Welshman Alan Duthie from Llanethlie, South Wales should be given the freedom of South East Ireland for the efforts he selflessly makes in championing, within his local community, Ireland as a sea fishing holiday destination. Last weekend beginning Thursday 11/08/2016 Alan and 12 enthusiastic sea anglers from the Swansea area traveled to and spent time and money fishing off both Wicklow Town with Skipper Kit Dunne and also Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford with the Hayes brothers Dick and Eamon.
The second trip that this particular Welsh party have made this summer 2016 and the umpteenth since a formal request was made by this writer to Alan Duthie (Chairperson of the Welsh Pleasure Anglers and Kayakers Association, PAKA) regarding holding a presentation in South Wales on the tourism sea angling product south east Ireland has to offer back in September 2009. That presentation, which cost the princely sum of two return ferry trips, a couple 0f overnights in a B/B and living expenses, approx’ €700.00, has resulted in multiple visits to Ireland from a plethora of Welsh sea angling groups aligned to PAKA post 2010.
The information set out below, gleaned from a trip made to Kilmore Quay back in 2013, illustrates just one traveling groups contribution to South East Ireland’s local economy.
Revenue generated exclusive of travel and sundry expenses:
| P.A.K.A South Wales, Angling Trip to | Kilmore Quay, June 23rd – 28th 2013 |
| B/B, €40.00 x 21 x 4 | €3360.00 |
| Charters, €400.00 x 2 x 3 | €2400.00 |
| Fresh Bait (ragworm) | €200.00 |
| Terminal tackle, and frozen bait. | €630.00 |
| Lunch (€10.00 x 21 x 3) | €630.00 |
| Evening meal (Average €25.00 x 21 x4) | €2100.00 |
| Pints (average over group 4 per night @ €4.00) | €336.00 |
| Bus collection/return from ferry port | €300.00 |
| Total | € 9956.00 |
The average spend per angler exclusive of Ferry Travel was € 474.09 based on a four bed night stay or €118.52 per day, by translation that spend equates to €711.14 per angler for a week (6 x bed nights) long trip. Individually some of the traveling group would say that they spend more, however the above is an accurate account and translated over seven years to date based on the known repeat trips organised by Alan Duthie, his group alone have directly deposited €160,000 plus in Ireland on an outlay of €700.00, now that is some return.
Traveling for the scenery, craic and a different fishing experience, on this occasion the boys were targeting east coast Wicklow tope. Staying in the Grand Hotel the lads fished two days with skipper Kit Dunne and Wicklow Boat Charters. The first outing was tough with only a few dogfish and hounds showing, however on the second day pay dirt was struck with 9 tope boated partnered by a succession of bull huss.
Skipper Kit Dunne has invested serious money in his business and the Welsh sea angling party travel with the primary motive of wetting a line. For this business arrangement to survive and prosper the fishing resource needs to be firing on all cylinders, unfortunately Co. Wicklow’s offshore fishery is stuttering badly due to inshore habitat destruction and over fishing within the greater Irish Sea.
Government needs to recognise fully stakeholders such as Kit and the Welsh tourist sea anglers, for they having committed to travel and spend money within Ireland are stakeholders too. The current narrow Government marine fisheries focus on the commercial catching/processing sector as the only gig in town is limiting the return on a key national resource at a time when innovation and diversification are the buzz words of business. Kit Dunne exemplifies the former, pity our relevant national marine agencies and politicians still refuse to back his efforts. A starting point for a change of tack would be for both Ireland’s Ministers for Fisheries and Tourism and the CEO of Failte Ireland to meet with Welshman Alan Duthie then listen to and act on his recommendations, after all its his money and passion that contributes not only to their salaries but to their existence as public servants…….
