<div><em>Cumann Curaí na gCumar</em> | The Currach Community of the Confluences (CCC) needs your help! We are seeking to raise $5000 to pay for the skilled labor and local building materials used in the building of Portland's first Irish currach (more below) ($4000 for boat, $800 for six oars), as well as pay for other resources needed for its proper storage, maintenance, and transport (safety equipment). Few grants are available for this type of project as boats, even traditional ones, are considered capital for non-profits and generally ineligible for funding. But this is an important community project so your financial support is crucial to our cause and will help us achieve our goals. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated, as well as your help in sharing this campaign with those individuals and organizations with resources to aid in our cause.<em> Go raibh maith agaibh, a chairde!</em>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We receive 501(c)(3) status via our parent organization the <a href="https://www.seannos.org/about-icspnw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Irish Cultural Society of the Pacific Northwest</a>. For more information on the currach and our organizational aims <a href="https://www.brianohairt.com/portlandcurrachproject" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here</a>!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>***
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The currach, a wood-framed, skin-lined rowboat, is not just a watercraft but the embodiment of traditional knowledge amassed over thousands of years. Endemic to Ireland's expansive seaboard, many estuaries, and inland lakes, it has a history deeply rooted in the Bronze Age. Its elegantly light but durable design allows it to access shallow inlets as easily as coastal currents. This versatility has kept its design relevant and rowing tradition unbroken despite centuries of colonization and modernization, as well as depopulation of Irish-speaking communities, many of whom have passed on the tradition of currach making.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The boat's iconic shape—its black canvas skin, uniquely long-planked oars, and upturned bow—makes it unmistakable from a distance. Its ribbing and skin stretch, bend, flex, and breathe as mere centimeters of canvas separate the boat from the water. Rowers, therefore, must row in balanced tandem with each other, continually considering wind and current. For this reason, CCC's motto borrows from the Irish proverb <em>Ní neart go cur le chéile</em> - No strength without unity.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The currach-rowing tradition in North America, in the form of racing clubs, first developed in the diaspora communities of the Northeast, spreading around the Great Lakes and upper Ohio Basin. There are roughly a half-dozen such active clubs currently. However, with the exception of Vancouver, B.C., this tradition has not spread beyond the Rocky Mountains. Cumann Curaí na gCumar is a budding organization apart from the regatta-focused clubs back east established in Portland, Oregon near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The establishment of the Currach Community of the Confluences is another crucial step in preserving the Irish cultural tradition of currach building and rowing. We seek to establish a rowing practice among our Irish cultural community while embodying the Irish language (Gaeilge) in this practice as we flourish.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We also seek through this practice to draw attention to issues surrounding water access and Columbia and Willamette watershed health and to build solidarity with Indigenous communities who have particular dependence on water access and health to thrive. Our newly constructed three-hand (i.e. seats) currach will soon navigate the waters of the Willamette with the aim of drawing attention to these intersecting concerns as well as adding to the history of strong boating culture that permeates the area - and has well before the arrival of European settlers who established Portland.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Our vessel was hand-crafted by father-son duo Steve and Joseph Carrigg of Hazelwood Boats in Tigard, Oregon. It is composed of locally sourced Oregon White Oak, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas Fir, each chosen for their specific properties that contribute to the durability and performance of the boat. The construction process, completed over the spring and summer of 2024, involved traditional techniques and inovaation with deep respect for the materials used. Through ongoing mentorship with the Carriggs, CCC hopes to build a four-hand vessel for longer hauls along the river systems of the Willamette Valley, lower Columbia, and coast in a few short years. Cumann Curaí na gCumar welcomes rowers and non-rowers alike from any community with an interest in learning more about this tradition while building a relationship with the many waters and nations that flow through our region.  
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Here are some pictures of the currach as it was built this year:
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445133146028_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>Once the upper and lower gunwales of Douglas Fir have been attached to each other by the stanchions of Western Red Cedar, and the planks and knees are in place for the seats, the process of installing the ribbing begins.
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445158874843_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>These ribs of Oregon White Oak are steamed and bent into shape by the builders who situate them parallel to the seats into slots on the lower gunwale.
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445186429442_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>Once the ribbing is installed, the currach takes on its iconic profile. Notice that no nails have been used to secure the ribbing. Tension keeps them in place.
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445220105974_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>To further reinforce the hull, strakes made of Western Red Cedar run perpendicular to the ribbing and are securely stapled into place. Once this process is finished, it's time to "skin" the boat.
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445277320870_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>Traditionally, tarred hide or canvas is used to cover the hull. We, however, decided on ballistic nylon in order to withstand strikes from large woody debris that often flow down the Willamette and Columbia rivers. It has been tinted black to mimic the color of tarred canvas and stapled in place.
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/78898415_1728445308903471_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div>Currachs are generally stored upside down on the shoreline to allow them to dry between use. But from this angle you can also view the breathtaking craftsmanship of the Carriggs. All that is left to be constructed now are the long, planked oars!
</div>

Jennifer Hopkinson

Elisa Chandler

Harper Tobin

Michael Dunne

John Vechey

Marianne ODoherty

Amanda Daly

Elizabeth A MacGregor

Alicia Adams

Anonymous

Holly Griffith

Philip Meehan

Kathleen Walsh

Gary Acheson

Bridget Canniff

Josephine Brogan

Liam Fanning

James Dewar

Help fund the building of Portland's first Irish currach!

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Help fund the building of Portland's first Irish currach!

Todavía faltan $2,175. Ayúdanos a conseguir impulso.