In your opinion, which foreign destination ranks in the top 10 destinations coveted by anglers? Here are not one, but two clues: the Harp and the Shamrock! You guessed it:it’s IRELAND! After Gilles whispered this word in our ear in 2023, it took us fishermen only a few months to make a decision. And during the 2024-2025 season, the organization got underway. Gilles, having stayed and worked there for some time, was in the best position to organize this trip with a masterful hand, helped by Jacques, a regular visitor to this destination. After numerous emails with the Irish fishing guide, Dan O’Neill, and the owner of the lodgings, we were now readyto discover IRELAND.On Tuesday, May 20, at 5:30 a.m., we set off on our adventure. Daniel and JF left from Jean-Luc’s house (with him, of course), who would drive us to our destination. (Daniel and I were loaded down like semi-trucks! certainly not used to long trips!!! ), and almost made J-L angry, because his car is not a semi-trailer, after all!!! Anyway, we’reoff. Thomas, Bernard, and Jordane left on their own, and Jacques, Gilles, Patrick, and Karl on their own as well. Normally, the count is correct, we are 10 future IRISH fishermen!!
On the way, we found ourselves in a nice little restaurant near Cherbourg: Le Relais du Bout du Monde, Bernard’s house (not ours, although it could have been, given that he’s a good cook!). Jacques made the reservation, as befits an old hand! It’s always better than eating rations!!! A comfortable adventure, in other words!!! Joking aside, we had to be at the Cherbourg pier by 2 p.m. because we were setting sail at 3 p.m. We arrived in Rosslare at 6 a.m. the next morning. On board the Brittany Ferries ship, we had all the modern comforts, of course, and plenty to keep us occupied.
On Wednesday 21st in the morning, once we disembarked, and seeing as the lodgings would not be ready until around 4pm, we met up with our Irish fishing guide at 11am, after a short drive, in a magnificent location. In fact, to reach the river, the NORE, we had to cross a prestigious site, which was none other than an international golf course! called MOUNT JULIET ESTATE. What a star-studded arrival, don’t you think?The guide was great, welcomed us warmly, and gave each of us a few flies he made himself. Mostly nymphs. The day’s fishing will be tricky with dry flies, as there are very few hatches. We will fish with nymphs as we do almost every day, either with the famous yoyo de monsieur (Sanfroi from the Avozetto website), or with an indicator with a large dry fly and a nymph connected by a point to the bend of the dry fly hook: this allows us to fish not far from the surface of the water in fast currents. Or with a nymph on the line. Three very good techniques, which will prove very successful throughout the trip. We caught 49 fish that day, all of which were released, of course, like all the others caught afterwards.
After all that hard work, it’s time to relax! So, for dinner tonight: Poitevin stuffed vegetables, black pudding, mashedpotatoes, cheese, and cheese cake, all homemade, so professional! And provided by the team of Bernard, Jordane, and Thomas. We already had an official pastry chef (Gérard) and a cook (Jacques), and now we have a team of home cooks! !! I think we’re doing well!!! Oh yes, I almost forgot: before all that, there’s the APÉRO, of course, in moderation, as you can imagine!! And above all, with anecdotes from the day.
On Thursday 22nd, DAN is expecting us at the same place as the day before, and fishing will take place from 9amto 1pm. Same fishing techniques. We caught 120 fish, despite the sunny weather and the trout seeing us from afar. For dinner tonight, Daniel’s Poitevin stuffed vegetables, Burgundy rice, cheese and fruit by the artisan production team! Very good as usual.
On Friday 23rd, we changed rivers and went to the SLANEY RIVER with our guide, who I will introduce as KEVIN (I forgot his name, so we’ll call him Kevin from the Slaney!). This gentleman is a legend when it comes to salmon fishing and two-handed rod casting in Ireland. He is a very calm and kind person who, despite his age, will have travelled more kilometres than us during the trip (an old fishing veteran, but a young athlete!!!). Fishing took place in the morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A beautiful river, where we mainly fished with nymphs. Excellent results for Thomas, well done!! Good nymphs, good current, good technique: 30 trout, you could open a fish shop!!! The guide nicknamed him THE OTTER because he catches so many fish.
On Saturday the 24th, being the adventurers that we are, we changed rivers to go fishing on the BLACK WATER, where we met up with our guide GEORGES (I also forgot his name, so we’ll just call him GEORGES from BLACK WATER!!!). The photo of the river is at the bottom of page 2. On the way there, we stopped at a fishing shop called PISCARI-FLY, run by Peter DRIVER. We received a very warm welcome, and the shop was very well stocked for such a small place. We even found products there that are impossible to find elsewhere. Since it was still a long way to Black Water, we stopped to eat some famous fish and chips, a first for most of us. It was so GOOD!!! We’ll definitely do it again!! All washed down with a GUINNESS, of course
For dessert, here’s a great anecdote: WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!! The person concerned advised me not to tell anyone, but as they say in Marseille: It’s not allowed, but it’s not forbidden!!!So once we arrived at the fishing spot, everyone got their gear ready. Our friend Jacques gave the team—Thomas, Bernard, Jordane, and Karl—a nice plumber’s smile, for those who know what that is. For those who don’t, it’s the guy who unintentionally shows his ASS!!! The team mentioned above, standing behind (no pun intended!), burst out laughing, singing “Le jour se lève” with their arms in the air. I’ll let you close your eyes and imagine the scene! (I don’t have any photos. For that, please contact the singers!!!) Okay, let’s get serious. The Black Water is a little wider and deeper in some places than other rivers. This time we fished with nymphs and dry flies. The results were not as good as on other days. This was the day we caught the fewest fish (29). In the evening before leaving, we went for a beer in a very nice pub to recover from our emotions, ofcourse, and where we attracted the attention of two very pleasant waitresses as Frenchmen.
