A father, with the help of his daughter, and a group of men are in the middle of constructing a Lough Erne cot in the hope of winning the annual cot races held on the lough.

Andrew Cathcart, with his daughter, Eden, along with Liam Boyle, Malcolm Glenn, Brendan Elliott and Tom Irvine, are stepping back in time by building a traditional Lough Erne Cot at Andrew’s home on the West Island, Belle Isle.

The West Island is where the Cathcart family have lived for the past three generations, and were associated with boat building, fishing and island living.

“When the cot is finished, it will be used in the annual cot races around Lough Erne, the same as more than 150 years ago when the Cathcarts raced their cots,” explained Andrew.

“These races were commonplace and provided great entertainment for the local islanders.”

And Andrew is confident he and his team are building the cot that will run out eventual winners on the water, adding: “The present generation of Cathcarts will once again be returning to the West Island victorious.”

The project was funded through the Lough Erne Landscape Partnership Community Engagement and Farming Fund, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.