Famous Mayo salmon flies feature in new book

Traditional Irish salmon flies from Mayo and across Ireland, commissioned 120 years ago for the Cork International Exhibition in 1902, now feature in a new historical picture book from Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Fly tying involves the ‘dressing’ of a fishing hook to create an artificial fly, which is then used by anglers at the end of a rod and line to catch fish.

It’s a little-known part of Ireland’s heritage but many angling shops in Ireland in the late 1800s and early 1900s employed ‘fly dressers'. Some were considered masters of their craft thanks to their skills, creativity and the traditional methods that they used.

In recognition of the cultural importance of the craft and to record examples, a collection of traditional fly dressings was commissioned in 1902, with specific sets of flies collected for each of the 20 fishery districts throughout the country, including Mayo.

The current custodians of this important collection, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), has published the picture book online recently, making it freely available to new generations around the world.

For the 1902 Exhibition, the salmon flies for the Bangor and Ballina districts were tied by John Devers (Main Street, Ballina). A total of four flies for the Bangor district and eight flies for the Ballina district were tied and are now included in the new online book, entitled The 1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies.

The salmon flies featured from the Bangor district include the ‘Large Claret’ and the ‘Blue Doctor’, and they were tied for fishing on Lough Beltra and the Owenmore River.

The Ballina district had a total of eight fly patterns, including the ‘Black Guinea Hen’, the ‘Skin the Goat’ and the ‘Golden Olive’, and they were tied for fisheries such as Lough Cullin, Lough Conn, the River Moy and the Palmerstown River.

Shane O’Reilly of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “This new book offers a unique glimpse into Ireland’s past, putting a spotlight on traditional salmon angling in Bangor, Ballina and the other fishery districts of the era. Each of the flies showcases the detail and beauty of traditional Irish salmon flies and the wide range of materials and techniques used by Irish fly dressers at the time.

“Many of those fly dressers are now revered around the world for the quality of their craft, so this collection is of significant cultural importance too, and is now available for the next generation to discover.”

Over a hundred years after the Cork International Exhibition took place, interest in the collection was re-ignited by angling author, the late E.J. ‘Ted’ Malone, who described the collection as a 'long lost treasure of Irish angling'.

Malone worked alongside Peter Kealey and Peter Dunne, all fly tying experts, to meticulously examine, photograph and record the various fly dressings. Sadly, Ted Malone passed away in 2017; the book is dedicated to his memory.

Patterns and descriptions of over 380 individual flies can be found in the book, including those from both the Bangor and Ballina fishery districts.

IFI is exploring ways of putting the original collection on display once more and members of the public are being encouraged to contact the state agency with any suggestions they may have.

The 1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies, including the Mayo flies, is available to view from the IFI website at www.fisheriesireland.ie and from the Fishing in Ireland website at www.fishinginireland.info.