Dear Sandy, sorry we in the UK do have a problem speaking English as we were once a proud Country but are now just a Region!
The coracle is a small, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland (particularly the River Boyne), and Scotland (particularly the River Spey); the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet. The word "coracle" comes from the Welsh cwrwgl, cognate with Irish and Scottish Gaelic currach, and is recorded in English as early as the
sixteenth century. Other historical English spellings include corougle, corracle, curricle and coricle.
Oval in shape and very similar to half a walnut shell, the structure is made of a framework of split and interwoven willow rods, tied with willow bark. The outer layer was originally an animal skin such as horse or bullock hide (corium), with a thin layer of tar to make it fully water proof – today replaced by tarred calico or canvas, or simply fibreglass. Some of the remains of these that have been found are much older than the 1500s.
So that Sandy is a Coracle like the Coracle on the pond in my Article.
Neil.
