Irish Canoe Classics

Hooray! The summer has ben one of large misty loughs, visits to the western loughs in Galway, most by Tony.

September brought a visit over to the Liffey descent, my role this year being photgraphy, as I was certainly not fit enough to kneel in a boat for over 17 miles. The whole eventwas amazing, over 1,200 paddlers, and the traffic was either awesome or awful!

After a tiring day for Tony, who with Paul Carroll from the White Water Club, came in 13th or so in the open canoe event, very creditable, we then on the next day had to go and paddle the Inny, as we hadn’t covered it for the book!

Time has now zoomed on to mid-October, which feels incredible.

The text is finished apart from some detail on two routes, we are debating (our word for arguing) about which mammals, birds or fish we should write about to intersperse in the text, and maps are nearly all done, we have obtained permission from OS Ireland to use their maps etc. etc.

 The final choice of photos is the next large job, and due to Tony’s professionalism, we have some super ones. It is always a problem, the choice of photos - lots of grassy riverbanks which all look the same, or one’s mates messing about in boats, which also look all the same? The answer is a subtle choice of lannscapes, moods and weather, using colour, light and cloud……with the odd canoe in the scene.

 Today (Oct. 14th), I am off to Kendal in Cumbria to speak to an audience aat the Brewery Arts Centre about ‘Scottish Canoe Classics’, with a the first few Irish photos at the end.

 More soon!

Eddie