The history of Fishing in Ireland
Being an island facing out to the huge Atlantic ocean on one side and the wide Irish sea to the other, Ireland is naturally inclined to look to the sea for its food sources. Whilst it is blessed with good lush pasture land and soil for growing vegetables and roots, potatoes in particular, the sea offers an abundance of options. Cod, Plaice, Lobsters and Crabs are some of the mainstays for many Irish diets. In places like the Isle of Aran, where the land is rugged, harsh and not given to good growing soil, then it was the only choice. It was so important that it even started a fashion trend with the irish fisherman sweater designed to help to keep the men warm and dry when out at sea. You can see some modern examples of this at shamrockgift.com/aran-sweaters/mens-aran-sweaters
The weather was a key factor in the history of fishing in Ireland. In the past there was no set fleet as there is today. Individual small boats would set out from places such as Galway on the West coast and Dun Laoghaire on the East to ply the waters for food. This was mostly done in the Summer time as the rough Seas around Ireland in the Autumn and Winter were too much for them. As a result much of the catch was preserved in barrels of salt for eating later.
Drift nets plus Lobster and Crab pots became the most prolific and successful ways to catch large numbers of fish and crustaceans along with their freshwater counterparts.
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