Castlecoote and Donamon Angling Festival Attracts Hundreds of Visitors
Press release, Friday, 22nd May 2015
Patrick McNeil with a roach caught during the event at DunamonCastlecoote and Donamon Angling Festival Attracts Hundreds of Visitors
– Fisheries Awareness Week events in Roscommon a great success –
The Castlecoote and Donamon Angling Festival, which was held from Friday, 15th to Sunday, 17th May at the Ballinapark coarse angling facility and the game fishing stretch at Castlecoote Village, proved a great success in its inaugural year.
The event, which marked Fisheries Awareness Week 2015, involved collaboration between Inland Fisheries Ireland, Castlecoote Stores and local businesses. It aimed to promote participation in angling; heighten awareness of the local aquatic biodiversity; and celebrate the enhancement of local angling amenities in 2014. The festival was originally designed as a one-day event but quickly turned into a festival of activities, thanks to support from Castlecoote Stores, Castlecoote Lodge, PJ’s Pub and the local Tidy Towns group.
Grace Hanely enjoyed the FAW activities at Castlecoote
The programme kicked off on Friday, 15th May, with a river-side walk along the River Suck at Castlecoote. Oisin Naughton, Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland, described the in-stream enhancement work which was carried out in 2014 in association with Castlecoote Tidy Town. Besides, native aquatic biodiversity was on display and aspects of the migratory patterns of native salmonids and its importance in the context of our natural heritage was explained.
The second day, Saturday, 16th May, involved a range of events at Ballinapark and Castlecoote Village. At Ballinapark, the flagship coarse angling facility hosted an inter-schools competition and was destination to an excursion by members of St Christopher’s Resource Centre for Intellectual Disabilities in Longford. The inter-schools event involved a match fishing competition between teams of three students from five local secondary schools. The winning team from Roscommon Community College finished with a fine catch of roach and perch, totalling 2,800g. The winning team comprised Dillon Shannon, David Carroll and Daithi Kennedy. In second place were Robert Kelly, Alan Hevehan and Traolach O Malley from Ballygar. Further participating schools were Lanesboro, Roscommon CBS and Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown. Prizes for this event were sponsored by Castlecoote Lodge and Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Although the participants in the inter-schools competition were skilled anglers, members from St Christopher’s Resource Centre certainly matched them when it came to tight lines. Demonstrations in match angling were provided by local angling club member John Williams and Inland Fisheries Ireland staff. Prizes for the group were sponsored by Castlecoote Stores and presented by Mr Oscar Neilan.
While angling events were taking place in Ballinapark, demonstrations on fly tying and casting took place at Castlecoote, representing a different method of angling and highlighting the mixed fisheries potential in the region. Members of the Roscommon Town Anglers, Castlecoote Anglers and Inland Fisheries Ireland provided tuition to juniors and adults in the skills of tying nymph and adult fly patterns and in the skills of presenting the fly to a fish. Also on display were ‘kick-samples’ of aquatic macro-invertebrates and fish species from the local river. A number of good size trout were caught – and released – from participants in the event.
FAW Roscommon Winners David Carroll, Daithi Kennedy and Dillon Shannon with John Devanny, IFI, Senator Terry Leyden and Oscar Neilan at Castlecoote Stores
The final event on the second day of the festival was the launching of the newly enhanced facilities at Donamon, Glinsk Stoneham’s Lough, Holygrove Lough and Black’s Lough. A number of old wooden structures were replaced by floating angling stands at these venues in 2014. New slipways were developed at Glinsk and Donamon and disabled angler access was maintained at Stoneham’s Lough. The facilities were launched in Ballinapark by the local landowners Mary and Paddy Kilroe; Marian Fetherstone; Angela Boyd; and Seamus and Phil Cooney, whose support ensured the development works realised their full potential. Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Seamus McDermott thanked the local landowners for their cooperation and acknowledged the support of Roscommon County Council and local politicians in developing the original flagship facility. Commenting at the event, acting CEO of Roscommon County Council, Mr Tommy Ryan, highlighted the importance of inter-agency cooperation in realising the full potential for amenity development along the Suck Valley Way. The day finished off with prize giving for the angling competitions at Castlecoote Stores.
The final day of the festival, Sunday, 17th May, involved a fly fishing competition in Castlecoote Village. The winner of the competition was Anthony Doyle from Ballygar. Runner-up was Castlecoote local Kieran Connell. Prizes for this event were sponsored by PJ’s Bar and by Castlecoote Stores.
The event organisers express their thanks to local businesses that provided support, refreshments and entertainment throughout the weekend. A traditional music session was sponsored by Castlecoote Lodge on Friday; and a BBQ by PJ’s Bar on Sunday. DoorTEC supplied a trailer for the various exhibitions. Along with Inland Fisheries Ireland, Castlecoote Stores was instrumental in organising the event and provided refreshments for visitors throughout the weekend.
For the full programme of events for Fisheries Awareness Week 2015 visit: www.faw.ie.
ENDS
Contact:
Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development, Inland Fisheries Ireland
Mob: 087-2690183 Tel: 052 6180055 Fax: 052 6123971
Email: suzanne.campion@fisheriesireland.ie Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie
