Jerry McCarthy (RIP)
I got my first glimpse of Carrick Beg in Nov 1974 when my then girlfriend invited me up for the weekend. It didn’t take me long to get to know the neighbours as I began to spend more and more time up here after that.
Straight away it became very apparent how important the river was to so many locals with salmon fishing being a great provider of a few bob when the season was in. Families by the names of Norris, Power, Doherty, Fitzgerald, Brett, Tobin and many more fished the Suir in what became known to me as their Cots.
Each family would have their own distinctive way of making their own boat as I found out when I was told who owned such a cot by a man named Tom Brett. His fishing days were all but a memory as he was a retired man when I got to know him. In his day the cots he built were sought by many as they were so well made. What a storyteller he was too. You’d always meet him on one of the bridges with all his butties reminiscing of the days and nights they fished and with every story those salmon grew bigger.
Sadly all of these men are gone now and the fishing traditions that have lasted centuries are but a shadow of the past with very few from these families using the river now except to walk what is called The Blueway. Those that still fish the river are mainly confined to Treacy Park with the Power family continuing the tradition of casting their rods from their Carrick Cots.
Submitted by Jerry for ourThree Sisters Placenames project – Heritage Week 2020
Another story, another memory jog for me.
I went to secondary level school in London until I left in 1972 full of first and second generation Irish Catholic kids hailing from all across Ireland
One girl by the name of Walsh – she was from Carrick and would you believe she went back home and married a Norris. We are still FB friends +50 yrs on.
It’s been a great weeks of river tales. Thanks to all involved
Thanks for all the positive comments and feedback Kev, it’s been great, glad you enjoyed them
My great-grandfather, Timothy Walsh was a boatman living at Rackhill in Carrickbeg in the late 19th century. Family story is that he drowned but can’t find any info about his death. His wife was Bridget (née Britt) also from a boating family in Carrickbeg. My grandma, Anne Walsh came over to England around 1910 /11 & worked in service in Wigan. Any ideas how I can find out more about Timothy? Thanks
I’ve come across many accounts of boatmen drowning Cathy, in many cases the men go unnamed so local paper search may not be the way to go. I’d recommend a professional for such a matter. Anne should be listed in the 1901 & 1911 Irish census which are freely available online