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Crews rowed two currachs from the island as a symbolic gesture in anticipation of the 10-day celebration of the region\u2019s rich maritime history. \u00a0The vessels, the Danny Rowan and The Mary O, hold a special place in the festival\u2019s history as they were made during the inaugural event in 2013.<\/p>\n
The currach crew members exchange gifts in Ballycastle with help from the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Alderman Maura Hickey.The festival is named after Rathlin Sound, the body of water which separates Rathlin from Ballycastle. \u00a0The currachs and their crew were met in Ballycastle by a group of supporters which included the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Maura Hickey. She said: \u201cWhat a fantastic sight to see these community-made currachs reach dry land in Ballycastle. Rathlin and Ballycastle might be separated by a wide expanse of water, but this maritime pathway is also what joins both together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival is a celebration of both communities, their connection to the water and their shared nautical heritage. With just days to go until the official start of the festival, I was delighted to be a part of this event.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0In Ballycastle, an exchange of gifts took place to reinforce the historic links between both areas.<\/p>\n
Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival will officially begin on Friday 26th<\/sup> May with a traditional blessing of the boats to offer safe passage to all who work or travel on the water.<\/p>\n Rathlin Island will open its exhibition of HMS Drake artefacts \u2013 which has extra significance this year as 100 years have passed since the battleship sank in Church Bay following a torpedo attack by a German U-Boat.<\/p>\n Following this, a packed programme of events is planned throughout the festival period.<\/p>\n Ballycastle seafront will be transformed into a main hub of activity, with Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market, free family activities, cookery demonstrations, music and dance, sandcastle competition and Jet Man demonstrations just a small part of what\u2019s on offer.<\/p>\n Along with visiting currachs, Rathlin Island will also welcome Viking friends from Ardglass, who bring a (charitable!) taste of invasion and battle re-enactment from their boat \u2018Ellen Dubh\u2019, star of \u2018The Vikings\u2019 TV series.<\/p>\n Ian Stephen and Christine Morrison bring a link with the communities of Western Scotland and beyond with storytelling and workshops, and look out for an exciting introduction to islands and seafarers of the South Pacific from some new friends to the Festival.<\/p>\n For a truly unique experience, the West Lighthouse Seabird Centre will be opening its doors for a special sunset experience during the week. \u00a0For full details on the festival itinerary go to www.rathlinsoundmaritimefestival.com<\/a> or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We look forward to sharing our maritime heritage with you all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A special crossing took place between Rathlin Island and Ballycastle on Friday evening ahead of the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival. Crews rowed two currachs from the island as a symbolic gesture in anticipation of the 10-day celebration of the region\u2019s rich maritime history. \u00a0The vessels, the Danny Rowan and The Mary O, hold a special … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14235"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14235"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14238,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14235\/revisions\/14238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}