This project was developed through the Heritage Keepers programme, supported by Burrenbeo Trust, to celebrate and preserve the rich heritage of Carrigaholt and the wider Loop Head Peninsula.

As a rowing club rooted in the waters, traditions, and community of this coastline, we feel a strong responsibility to help protect and share the stories that shaped the place we call home.

Our project grew from a belief that the stories of Carrigaholt and the wider Loop Head Peninsula deserve to be gathered, preserved, and shared with pride. The waters we row today carried fishermen, currachs, estuary pilots, traders, storytellers, and families whose lives were bound to the Shannon Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. We believe that inheriting this place also brings a responsibility to honour it.

Through community research, oral histories, photographs, local knowledge, and archival material, this project explores the maritime history of Carrigaholt, the story of boating on the Shannon, and the important role once played by the fisheries co op at the heart of village life. The interpretive board offers a starting point, but this website allows us to continue expanding the collection with deeper research, imagery, memories, and resources as they emerge.

At its heart, this project is about connection, between past and present, between people and place, and between heritage and community. By understanding the waters that shaped those before us, we strengthen our sense of identity today and help ensure these stories remain alive for future generations.