Lisdoonvarna Fanore Sea Angling Club
Brief history
The club is among the oldest sea angling clubs in Ireland, founded in 1960 and first registered with the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers (I.F.S.A.) in 1966.
To mark the foundation of the club a set of Perpetual cups was presented to the club in 1961/62 by local business people – Royal Spa Hotel cup, Hydro Hotel cup now known as the Kirk Memorial cup, O’Donoghue cup presented by Brendan O’Donoghue, Fanore, the Nestor cup presented by Gus Nestor Limerick, and the Blackhead Cup, presented by Nora Kelleher Ballinalacken. This set of cups is still competed for at the club’s annual competition usually in August each year at Blackhead, and as tradition dies hard in Fanore the same rules apply as they did for the first competitions i.e. Greatest number of fish, Greatest weight of fish, Heaviest fish, Best Juvenile, and Best lady. All other competitions are fished under the points system of the I.F.S.A.
As interest grew in the club more competitions were added and by the end of the 60’s it was holding four major competitions each year.
In 1974 the club decided that with the increasing popularity of Sea Angling in Ireland that a special event be organised to entice anglers from outside the local area, indeed from outside Ireland to come to Fanore to compete in a week long competition. This was promoted very much as a family event, whereby some members of the family could take part in the angling activities and others could enjoy other leisurely pursuits in the Burren area. As a result the first International Angling Week was held.
This proved to be such a popular competition that it is now the highlight of our Annual Fixture List.
The result has been a tremendous boost to the local economy particularly in the early years when Fanore may not have been as popular a holiday resort as it is today. A number of families have been coming to Fanore each year since this competition began, including from overseas.
The success of this competition has put North Clare on the International map as far as sea angling is concerned and has been regularly visited and written about by the angling correspondents of the leading Angling journals. Alan Yates writing in Sea Angling Handbook in 1987 quoted the following
” On the last day, (of the competition) I hooked and lost the biggest Pollack I have ever seen, – gold and green with an eye as big as a fifty-pence piece. The fish took my favourite fluorescent-green Red Gill under my feet in gin clear water and then hypnotised me into falling on my backside before snapping my 18lb breaking strain like cotton.”
Throughout the years many specimen fish of various species e.g. Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Mackerel, Bass and Wrasse, have been recorded during competitions, the biggest being a 69lb Sting Ray landed in Blackhead by Willie Keane of Waterford. Nowadays under the club’s conservation rules all fish are returned alive to the sea after weighing and recording.
From small beginnings, this club has survived and grown since 1960. The official fixture list of competitions has grown from two per year to one per month from April to October including the week long International Angling competition in August each year.
Each year the club is represented by its Master Angler at the All Ireland Master Angler competition. and other major competitions throughout the country and even overseas at International competitions
In 2004 the Club was represented for the first time in the World Shore Angling Championships. Now we have Senior, Junior, and Lady anglers regularly competing in Provincial, and International Shore Angling Competitions, up to and including World Championship level.
The success of the club is attributed to the dedication of its members past and present and the loyal support of the local residents and sponsors who regularly support the events being organised by the club. The members are also conscious of the fact that in the Fanore area there are some of the best Sea angling waters in Europe and this must be protected. The club has always been and will continue to be at the forefront of promoting and protecting Sea Angling in this area.
Further details, latest results and news can be found in the Club Website www.lisdoonvarnafanoresac.ie
James Linnane Secretary Phone 061364595
mobile 0872215159 email: jaslinnane@gmail.com