Galway Hurling Royalty get Azzam feeling

Legends Join Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Ahead of Final Volvo Ocean Race Tilt

Galway Hurling Royalty

Galway’s hurling royalty, the Connolly brothers, swapped their sticks for dock shoes today as they joined Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, the Abu Dhabi-backed team in the gruelling round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, for a sail onboard its Azzam yacht, which means determination in Arabic.

The famous brothers, Joe, John, Padraic and Murth, who – with three other brothers – all won the 1980 All-Ireland Club Championship with Castlegar, also traded team tactics with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Irish bowman, Justin Slattery, a three time veteran of the race, and got up close to the outfit’s mascot, the majestic Arabian falcon.

Sailing in the Pro-Am precursor to the final points scoring Galway In-Port Race tomorrow, the hurling legends were quick to praise the impressive team work onboard Azzam and wished the sailors luck.

“We know a lot about what it means to be a team, and how you rely on others to find that winning formula, and these guys have that. To sail these boats is incredibly tough and you need everyone at their best, it is great to see. Good luck to the guys tomorrow, we will be cheering Abu Dhabi on,” said John Connolly, who led his brothers to a second place finish in the Pro-Am.

The Volvo Ocean Race is in Galway, Ireland for its final stopover after completing 39,000 nautical miles of sailing across five oceans in nine months. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which hopes to clinch the In-Port Race series with a win tomorrow, is the first Arabian team to compete in the Everest of Sailing since it began in 1973.

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), which backs the team, is rolling out the red carpet to woo Irish visitors to the emirate.

Two traditional Arabian sailing dhows were flown into Galway to take part in the celebrations. Travelling with them were 10 Emirati sailors as part of the UAE-Ireland Maritime Heritage Cultural Exchange to highlight social and cultural ties between the destinations. The project was a joint venture by the Galway Hooker Association, which promotes the use of Ireland’s traditional ‘Hooker’ fishing boat and the Emirates Heritage Club.

Calligraphy artists are on hand to turn names into works of art, whilst henna artists paint intricate designs on visitors’ hands. Fans of the traditional Arabian falcon can also get up close to the majestic birds.

TCA Abu Dhabi is also handing lucky competition winners luxury holidays to the UAE capital at the end of the race. The VIP breaks will see the winners fly to the emirate with Etihad Airways, the award-winning airline of the United Arab Emirates, which now flies ten times a week from the Irish capital, Dublin, and stay in a luxury five-star hotel.

Trips to see the 2012 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November are also up for grabs, as fans battle on a state-of-the-art simulator in the pavilion to clock up the best lap times.