The Irish climate is well suited to sport angling. It is temperate and kind to the angler with moderate summers, mild winters and adequate rainfall throughout the year. Many Irish people enjoy fishing but they are happy to share the fish with fellow anglers from all over the world. Few locals, however, fish for coarse fish (freshwater species other than the salmon and trout family) which means that the magnificent pike, bream, tench and roach fisheries are largely left to the tourist. No licence required on the Shannon Angling on the Shannon and Erne
History & Heritage
Ireland is famed the world over for its heritage and history, and on a cruising holiday on the Shannon and Erne, you will find numerous fascinating sites of historic interest: castles, gardens and heritage centres right on the river or just a short walk from the many moorings. To provide protection from invaders, many of the fortifications were built on islands or close to rivers, but with a cruiser you have access to many sites only accessible by boat - just moor up alongside and view at your leisure. On Lough Erne, you can visit Devenish Island with its wonderful round tower and church ruins, then head up the lake to the 6th Century carved figures on White Island. Cross the lake to visit Tully Castle before heading back to Enniskillen and the famous castle. On Upper Lough Erne, you can visit Crom Castle on your way to the Shannon- Erne Waterway and on to the Shannon. Here, you can visit Castle Island on Lough Key (only by dinghy, but you can tie up the cruiser close-by). And if you have time, stroll in to Boyle from the harbour and visit the Abbey and King House. Stop off in Carrick-on-Shannon and visit the Costello Chapel - the smallest in Ireland. Further down the Shannon, there are plenty of sights in Athlone, including the Castle, and then motor downstream to Clonmacnoise, a fascinating 6th century monastic site with its own jetty. And if you have time to get to Lough Derg, you can stay the night in Portumna Castle harbour.
Anglers are welcome throughout the whole of Ireland but there are some differences between the North and South as far as regulations and licences are concerned. No licence is required for coarse or pike fishing on the Shannon, but a share certificate is required for game fishing. A licence is required for all types of fishing in Northern Ireland and these are available to buy online & at our marina. In Ireland, conservation is necessary to protect the variety of fish in our waters. Local fishery bye-laws are very strict and you must make yourself aware of them before you arrive. There is no close season for coarse fishing in either the North or South. The season for game fishing varies in different regions. Fishing from your cruiser allows you the option of moving to where the action is - and when you find a good spot, you can stay there! Think of your cruiser as a cottage that moves - there are literally hundreds of places to tie up and plenty of pubs and shops for when you're finished. The popular coarse fish species in Ireland are Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Hybrids (roach/bream & rudd/bream) & Perch. Once large bream are encountered it is not unusual to get bags of 150lbs to 250lbs. And for the Pike angler starting in Banagher, fishing is often very productive, especially around Meelick where fish up to 20lbs+ are reported quite frequently. There is no need to bring your own bait as there is a network of Bait Stockists around the region, and we can pre-order and deliver your bait for you. Most of our angling visitors prefer the sedan-style boats as they have aft cockpits from which you can fish safely. These include the Limerick Class, Tyrone Class, Wave Duke and Carlow Class - and for the discerning customer, the Wave Princess and Wexford Class. We can also supply fishing dinghies up to 14' long and outboard motors so that you can explore the smaller inaccessible tributaries and creeks.
Portumna Castle
You will be amazed at how the country's traditional culture has been preserved in modern day Ireland. As well as the many attractions described here, there are many towers and ruins alongside the river or on islands which you will cruise past, such as the round tower at Banagher or the medieval ruins on Trinity Island in Lough Key. Particular attention should also be paid to the many locks and bridges which have historic interest such as Meelick Lock and the magnificent 16 arch bridge at Shannonbridge. Even the harbours themselves tell us much about bygone days, for example the historic Richmond Harbour at the entrance to the Royal Canal. Many of the sites have excellent visitor centres or museums where you can discover more about the site and its past. There are few holidays which give you such unrivalled access to Ireland’s unique history and heritage.
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