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Displaying items by tag: Candlelit Boats

Candlelit paper boats were set adrift in the south Galway harbour of Kinvara late last week at a vigil hosted by the Kinvara Palestine Solidarity Group.

The event, entitled Caoineadh-Lament for Gaza, was held at dusk when many local people assembled at the pier.

Following a brief eulogy from Annie Rosario, a minute’s silence was observed, and then Eugene Lamb, a lone piper, played a lament that echoed across the harbour.

Finola Ó Siochrú sang “Cá bhfuil Mo Mhamaí?, a slow air she wrote to commemorate the children whose families have been killed in the conflict.

Over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 66,000 wounded since Israel began its latest offensive in Gaza four months ago, according to the territory's health ministry.

Ó Siochru's air was followed by a chorus from a women’s group with local people joining in.

Candlelit paper boats were set adrift in the dark, as people held a moment’s silence at KinvaraCandlelit paper boats were set adrift in the dark, as people held a moment’s silence at Kinvara

Candlelit paper boats were then set adrift on the water, in the dark, as the people again held a moment’s silence.

The event was the latest in a series of solidarity vigils and peace marches held in Kinvara and Galway since October 7th.

During the Israeli war in Gaza in the summer of 2014, Kinvara residents and businesses took a collective stand against Israeli actions by pledging to support the growing boycott movement (known as BDS - Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against the state of Israel.

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The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.