1903-1904. J 165 



At seven o'clock we dined in the hotel, after which anothei 

 visit was paid to the hillside to witness the departing day. 



We may mention that the hotel accommodation was taxed 

 to the utmost, and an overflow section had to be housed in 

 the " cottage," about half a mile from the hotel ; but this 

 was not felt as a drawback, for the very attentive manager 

 of the hotel, Mr. J. W. Manning, had a motor car in 

 attendance to bring the few who slept out up to the hotel in 

 the morning, and from it again at ten o'clock each night. 



Monday came and went in full summer dress, and with all 

 the gladness of summer-time, tempered with a gentle breeze. 

 After breakfast the photographers, professional and amateur, 

 were hard at work, and the members were photographed 

 in most up-to-date groups in front of the hotel. This 

 recording duty performed, a start was made for Downing's 

 Bay — the herring fishery station of the Congested Districts 

 Board — where we were met by the Instructor, Mr. Duthie, 

 who conducted us over the station, and with great courtesy 

 explained the entire system. This gentleman's explanation 

 was listened to with great attention, and many notes were taken 

 for future reference. Under the fostering care of the Board, 

 the development of this fishery station has had a remarkable 

 success. In dealing with a population which had no previous 

 knowledge of the herring fishery, the Board found it necessary 

 to provide boats on the " share system " instead of issuing a 

 loan to a fisherman to buy a boat, and leaving him responsible 

 for its care and upkeep all the year round. The loan system 

 is suitable when the men are fishermen by trade, and well 

 acquainted with the management and repair of boats and 

 gear ; but the Donegal men are only fishermen for a few 

 months in the year, being farmers for the rest of the time. 

 The Board keep an instructor (generally a skilful Scotch fisher- 

 man) on board each boat for a good many seasons, until the 

 men can manage it and fish properly. The instructor sells 

 the fish caught to local merchants and curers, and divides the 

 profits into nine parts, six of which go to the crew in equal 

 shares, and three to the Board. Of these three shares, one is 



