FISHING STATIONS— IRELAND. 351 



r.iilway is at some distance. Bat in regard to markets 

 for fresh fish the west coast of Ireland is not worse oif, 

 or even so badly situated, as the Shetlands, the Hebrides, 

 or the greatest part of the west coast of Scotland. What 

 would not the poor fishermen of these districts give for 

 such advantages as are provided by the lines of railway 

 to Donegal Bay, Sligo, Clew Bay, Galway Bay, the 

 Shannon, and Tralee Bay ! A glance at the railway 

 maps of the two countries will be sufficient to show that 

 these Scotch fishermen are completely shut out from the 

 fresh markets, and from the other markets also, unless 

 water carriage is available, and that is only partially so 

 when vessels visit a few places on the coast during the 

 herring fishery in the Minch. There is poverty and 

 distress at times among these fishermen, especially on 

 the main coast and the islands in the immediate neiedi- 

 bourhood ; but they are generally industrious and 

 energetic when they have a chance of fishing, and do 

 their best to make some provision for the time when 

 no work can be done. We should be very glad if we 

 could feel justified in thinking as much of the majority 

 of the fishermen of Ireland. We have been among 

 them both on many parts of the two coasts, and it was 

 impossible to avoid the conclusion that the greatest 

 obstacles to a general improvement among the Irish 

 fishermen were in the men themselves rather than in 

 the conditions under which they were seeking a liveli- 

 liood. 



We have been told by those who have had long 

 experience of the west coast fisliermen that their present 

 depressed state is all owing to the famine iji 1846-8. 

 But disastrous as were the effects of that calamitous 

 period, more than a generation has since passed away, 

 not only without improvement in the condition ot 



