B
orn into a traditional fishing family in Killough,
Jim migrated to Australia in 1960, but he
regularly returns to the village that lies on the
west side of Killough Bay rising and falling with the
tides from the Irish Sea.
A carpenter by trade, he shared a close and enduring
friendship with Harry Henvey, the late fisherman,
master boat builder and caretaker of St John’s Point
Lighthouse in Killough.
Sadly, Harry passed away in October this year taking
with him immense knowledge of boats and the sea.
But before Harry was gathered from under the beam
of the lighthouse that had swept over his life for 87
years, Jim had the joy of helping him complete the
last wooden boat to emerge from his old, weather
beaten workshop.
Almost 20 years ago, Harry and his friend Harry
Magee constructed a perfect replica of a Killough yawl
called the Marian, which was built in 1924 for local
fisherman Robert Taylor, Jim’s grandfather.The original Marian was in the Taylor family until the
1970’s when it was sold for further seafaring duty off
Minerstown, west of Killough, before being donated to
the Down County Museum.
Harry was commissioned through the Killough
Community Association to build a replica of the boat,
also named Marian, as a working showpiece of the
past when a fleet of the yawls worked the coastal
waters off County Down.
The Killough yawl, based on a traditional Norwegian
design dating back to the days of the Vikings, entered
Irish coastal culture about two and a half centuries
ago. The shallow draft yawls were 20ft long and
capable of carrying six fishermen working oars or
sails before the advent of outboard motors.
The boats were worked up and down gravelly shores
upon greased wooden slats and they would venture
far out to sea for mackerel, herring, cod and haddock.
If the wind did not suit, the fisherman took to the oars,
sometimes rowing for 10 or 15 nautical miles.and a boat of ancient Norwegian design
to launch a unique connection between
northern ireland and south australia
Jim Taylor is an Irishman now living far distant from his original home
shores. But through his passion and craftsmanship, he has fulfilled a
lifelong dream that has created a unique link between the waters off
County Down in Northern Ireland and Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.a labour of love
by trevor gill