FLEADH CHEOIL NA HEIREANN -AUGUST 12- AUGUST 19TH
Winteriscoming viacurrachonthe RiverBoyne! !
IF you’ve even fantasised about paddling up a river like Yara planning to rescue Theon at the Dreadfort, now is your chance.
If you have no idea what that means, well a double delight awaits you!
Boyne Boats is an exciting project which provides a fun, unique and informative adventure boat tour on the Boyne river and Boyne canal navigation system, eventually connecting Newgrange, the Battle of the Boyne and Drogheda.
And for fans of Games of Thrones – origin of the reference above - it’s a chance to paddle in the very currach that featured in the epic and iconic series.
And if you look closely, you might catch sight of your host and guide, Boyne Boats owner Ross Kenny too!
‘You’d have to look very closely though, as I appeared in seven scenes, but if my face was seen too much, I wouldn’t be used again,’ says Ross, who really gets into the spirit of things with his Jon Snow cloak and sword. ‘It was back in 2011 that I first got the call, with the simple question ‘Can I rent a currach’ and the rest as they say is history.’
Seven years later, Game of Thrones, and other productions are still calling and asking that same question. The answer has always been yes, and with the help of Meitheal Mara and other boat owners around Ireland, Ross’s Irish boats have featured in many different scenes.
‘Everything I do is for the love of water and all things boats,’ says Ross, who is originally from Loughshinny, and is married to Mary Hughes from Smithstown.
‘I grew up just metres from the sea’s edge on the beach, and as a teenager, marvelled at the ease at which his neighbour was able to glide across the bay on her windsurfer and decided I want a piece of that action.’
Fast forward to the late 1990s and Ross found himself in Cork, or to be exact Oysterhaven, near Kinsale and it was here he became a student and instructor in all things marine: windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, Dragon Boating, power boating and yacht cruising. ‘It was when I moved back to Co Meath in 2015, that I was a bit shocked at how under used the River Boyne was,’ she says. ‘I contacted the local tourist office and they confirmed that there were no planned activities on the river, especially for tourists. I knew I had to change that!’
Boyne Boats was born the following year, and Ross set up camp by the lock keepers’ cottage and brings people from all over the world on his trips along the Boyne.
His imaginative style of guiding really brings the rich heritage and history to life, and he finds fans of some particular fantasy novels love the trips.
‘I get visitors from all over the globe, and of course from Ireland too, and lots are Game of Thrones fans who think I might tell secrets from the set or about Season 8, but my lips are sealed,’ he says with a laugh.
‘ There is a bit of effort involved, as everyone needs to paddle, but we pass through some amazing scenery, so it doesn’t feel like work at all.’
Like many, Ross was horrified by the damage caused in last week’s fire at the Boyne Trail Boardwalk, which runs right behind his headquarters.
‘It caused terrible destruction to our beautiful boardwalk but thankfully there was no damage to property and it’s business as usual for us.’ Ross does four trips a day, seven days a week, for eight voyagers. Further details are on www.boyneboats. ie and cloaks and dragons are optional!