020 was the opportunity to take the helm of 3 of the 4 club boats - Lovely Anne, Anam Cara and Nóra Bheag!

Cóilín Hernon

Cóilín is regarded as a master boat-builder. His upbringing involved working on Currachs, small Gleoiteógs and Púcáns in his native Carna, Connemara alongside his father Pádraig. He bought his first Currach at 14 years of age and had to fit two planks to her hull, where she had previously been holed. Cóilín used this currach to tow seaweed which he had cut along the local shoreline and which he would then sell to the seaweed factory in Kilkerrin for 2 pounds and 2 shillings per tonne. The Hernon family still own and use this currach to this day. Cóilín has also completed repair work on several Galway Hookers over the years, most notably our club boats; Nóra Bheag, Lovely Anne and Loveen. Cóilín and his family owned, repaired and sailed a number of Gleoiteógs while he grew up in Carna, including the Múrlach (later Fíona/ Ga Gealaí), the Caorán (also known as Roisín na Mainíoch), the Asurnaí (Bád Joe Conaola) and the Nova Scotia. In 1972 the Hernons rigged the Múrlach as a Púcán and began sailing her. Cóilín bought the Nóra Bheag (then known as Púcán Mhadaoin) during the year that he did his Leaving Certificate. The boat was later restored in her entirety in 1987/88 in the Hernon’s back garden in Renmore, Galway City. She was launched shortly after that and rigged her as a Gleoiteóg. She has sailed out of the Claddagh every year since then and has participated in, and won, her fair share of regattas.

Cóilín Hernon is our gifted master boat builder and a wealth of knowledge in the history and traditions of Galway Hookers. He oversees all of our hooker restoration projects along with his two sons, Éinde and Cóilín Óg. He is a retired secondary school vice-principal and is always willing to guide youngsters and the volunteers through the boat building process.

Galway Hooker Sailing Club are very grateful for his expertise, dedication & passion.

Jonathan Curran

Jonathan is a qualified sailing instructor, certified by the ISA and is the official Training Co-ordinator for our sailing club. His family hail from the Claddagh and would have had a hooker or two in their time as their main source of income. Following in his family’s footsteps, he is proud owner of Galway Hooker: Bád Josie Churraoín.

Aideen Kilkelly 

Aideen is an IS certified sailor and for many years she was an active member of Galway Bay Sailing Club. She now spends her time at GHSC and helps out where she can. As well as a qualified engineer, she also enjoys surfing, sea-swimming, and a bit of ceramics in her spare time. A dream came true this year when she became part-owner of the Galway Hooker Anam Cara with 5 other club members.

elizabeth steede (New York, usa)

Elizabeth Steede - Born and raised an hour north of NYC she’s always loved the ocean. She was introduced to sailing in college, sailing lasers. After college, she crewed on a 36ft catamaran on weekends for two summers before getting involved in Weekend Series Racing on the Long Island Sound. As a crew member on Gringo, a Pearson 37, the highlight of the summer was the Valeur-Jensen Stamford Denmark Race which she participated in over several years. Although her previous sailing skills were limited (mainly as "rail meat") she plans to participate in RYA Day Skipper Navigation course in April and is also working on getting her small powerboat license in order to be more capable! Elizabeth moved to Galway from Connecticut, USA in the summer of 2018 with her husband and two teenage sons to be closer to family. They reside in Salthill. Elizabeth also helps organizes the Boating First Aid Course for the Club.  

collette furey

Collette Furey joined Galway Hooker Sailing Club in February 2019 through the Hooker Skills Course and has been an active member ever since. She came knowing little or nothing about Hookers and traditional craft but through the knowledge and skills of the crew, she is now a proud owner, along with 5 other club members, of the Galway Hooker Anam Cara. Within the club Collette helps to co-ordinate and run the Hooker Skills Courses, as well as help with ‘on the water’ sailing activities and is working with local primary schools to teach children about the history and sailing of Galway Hookers.

Collette also works away at sea on a Dutch Tall Ship, the Bark Europa, where her roles include deck, guide, galley and bar hand.

Prior to 2107 she had no experience at sea or on boats and was happy working away as a primary school teacher in Scoil Bhríde, Shantalla.

Mark Lohan (Cork)

I’m from Cork. I sailed into Galway in 1990 and met a Galway girl so I stayed. I joined the GHSC so that I might be able to sail back to Cork some day.

Claire VanValkenburg (Wisconsin, USA)

Claire joined Galway Hooker Sailing Club in the summer of 2020, earning their National Powerboat Certification and completing the Hooker Skills Course with the club. Claire is from western Wisconsin, and grew up sailing, driving, and paddling all kinds of boats. Claire first began teaching youth sailing in 2016 at a YMCA summer camp, and went on to become a Lead Youth Instructor for Hoofer Sailing Club in Madison, Wisconsin in 2019.

Claire is a YMCA certified youth sailing instructor, an Irish Water Safety Lifeguard, and a Red Cross lifeguard. Claire is also a small business owner and professional mermaid, working to engage children in aquatic conservation through creative performance. For Culture Day in 2020, the club partnered with Claire's business to reenact the legend of the Claddagh mermaid - this time, aboard a Hooker!

In 2020, Claire moved to Galway after studying at NUIG for a semester in undergrad. Knowing nothing of traditional boats, but passionate about learning, Claire was excited to volunteer for the club and help out with media relations and fundraising. In 2021 Claire will attend the MSc in Coastal & Marine Science at NUI Galway with hopes of working in aquatic conservation outreach or childhood environmental education.

Johnny Browne

Jonathan aka Johnny is another native Galwegian residing in Shantalla, who is currently realizing a lifelong dream of boating on Galway Bay. First attracted to the club by the National Powerboat Course, it was not long before he fell for our cherished Hooker boats and continued on to complete the Hooker Skills Course. 

When he is not working in the software industry as a solutions architect or floating about on the Bay, he is working on his carpentry and construction projects. He has recently learnt of his families maritime history in the City and he l­­­­ooks forward to retracing some of this through the club with his wife and two children.  

Claudia Falk (Germany)

Originally from Germany Claudia spent an year working as an Au-pair in County Tipperary when she was 20 years old. Its been a life dream to return and this was realized two years ago when she moved to Galway. She joined the club in 2019 after spotting a gorgeous picture of a Hooker boat in the Claddagh on Instagram and was instantly drawn to becoming more involved in the restorations of old hooker boats. She loved that there where so many different kind of people joining the information evening and felt straight away this will be part of my new life in Galway.

Claudia has fond memories of spending foggy Galway evenings in the workshop trying to pull out some old rusty nails of the Loveen. It was a special thing for her to be “in touch” with this old boat and her history. She also enjoyed the spirit of the still young club and how welcoming and social, offering opportunities to gather and meet with many interesting and likeminded people, oh and a cake was made that had the shape of a hooker boat.

2020 has changed everyone’s life but our club still made the best out of it where possible. Following the restrictions of Covid 19 Claudia remembers the amazing water sessions - whether on a speed boat or on a Hooker boat itself. It was an unforgettable feeling having the wind and water around myself and sailing out the Claddagh towards Mutton Island.

Claudia was a big supporter of the Christmas pop up shop, which took part in the Galway Bay Seafoods. She made beautiful glass candleholders to sell and loved the interaction with the people of Galway and win the hearts and interests of new people.