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sport · Saturday 29 August 2026 · Various 
International Currach Championships
At Warrenpoint Beach · Warrenpoint Beach, Warrenpoint, Co. Down, BT34 2BY
At Warrenpoint Beach · Warrenpoint Beach, Warrenpoint, Co. Down, BT34 2BY
The Carlingford Lough Currach Club brings its International Currach Championships back to Warrenpoint’s front shore over the weekend of Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026. Currachs are traditional Irish rowing boats, narrow timber-framed craft once used for inshore fishing, and this annual meeting draws crews from currach clubs on both sides of Carlingford Lough and further afield to race them along the beach beside the Baths.
Crews race currachs of different sizes over set courses on the water just off the beach, with heats running across both days as clubs compete for the various trophies on offer. It is a free, low-key spectator event, closer in spirit to a regatta than a stadium fixture, with families setting up along the shore to watch the boats come in. The Carlingford Lough Currach Club has built the championships into a fixture on the currach racing calendar on the east coast, alongside similar meetings around the Cooley Peninsula on the County Louth side of the lough. Entry for competing crews requires booking with the club in advance; spectators can simply turn up on the day and watch from the shore for free.
Warrenpoint Beach is on the town’s front shore beside the Baths, a short walk from the town centre. There is a train service to Newry, with a connecting bus to Warrenpoint that drops off opposite the front shore.
Warrenpoint’s seafront and promenade are the obvious place to watch from, with the town’s cafes and pubs close by for afterwards. There is more to see in Warrenpoint and across Co. Down.
Heading to Warrenpoint Beach in Warrenpoint? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Warrenpoint area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.