AN ancient piece of West Somerset's maritime history will be recreated next week as part of celebrations to mark the official opening of the first phase of Minehead's new 'heritage hub'.

A team of specialist boat builders from Ireland will be working with volunteers and long-term unemployed people to build a traditional craft called a currach outside the YMCA-owned Beach Hotel.

A dedicated tourist information centre and new café will be opening at the hotel tomorrow (Saturday), while a museum will be following next Saturday (March 29).

It is all part of a scheme to create a heritage focal point at the bottom of The Avenue in partnership with the nearby West Somerset Railway.

The currach project is being spearheaded by Minehead's vision manager Stephen Hooper and came about following discussions with local maritime authors John and Ann Gilman.

Currachs used to be a familiar sight off the West Somerset coastline as they played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity from Ireland and South Wales to Somerset during Roman times.

The Gilmans wrote a book exploring the links and the use of currachs and from there they came up with the idea of recreating the sailings in a traditional Celtic boat.

But when the Gilmans told Mr Hooper about their hopes of buying a currach in Ireland for their 'Saints from the Sea' sailing project, the idea really began to take shape.

Mr Hooper said: "I explained to John that I didn't think it would be easy to find funding to buy one but I was sure we could bid for funding to build one.

"Celebrating and revaluing Minehead's maritime heritage is one of the core themes of the action plan to regenerate the town.

"This is a project that brings the community, its heritage and the environment together to create a piece of living history."

The boat-building team will be working between 10am and 8pm outside the Beach Hotel in Minehead from Monday next week through to Saturday.

Their aim will be to complete the seven-man, 28-feet-long craft in time for an official launch from Minehead Harbour next Sunday.

The currach was the mainstay vessel of the Celtic culture for 1000 years and vessels ranged from six to 60 feet in length, but always followed the same design.

A small boat could be built in a matter of days from locally sourced materials and had a working life of around eight years.

They lost popularity when the Viking clinker design and Saxon culture spread across Britain, but they still remain an important part of Irish culture to this day.

People will be able to watch the progress of the boat-build as it takes place, while places are still available for up to eight volunteers - who must have woodworking skills - to join the team in the evenings to learn more about the project.

More information about joining the boat team is available from Dan Cross, vision project administrator, on 07975 640167.