Tim Pat Coogan

“a more fundamental cause goes back to that conversation I had with Brian Lenihan (the present Minister for Finance’s father) back in the 60s when Ireland was planning to enter the European Economic Community ( EEC) as it was then known. The conversation occurred during an interview I was conducting with the junior Minister – that status should have given me a clue – on the prospects for developing the vast untapped fisheries potential of the Irish coastline.

Brian, a pleasant man, interrupted me suddenly to ask “Tim Pat! Do you know how many whole time and part time farmers there are in this country?”

I did not know exactly but he rattled off the answer correct to a decimal point (around a quarter million, as I remember). Then he asked me did I know how many whole time and part time fishermen there were in the country. “including lobster men, currachmen, and the teacher who goes out in the summer night with a net after a few salmon?”

Again I could not reply with certainty but Brian could again answer with pin point accuracy, something just over 9,000 as I recall. “That”, he continued, “would hardly elect one Fianna Fail TD on the first count in a five seater. Now do you get me?.”

I did. What he was telling me in effect was that the farming lobby had political clout, the fishermen did not and that in the forthcoming Brussels EEC negotiations the mackerel would be traded off against the bullock.”

Whatever about our politicians selling out our fisheries industry, and a lot of our coastal communities along with it, at least our Naval Services are still working hard patrolling what’s left of our waters.

We need to withdraw from the EU given the overt Fishing regulations imposed on Ireland by Brussels.

You are all wrong. This is a classic case of misunderstanding the reality.these are no longer “Irish ” waters they are European waters . The waters were given away by the FF gov in 1969in response to demannds by Agriculture. They are no longer OUR waters ,they are EU waters!. Why were we so fooled by FF this is the under described sell out of the last century. Disgrace again on FF.

Sounds like you’re riding two horses there Larry.

Must have been trying to steal some oil…

bet you wouldnt see spanish boats in spanish waters being intercepted to this degree,while not condoning overfishing by our fleet,it appears irish boats are being ntercepted on a regular basis,

Anyone know what vessel it was ?

Paul, referring to you articlle,