‘Unlike me, the Atlantic wild salmon does not have a voice, so it cannot tell the story of why and how it has been driven to the point of extinction.’

Written by a fisherman, this memoir focuses on the River Shannon and the experience of growing up there in a driftnet family.  The river once teemed with salmon swimming upstream. However, when the enormous hydroelectric station at Ardnacrusha was built in 1929, what began as the Free State’s crowning achievement would devastate the environment. Patsy with co-writer Deirdre Nuttall brings us deep into the heart of his fishing community and the challenges it and the salmon faced as the State industrialised.

Swimming Upstream: One man’s fight to save the Atlantic wild salmon.
Patsy Peril with Deirdre Nuttall

Written with a chronological structure, the book starts with a fascinating glimpse into the building of the historic Ardnacrusha hydro-electric station in 1929 which includes a deeply personal look at those who did the hard graft, including his father.  The book moves from there to the fishermen and hardworking rural lives of Coonagh on the banks of the Clare side of the Shannon and in a deeply reflective style delves into the beauty of the life, the hardships and the never-ending struggle with the river, the authorities and the increasing pressures on the wild Atlantic salmon.

As a driftnet fisherman, I knew this was not going to be a comfortable read, there could be no happy ending for the Coonagh man’s way of life. However, the book provides a very readable and insightful look at the struggles faced by this vital and once abundant resource from a man who deeply cared about it. Exploring the life of the salmon and the pressures imposed on them by the modernising Irish state, the book offers an incredibly personal insight into the mishandling of the sector and the mistakes made from the top down.

For me what works best in this book is this personal insight. The reality of life from the river and the fascinating glimpses it provides into this community that has been wiped away.  I also found Patsy’s reflections on his many years of campaigning on the issue of salmon both through membership of organisations such as the fishery boards and advocacy to be insightful and very informative.  It was also humbling to read  – I was aware of much of the story, many of the agencies and the personalities mentioned.  But only aware from a distance, Patsy was there at the meetings, he felt the fear and did it anyway.  Or at least he took a position and tried. I was surprised by how intrigued I was to read about this aspect of it, and in truth would have liked to have read more. I’d have really liked his views on the Fisheries Board and their demise and the difficulties with the quango that replaced them – Inland Fisheries Ireland.

The book also explores the struggles faced by salmon; pollution, overfishing, salmon farming and the challenges of restocking. But it is the pressure brought to bear by the construction of the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric station that gets attention.  The building which was a shining light to the world of what the Irish State was capable of was built with no thought for the river or its inhabitants.  As it provided the crucial power that would drive the fledging Irish economy towards industrialisation in its turn it created real issues for the salmon and the traditional netsmen that relied on the resource.

If I had to find fault with the book, I have to admit that Patsy was pessimistic about the Salmon throughout.  I don’t recall talk of Salmon stock collapse until the widespread use of monofilament netting off the coast became known.  I think that was in the 1980s.  There was also little environmental concern about water quality etc until that time, at least locally. I would have also enjoyed a greater insight into the salmon fishing ways, the gear, the Gandalow boats, and the local traditions.  However, I also know that what is provided is excellent, reads truthfully and is perhaps more than enough for the general reader.

Patsy Peril

From the moment I unwrapped this Christmas gift I knew I was going to find this a challenging read.  But only because I was familiar with the sector and knew the emotional roller coaster that it would bring me on.  I enjoyed the history of the fishing community, the virtual trips on the Shannon and the tales of this historic river from the words of a man immersed in it. I also loved his sense of place and deep love for not just his people, but the way of life, the fish itself and his remarkable commitment to do something positive to influence it.  So many people talk shite about fishing, mostly through a keyboard on social media.  Here’s a man who has lived a life trying to make a difference and still is!  How noble and praiseworthy is that?

So I would highly recommend Swimming Upstream to you.  It’s a book about a people that exist no more.  A way of life consigned to the scrap heap and a body of men, primarily, who wanted little enough from life but the opportunity to do what generations of their family had done. A hard life, a poor life in ways, but a life filled with a richness that money can’t buy.

For more details check out the publisher’s O’Brien Press

Swimming Upstream by Patsy Peril with Deirdre Nuttall. Hardback: €19.99. 248 pages ISBN: 9781788494786. Also available as an E-Book (ePub): €12.99. ISBN: 9781788495455