The Ilen School and Network for Wooden Boat Building is a

charitable organisation A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

based in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The school provides

work-based learning "Work-based learning (WBL) is an educational strategy that provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply academic and technical skills and develop their employability." It is a series of educational courses which integrate ...

and therapy for students with a range of backgrounds, abilities and needs.

History

The school was formed in 2000 and was based in the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) building in Roxborough. It was initially an exploratory programme, funded as part of regeneration initiatives in deprived parts of the city. Over time, its reputation has grown and alternative donors have come forward to support its work.

Activities

A wide range of traditional Irish boats are constructed by the students, including the

gandelow The gandelow is a traditional wooden fishing boat used on the River Shannon on the west coast of Ireland. The boat has been in use by fishing communities since at least the 17th century, mostly for catching salmon and cutting reeds. The gandelow ...

currach A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh". The construction and design of the currach are unique ...

and

dory Dory most commonly refers to: * Dory (boat), a small, shallow-draft boat * Dory, the common name of several fish; see List of fishes known as dory * Dory (''Finding Nemo''), a fictional character Dory may also refer to: Arts and entertainmen ...

. In addition, the school was involved in the rebuilding of the A. K. Ilen (re-launched in May 2018 and from which the school gets its name) which was designed by

Edward Conor Marshall O'Brien Edward Conor Marshall O'Brien (3 November 1880 – 18 April 1952) was an Irish aristocrat and intellectual. His views were republican and nationalist. He was also owner and captain of one of the first boats to sail under the tri-colour of the Iris ...

and built near

Baltimore, County Cork Baltimore (; , translated as "fort of the jewels") is a village in western County Cork, Ireland. It is the main village in the parish of Rathmore and the Islands, the southernmost parish in Ireland. It is the main ferry port to Sherkin Island, ...

in 1926. The school has had a significant role in building, documenting and (re)educating Irish fishing communities who have lost the expertise to build traditional Irish boats. Courses on

building have taken place on the Aran Islands{{Cite web , url=http://ilen.ie/projects/project-3/ , title=Currach Building « ilen.ie , access-date=2015-01-29 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205014700/http://ilen.ie/projects/project-3/ , archive-date=2015-02-05 , url-status=dead and the

is being reintroduced on the River Shannon, Shannon estuary.

References

External links

Ilen School website

Big Boat Build at hegarty's boatyard, Old Court, Skibbereen, Ireland

Traditional Boats of Ireland
Education in Limerick (city) 2000 establishments in Ireland

History

Activities

See also

References

External links