The Historical Importance of Fishing to Ireland

Beanstalk

Hi Folks,

I'm doing some research regarding the importance of fishing to people living in Ireland from the Mesolithic up until the present day, covering technology, folklore and laws.

I'm doing ok and its been fascinating so far, but i'm struggling to find evidence of widespread fishing in the Bronze and Iron Ages, primary sources from the Early Christian and Medieval period, and some general folklore regarding fish.

I know some early Irish mythology regarding fish, the Salmon of Knowledge etc, but I'm fascinated to know why as an Island nation we don't appear to eat much fish in comparison to other Island nations.

Anyone any thoughts on any of the above subjects?

Beanstalk

Just by coincidence I've just found this lovely article...

Irish Fish Tales by B. Mahon

nuac

Good topic

1. Michael Gibbons an archaeologist in COnnemara has discovered old some fishtraps - stone structures that held the tide on the ebb.

2. Most coastal monasteries had something similar

3. Spanish and Portagese boats fished off the west coast here. Cultural interchange etc

Jawgap

Beanstalk wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I'm doing some research regarding the importance of fishing to people living in Ireland from the Mesolithic up until the present day, covering technology, folklore and laws.

I'm doing ok and its been fascinating so far, but i'm struggling to find evidence of widespread fishing in the Bronze and Iron Ages, primary sources from the Early Christian and Medieval period, and some general folklore regarding fish.

I know some early Irish mythology regarding fish, the Salmon of Knowledge etc, but I'm fascinated to know why as an Island nation we don't appear to eat much fish in comparison to other Island nations.

Anyone any thoughts on any of the above subjects?

There is a line of argument that suggests one of the reasons we don't each much fish is because of its association with abstinence, fasting and poverty.

It's a perspective, but not one I'd agree with it. I think it's much more complicated than that. Spain - also a Catholic country etc - eats tonnes of the stuff.

Way back in another life I was involved in some work looking at seafood consumption and production. I'll try and dig out some of the papers from the project, but here's something to begin with

http://www.seafoodplus.org/Project-2-4-CONSUMEREV.52.0.html

http://www.seafoodplus.org/fileadmin/files/articles/EM3%20RTD%20Pillar%202.pdf

pedroeibar1

Type bronze age fish traps Ireland into Google and there are hundreds of references/sources/online articles.

Go to http://www.ucc.ie/celt/ and enter any fish name (salmon, herring, mackerel, etc, and you will find dozens of references.

There also is quite a lot in the State Papers e.g. in 1569 a Spanish fishing fleet of 200 vessels departed from the coast of Iveragh with cattle, etc.

In the middle Ages the trade with France and Spain fish (along with wool and hides) usually was the exchange commodity for wine and brandy. In 1553, Philip II of Spain was paying more than 1,000 livres to obtain permission for his subjects to fish off the north coast of Ireland. Stafford, in speaking of the capture of Dunboy Castle in 1603, says O'Sullivan Beare made £500 each year from the duty paid to him by foreign fishermen.

They tasted flesh-meat hardly thrice a-year,
Crock-butter, when the times were not too dear,
Salt herring as a treat, as luxury
For Sunday mornings and cold weather, tea;

Or, as they said in Cork, ‘Dip in the dip and lave the herrin’ for yer Da!’

Beanstalk

Great stuff guys will check all these out.

I recall reading something about tests carried out on prehistoric human remains across Britain to check their diet and the consumption of fish seems to halt dramatically around 4000BC. A common explanation is that it was to do with the introduction of farming but there is a growing belief that its was a result of widespread social change. maybe the same occurred here in Ireland?

The salmon has always reigned supreme here but our diet has changed massively since then.

orangesoda

There has been many small boats recovered from Lough Neagh that date from the mesolithic period to the post-medieval period. Also during the famine, the area along the shoreline of lough neagh wasn't effected as badly because of the fish they had to eat. Regarding folklore, i think there's a story about Finn McCool and the salmon of knowledge

Manach

Might be a stretch, but AFAIK during the Emergency fishing was an important source of supplementing people's food-stocks.

robp

Beanstalk wrote: »

Great stuff guys will check all these out.

I recall reading something about tests carried out on prehistoric human remains across Britain to check their diet and the consumption of fish seems to halt dramatically around 4000BC. A common explanation is that it was to do with the introduction of farming but there is a growing belief that its was a result of widespread social change. maybe the same occurred here in Ireland?

The salmon has always reigned supreme here but our diet has changed massively since then.

This is something we see very distinctly and abruptly across Atlantic Europe. Its a very dramatic swing away from fish once farming arrives. There have not been many published isotopic studies of Irish archaeological bone material but there are some from northern counties by Rick Schulting. There is a brand new study of pot residues from across Britain and Ireland which shows fish only becomes important again very late. So perhaps we shouldn't beat ourself up about Ireland's apparent disinterest in fish as it may be an ancient norm in this part of Europe.