Podcasts Culture Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast #149 Conor & Tom McLaughlin: Red Bay Boats

#149 Conor & Tom McLaughlin: Red Bay Boats

Published: June 22, 2020, 4 a.m.

Red Bay Boats is a family business in Cushendall that has built over 1000 boats and 'shipped' to 30+ different countries around the world.

 

After reading a book on boat building Tom McLaughlin dropped out of school to restore an old rotten rowboat.

 

Since then, Red Bay have made boats used by the royal family, anti-pirate authorities, ferries, tour-guides and fishermen.

 

His son Conor — now a master-boat builder himself — works full-time in the family business and is responsible for building and delivering their bespoke vessels as far as Svalbard; an island 500 miles north of Norway.

 

In today's episode we caught up with Tom and Conor on their boat for this Father's day special to talk about:

  • The fascinating link between the North Coast and Scotland (which is closer to Cushendall than Ballymena)

  • What it's like to work so closely with family

  • How they "make memories" for their customers

  • The camaraderie of the local sailing community

  • And the challenges/successes they've experienced along the way.


This fascinating episode — set to the soundtrack of the North Coast waves — shares the story on an incredible family carrying on Northern Ireland's shipbuilding legacy and having a lot of fun along the way.

 

You'd be daft to miss it!

 

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Link to webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/red-bay-boats

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt