The Curragh is also the name of an area in Co. Kildare, Ireland. A massive (almost 5,000 acres) area of grassland, it is thought to be over 2,000 years old. Since 1921 it has been owned by the Irish state, and is used for, among other things, Army training, horseracing, sheep grazing, recreation and even filmmaking (the battle scenes in Braveheart were shot here).
During World War II, which was known in Ireland as The Emergency, the Army's facilities were used as an internment camp for foreign soldiers found on the national territory. IRA prisoners were also interned here at various times.
Unlike the boat, The Curragh is pronounced with a soft "gh", i.e. Kurr-ah. The boat, which is sometimes spelled Currach, is pronounced with a hard "gh", i.e. Kurr-ukh.