Sunday 25th, back to the NORE River, from 2pm to 8pm, with guide Kevin. He covered about 6 km during the day(calculated using his cell phone), and he is 72 years old, mind you, and on a Sunday no less: what a BRAVE MAN!!! Fishing was a little more complicated, as the wind had picked up: gusts, rain, and falling temperatures: around 12°C. Daniel and Patrick, who had been quiet until then,were about to make a name for themselves. Daniel lost his favorite cap in the wind, and Patrick lost his landing net. If you ever go fishing on the NORE and find them, contact them at 06-………!
Monday 26th, back on the NORE River, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.; with guide DAN. More rain and wind, andrising water levels. Fishing with nymphs and wet flies. In the afternoon, we ate at the lodgings, then after a nap, which was not to be missed, we decided to do a bit of sightseeing in Kilkenny. On the agenda: souvenir shops, photosat the castle, and then a restaurant, followed by a pub (The John Gleere), where an Irish band was playing. Very typical, AWESOME!!! And all accompanied by Miss Guinness, of course!
Tuesday 27th, fishing on the NORE River from 3pm to 8pm. In the morning, a rigging session with a little anecdote. We were talking about wet fly fishing, very seriously, as you can imagine! When Gilles said to Jordane thathaving a stick like him wasn’t great, he was referring to his fishing rod, of course. no misunderstanding! The session ended with a good laugh. When we arrived at the riverbank, DAN gave me two pike streamers. Really nice, thank you. Now it was Bernard’s turn to make a name for himself, as he fell into the water several times, but very elegantly!The guide nicknamed him FLIPPER the dolphin!
On Wednesday 28th, we returned to the SLANEY River from 12 noon to 5 p.m., with Kevin giving us a demonstration of two-handed casting with his salmon rod. Patrick lost the replacement landing net that Karl had lent him again. Two landing nets in one trip, I think he’s going to be fined!!! The fishing was pretty good with nymphs and dry flies, with some rising fish this time and a few hatches. However, there was some confusion about the meal. While shopping, Jacques thought he was buying frozen potato cubes, but ended up with mangoes. No big deal, we made PATAMANGUES!! Almost patented by the Michelin Guide, we’re doing well!!! Adventure is adventure!
On Thursday 29th, in the morning, we decide to go back to the fishing shop: we really liked it, this one at least! Patrick bought yet another landing net (unbelievable, the amount he spends on landing nets!!!) Then the afternoon back on the Nore river, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. That day, the guide told us: you’re free to go wherever you want to fish, along a stretch of about 2 km. You shouldn’t have said that. I had settled down nicely in a current at the end of the stretch. The problem was that everyone else had moved upstream, and two hours later, when the guide counted his fishermen, one was missing. No one had seen me. The guide went looking for me. He finally found me after a long walk and was relieved. I promise, I won’t do it again!!! That day, we caught 36 fish. On the way back to the lodges, we stopped at one last pub for the road, to enjoy one last IRISH GUINNESS!!!
Friday 30th, fishing on the NORE River from 2pm to 3pm. No time to waste on this last day! The weather was sunny and the fishing pretty good, with some excellent results for JL and Jordane using nymphs. As if to mark this last day, Gilles lost the tip of his rod on his way back to the car. No panic, a team investigated and found it lying in the tall grass. To celebrate, you can imagine that a little glass, made of steel please, was in order, 30 years old!!! Offered by DAN. During the stay, we caught a total of 682 fish and released them all.
On Saturday 31st, this IRISH adventure was almost over. This morning we had to pack everything away, clean up, load up and at 10am we took off for CORK, where we boarded at 3pm, set sail at 4pm and arrived the next morning in ROSCOFF at 7am. Then it was back to HQ on Sunday 1st June. Finally, A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who made this trip possible: those who prepared everything with emails,contacts and reservations: JACQUES and GILLES (nothing to do with the nursery rhyme) . The drivers of the three vehicles who transported us everywhere: JEAN-LUC, JACQUES, BERNARD, the cooks who worked hard on site, and finally, thank you to the ten ADVENTURERS!
Thanks also to the three IRISH guides: DAN, KEVIN and GEORGES, without whom it would have been much more difficult for a first-timer.
They were very friendly, sharing and convivial, in a very beautiful country.
TO BE REDONE!!! See you soon for new fishing adventures!
Jean- François
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