FISHING STATIONS -IRELAND. 383 



of the fishing part of the population of the town of 

 Galway, and occupies a distinct quarter of it known as 

 the Oladdagh. Here they have lived for many genera- 

 tions as a separate people, marrying only among them- 

 selves, carrying on the fisheries according to their own 

 ideas of times and methods, and seeking too often by 

 violence and intimidation to enforce " Claddagh law " 

 upon the other fishermen of the bay. Although a 

 terror to the district in matters relating to the sea 

 fisheries, they have not been without the sympathy of 

 many of the neighbouring magistrates and gentry for 

 wdiat they considered their grievances. The chief one, 

 we need hardly say, was the presence of trawlers in the 

 bay, who were very successful in their fishing when 

 they could work without molestation; but the Claddagh 

 men thought proper to attack them with volleys of 

 stones, and carried their violence so far that the smack- 

 owners were obliged to lay up their vessels. 



A byelaw, made several years ago, and still in force, 

 prohibits trawling on a considerable piece of ground at 

 the head of the bay, and this regulation practically 

 keeps the trawlers to water of not less than 10 fathoms ; 

 but there is fine trawling ground westward from the 

 boundary line, in water ranging from 10 to 30 fathoms. 

 The fish appear to frequent the higher part of the bay 

 during the summer, but there is no part of the year in 

 which trawling may not be successfully worked some- 

 where or other inside the Arran Islands ; and there is 

 also a patch of ground in deeper water beyond them 

 that can be fished with advantage for a short time in 

 summer when the weather is fine. Trawling is also 

 prohibited in the bay within three miles of drift-fishing. 



The general feeling among the Claddagh men against 

 trawling has been of long standing ; and although it 



