Row, row, row your boat
By Carrie Trousil

Have you ever wondered if there is local access to a good Irish workout? Aside from hurling or doing the Guinness arm curls.

Well, there is an option, thanks to the Irish Currach Club of Milwaukee (ICCM), which offers up a traditional solution for those of you who need to get your blood pounding and adrenalin pumping.

Currachs are old-fashioned Irish fishing boats, a variety of which acquired a new niche as racers. Long and thin, they usually measure 20 to 25 feet in length and weigh only about 250 pounds, perfect for gliding over a watery raceway.

However, those in the ICCM are never pressured to race. Club member Michelle McGeoghegan said, "Not all of our members are actively involved in the regattas, because of the travel time required. A lot come just for the exercise because it's a nice whole-body workout." Arm muscles are obviously the key group here. But while rowing, one's feet push against an inner foot bar for leverage, balancing the strain.

While this may sound a bit strenuous, anyone is encouraged to become a member. McGeoghegan added, "We have a whole range of ages in our group, mostly 30 and up but we also have women in their 50s. And we're trying to get more teens involved to carry on the tradition."

Last year, the ICCM debuted mother/son and mother/daughter races just for fun on the Sunday of Milwaukee Irish Fest, although its annual regatta is held Saturday afternoon of the festival.

"I became involved when I saw the currachs at Irish Fest," McGeoghegan recalled. "Although people see us practicing at the lake, inquire what we're doing and get involved that way, too." To catch a glimpse of the currachs in action, meander down to McKinley Marina on Milwaukee's lakefront, around 5:30 p.m. any evening or on a Saturday morning. "We get into the marina as soon as possible in spring and then go through October," McGeoghegan said.

While curraching in Wisconsin is obviously only a summertime sport, the club is still active during the frigid seasons as well. For example, during the 2000-2001 off-season, ICCM members studied boat-repair at UW-Milwaukee. They gleaned knowledge with which the crew plans to build their own currach next winter. Furthermore, members work throughout the year to educate the community on currach culture.

"We're also a member of NACA, or the North American Currach Association," McGeoghegan explained. "The group has teams in Pittsburgh, Annapolis, Albany, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans and Columbus."

NACA originated as a predominantly East Coast organization. Yet with addition of midwestern teams, competition became more accessible for the Milwaukeeans, who organized themselves around 1989.

"We contacted the Pittsburgh team in '89 and they built and brought us a boat to that summer's Irish Fest, teaching us how to race it," McGeoghegan added. The Mulkerrin shipbuilding brothers of Pittsburgh were mainly to thank for that favor.

The ICCM currently uses another one-year old boat and oars, also handmade by the pair, although club retains a few other currachs in "various stages of disrepair," as well, she said. ICCM members are now capable of fixing up their own currachs, a project with which to keep busy when the snow starts to fly.

So remember, when you're walking around Irish Fest this year, make sure to break away from the beer and dancing long enough to check out the curraching. If you like what you see, give McGeoghegan a call and she'll be happy to get you into a boat.

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Want to Join?
The Irish Currach club of Milwaukee is a non-profit, co-ed organization that serves to foster and further the Irish nautical tradition in the Midwest. A member of the North American Currach Association, ICCM also promotes currach racing in this country. For more information, contact, Michelle McGeoghegan at 262-569-1459 or michelle@kmsd.edu.