The Coracle: One Man in a Tub

By LJ Gormley and Anthony John

You’ve got to see this!” “What now?” I’m trying to focus on my work from which I am usually pretty easily distracted by friends diverting my attention with joke emails.

“I think it’s one of those stupid stunt kind of videos? In this one a guy’s rafting on something that looks like one of those flying saucer snow sleds we had when we were kids. You gotta watch it. Of course, he gets soaked!”

It wasn’t exactly the most auspicious introduction to coracles, I grant you. But, apparently, it was all I needed.
Because, it’s not just racing down a river in a glorified, snow sled, shield, or basket, but a journey through such wild territories as Welsh Indians, cadavers, poaching, and sheep wrasslin’, just to name a few.

Because, we are talking about a boat that has been used for thousands of years and still enjoyed by many for recreation. Indeed, what makes coracles popular now is what has always made them so: anyone can build them, not just because of their simple construction but because the materials are ready to hand. They can be easily carried, transported anywhere, and are good in awkward conditions such as shallow water. Combined with the possession of a net, a coracle enabled a family at least to feed itself if not make a living.

I had all this to learn, and The Coracle: One Man in a Tub is that quick, comprehensive, whacky journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Morning Marsh Press
• Release date: Oct 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301157822

Book preview

The Coracle: One Man in a Tub

By LJ Gormley and A. John

PUBLISHED BY:

Black Morning Marsh Press on Smashwords

As part of the FastTracks to Heritage Craft series

Copyright 2012 L.J. Gormley and A. John

Smashwords Edition License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the authors and may not be reproduced, copied, and distributed for commercial and non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their copies at Smashwords.com where they can also discover other works by these authors. Thank you for your support and for respecting the authors’ work.

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Table of Contents

About the Series

Image Table

Introduction: From Little Acorns...Or Flying Saucers

What Is a Coracle?

Not Quite a Coracle –the Currach

Coracles in History and Literature

Well, If It Can Be Sailed Across the English Channel ...

Welsh Indians?

Made to Order: Coracles on the Rivers of Britain

Like Basket-Weaving: How a Coracle Is Made

But Does It Float?

For a Working Week or a Sunday Afternoon?: Coracle Uses

On the Question of Fish

Could You Do It?

Coracle People and Places

References and Further Reading

About the Series

Have you ever approached the web brimming with enthusiasm for a new hobby or activity only to be overwhelmed by all the information? Maybe so overwhelmed that you put aside your search, and your enthusiasm, for another day, a day that never comes.

Black Morning Marsh Press is pleased to introduce a new e-book series, FastTracks to Heritage Craft, in which our authors explore lost, or potentially lost, trades and tradecraft, drawing together print and digital resources alike to give you a concise consideration of all possible aspects of the subject in an easy-to-read format.

FastTracks because we have found that, over the course of learning about various trades and craft, rail travel and transport has invariably had a major impact on whether they flourished or failed

and

FastTracks because our readers are reading and learning increasingly while on the go, and oftentimes on the train on their way into work.

Each e-book provides an informal introduction of a trade or trade craft, primarily through the eyes of someone approaching the subject for the first time. This fresh approach as well as a list of resources at the end puts the reader onto the fast track to further exploration, knowledge, and experience.

Back to the Table of Contents

Image Table

Cover Image: Coracles fishing on the River Teifi, below Cenarth Falls, upstream of Cardigan town. Personal photograph taken in August 1972, taken from Wikimedia Commons. Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coracles_River_Teifi.jpg

Figure 1 From Craig and McFarlane, The pictorial history of England 1846, taken from Wikimedia Commons. Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_coracle_-_from_%27The_pictorial_history_of_England_-_being_a_history_of_the_people_as_well_as_a_history_of_the_kingdom%27_-_NY_-_Harper%26Brothers_-_1846.jpg

Figure 2 The Infamous English Channel (Teifi) Coracle, taken from Wikimedia Commons. Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_coracle_in_the_church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1379765.jpg

Figure 3 George Catlin’s Mandan Bull Boats and Lodges, taken from Wikimedia Commons. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mandan_Bull_Boats_and_Lodges-_George_Catlin.jpg

Figure 4 How to Carry a Coracle, taken from Wikimedia Commons. Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coracle_(PSF).png

Figure 5 Sketch of a Teifi coracle frame, by A. John. Reproduced with permission by