Is this incredible 100-year-old photo the first of a female sea kayaker in Ireland?

This wonderful photograph taken in 1923 shows Bunbeg woman Madgie Keown in a sea kayak off the coast of Donegal.

It would appear to be the earliest photographic record of a female kayaking in Donegal, and possibly on the island of Ireland.

Her relative Steve Smith of Paddle North was delighted to come across the photograph in a suitcase of family documents shared with him by another relative.

Mr Smith is himself a paddlesports enthusiast and registered sea kayaking coach and guide based on the Causeway Coast.

He said: “I would really love to know if this shot of Madgie is the earliest photograph of a female paddler. It is quite remarkable that this was taken in Donegal in 1923 when sea kayaking didn’t really take off in Ireland until the 1970s. 

“Even now, there aren’t anywhere near as many women as men. It would be lovely if this photograph inspired more females to take up sea kayaking.”

Mr Smith explains that Madgie would have been in her early to mid twenties when the photograph was taken. She lived on the quay in Bunbeg and her family were all very keen on watersports, taking part in rowing and sailing activities at recreational and competitive levels. 

“The family owned the store and the mill, which is now the large pink block of accommodation,” he said. 

“I’d say the shot was most likely taken in that locality because the harbour, along with the beaches of Carrickfin and Rutland, feature heavily in the family snaps.

“This picture was dug out of a suitcase and passed down to me last week, along with many more of traditional sailing Yawls and Punts that the family used for recreation in the 1920s. These have been posted on the Traditional Yawl and Drontheim Society.

“Her brother Donnelly was a dab hand in a boat also. He, along with my grandfather, rowed in the Tailteann Games of 1924 winning both the 4s and 8s categories and beating off the Australian crew who were fresh in from the Paris Olympics.” 

While it is not clear where the sea kayak came from, Mr Smith speculates that Madgie’s brother may have picked up either the boat or the plans while attending school in Derry. 

The sea kayak looks somewhat similar in style to those that are widely used nowadays. However, today’s paddlesport practitioners will no doubt spot that Madgie’s chunky wooden paddle is a far cry from the lightweight composite or carbon fibre paddles of the modern era.

“She would have needed a good pair of shoulders for that paddle for sure,” laughs Mr Smith. “It looks like a chunky piece of timber!”

Mr Smith has many happy memories of visiting his Donegal relatives while growing up, and he now comes here to enjoy sea kayaking. And while paddlesports such as kayaking and canoeing are growing, he would love to see more people getting involved.

“Donegal is absolutely world class for paddling,” he said. “The ruggedness and geography of the coastline offers so much. 

“The heat of the water is different than on the Causeway Coast too. You have far more marine wildlife in Donegal. For example, you see a lot of starfish that we don’t see on the Causeway Coast. 

“Donegal is so rich in wildlife and a really beautiful place for sea kayaking.”

Madgie would no doubt be delighted to see an activity of which she was a forerunner being continued in her native Donegal by her own family a century later.