Irish Extra September 2021
By the time you read this the season will have opened. August brings Deer and Grouse but for many including myself things aren’t really underway until September. I know many lads who begin to lamp rabbits as soon as the crops are down but I prefer a bit of a chill in the air first, lamping in shorts and trainers never appealed to me, it just never feels right unless its Autumnal. We are all looking forward to this season, I suppose with goings on over the 20 / 21 and lockdowns and restrictions in place it made things a little more different. Certainly, the early part of the 2020 season was frustrating for many as restrictions included shooting within 5k of your home in Ireland applied. Thankfully this was challenged head on by the NARGC quite quickly and common sense prevailed with the guidance being removed. Many people go shooting or hunting not to actually shoot or hunt but to simply get out, leave it all behind and get some fresh air, see the countryside and work their dog – The actual shooting or hunting is only part of it. As the author Richard Jeffries said in his fantastic work “The Amateur Poacher”, “A walk is a walk, but a walk with a gun is so much more should you never fire a shot”. I can attest for this, and many of my best days have been blank, in fact some of my best memories are days when I have caught or shot absolutely nothing, one in particular being many years ago when I had a young Lurcher pursue a Hare – The little bitch was no match for the Hare which had sprung as we walked along an old damp field, the Lurcher gave chase and the Hare led her on a merry dance up and down the field, through a gate way and into the next field. It seemed like the episode went on for ten or more minutes when in fact it was probably only a couple. Every time the dog made for a strike the Hare would jink this way or that, making a complete fool of its pursuer and making good its escape while the dog lay stretched on the ground, its sides heaving and its tongue three times its usual length and the Hare was long gone, a great memory.
I am only catching up with it this month, but Sunday 1st August saw the annual Kiltrough Lurcher show organised and ran by Jed and Tricia Donagh and a band of assistants, helpers and volunteers. This year in Aid of suicide prevention, Jed and his team put on a top class show and raised a massive amount of money for their chosen Charity – Not only that but he auctioned, raffled and sold a massive amount of donated items before, during and after the show the show which had all been donated by dog enthusiasts, businesses and members of the public. The show was a resounding success and attracted a very large crowd from right across the country. As well as the usual showing there was live music, dog training demonstrations, a terrier maze & racing and much more. I intended to attend, but unfortunately as is often the case my work got the better of me and I was off chasing rabbits! The show would need a full column to do it justice, but congratulations to Jed and Tricia on a successful show and a massive win for their suicide prevention charity.
The loss of a ferreting legend
County Cork (known as the real capital of Ireland) has always had greats dogs and hunting men. One of these was Mickey Fitzgerald, known as a keen dog man and ferreter. Mickey sadly passed away at the end of July and it was testament to his reputation and character that his passing was felt by so many, he was a massive loss to his family and the country sports community.
Lets Stick together
As you maybe aware & I have previously written, John Blair from the Alliance party in Northern Ireland is attempting to Ban Fox Hunting as well as trail hunting and also include rabbits in Northern Ireland. Quite recently Field Sports Britain travelled across the pond to Northern Ireland to do a feature on the proposed ban and speak to a few effected parties and to talk to John Blair himself. Charlie Jacoby caught up with huntsman Dan Kinney, Albert Titterington from the Irish Game Fair and Gary McCartney from The Countryside Alliance Ireland as well as Mr Blair himself. Mr Blair insisted quite strangely during his interview that it was not a “Hunting Ban” and also that he had consulted with many stakeholders including the CAI – Who can confirm he has NOT consulted with them before his consultation, and neither has he responded to any correspondence with Jim Barrington former LACS executive, now advisor to the government on animal welfare. He was however quite happy to correspond with Long Netter until the argument was not going his way and he went quiet – I followed up with him again recently and he claimed he was “Misrepresented” by Field Sports Britain and insisted that he HAD consulted with many stakeholders for his private members bill which of course he has not. It seems very clear to me and everyone else that John Blair has well and truly backed himself into a corner and didn’t expect a fraction of the backlash he received on his bill and it is also becoming equally clear that his bill is going nowhere. It has been great to see for the first time how shooting, angling and hunting have all pulled together during this time. People are realising now that we are all in this together, the anti country sports agenda are chip, chip, chipping and will not stop until we are all gone, so many thanks to the anglers & shooters who have stood shoulder to shoulder with the hunting fraternity and made our voice count.
Pike Discovery
Inland Fisheries Ireland, the state agency responsible for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitats, has confirmed the presence of pike in Aughrusbeg Lough, Co. Galway. The confirmation was made during a fish stock survey by Inland Fisheries Ireland research staff earlier this week and is the first official record of pike being present in the lake.
Inland Fisheries Ireland is investigating if the pike was ‘introduced’ to the lake through human activity, by the illegal movement of fish between watercourses.
The introduction of pike to small low-complexity lakes, such as Aughrusbeg Lough, could be devastating to resident fish populations. New introductions are also potentially a carrier of fish disease and parasites, the state agency has said.
Francis O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “Ireland’s inland waterbodies are ecologically important ecosystems, which support significant recreational fisheries for native and established fish species. ‘Introductions’ of new species threaten these ecosystems that they support, potentially in unforeseen ways, and are a major cause for concern for Inland Fisheries Ireland.”
To help assess the scale of the problem, Inland Fisheries Ireland researchers are currently analysing samples from the latest fish stock survey to establish the age and distribution of the pike population discovered in the lake.
In the mean-time, Inland Fisheries Ireland is appealing to all anglers to protect Ireland’s fisheries by not moving fish between watercourses, for any reason. To report suspicions around the illegal movement of fish between watercourses, anglers and members of the public are encouraged to call Inland Fisheries Ireland’s confidential hotline number on 1890 34 74 24, which is open 24 hours a day.
Until Next time…Good Hunting!