Thei Angler in Ireland. 
The term “barling” is never heard in Ireland. 
The Irish angler trolls, and trolling includes 
harling, this latter being merely that form of 
trolling which alone is possible in certain con¬ 
ditions of water. In gentle currents or on a 
lake the movement of the boat is necessary to 
keep the bait revolving and at a correct depth, 
but a stream may be so swift that the bait 
fishes better with the boat kept still, or even, 
when the water is particularly heavy, if it is 
mouth, so long as it remains navigable and 
tidal, is true seaway in fact, but the moment it 
becomes fresh inland water, a river in the 
sense the man in the street understands the 
term, the angler becomes at once a trespasser 
and must be prepared for the possible conse¬ 
quences. And, as a rule, he can ascend rivers 
but a very short way, so that we may say al¬ 
most without qualification, the public have no 
right of fishing in any fresh water within this 
realm of ours. The right of fishing is a right 
of property; it belongs to the landlord, but 
The right to fish in certain waters here and 
there, and the right to fish in a certain way in 
them also, is in a few cases a sort of heredita¬ 
ment, generally of great antiquity, a grant be¬ 
stowed by some sovereign in pre-historic times, 
on some favorite perhaps or on some corpora¬ 
tion, very often on a monastic one. This is 
called a “several fishery,” and its rights and 
privileges ,are superior to and quite unaffected 
by those of the mere riparian proprietor. It is 
in fact a vested interest which no modern right 
or claim can touch, and most several fisheries 
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THE RAPIDS OF DUNASS AT CASTLECONNELL ON THE RIVER SHANNON. 
Courtesy of the late John Enright, who was an angling friend of “Shannon Shore.” 
allowed to fall down stream bit by bit till the 
end of the rapid is reached. This falling down 
stream is called harling, a word of very com¬ 
mon use in Scotland, where the numerous 
strong and rapid spring salmon rivers render 
this form of trolling necessary, but to the Irish¬ 
man trolling is trolling, whether up stream or 
down. 
Passing for a moment from methods of fish¬ 
ing, it may not be amiss just here to offer a 
word or two on the not unimportant subject of 
the right to fish, for in these days when the 
tourist angler is to be found everywhere in 
pursuit of fresh streams and waters new, it is 
as well to know r the legal rule of the road be¬ 
forehand, so as to save possible disappoint¬ 
ment. There is no free fishing in Ireland, nor, 
indeed, in any part of the British Islands. 
The sea around the coast is open to the 
angler in his boat no doubt, and he can even 
go up narrow bays and inlets, or even a river 
may of course be passed on by mutual arrange¬ 
ment to the occupying tenant, a thing, however, 
very seldom done. 
Under the present system of land purchase, 
however, the fishing and other sporting rights 
are in many cases being transferred to our new 
tenant-lanlords in Ireland. To own the land 
then is to own the fishing, but in general the 
trout or coarse fish angler may wander where 
he will in Ireland and find all waters open to 
him, so long as he is careful not to injure crops, 
knock down fences, leave gates open or other¬ 
wise upset things. And in circumstances where 
his good sense should tell him a request for 
permission to enter*on private and inclosed 
grounds should be made, he will almost invari¬ 
ably find a kindly people but too happy to 
oblige him and send him on his way rejoicing. 
The fishing of Ireland, then, is, by lake and 
river, a matter of riparian right with one small 
but interesting exception now to be mentioned 
are now of great value, though in many cases 
their present owners purchased them some 
years ago at a very small figure indeed. There 
is one several fishery on the Shannon. This is 
known as the Lax-Weir at Limerick, and is, I 
believe, the property of the corporation of that 
city. The word “lax” is Scandinavian for sal¬ 
mon, and this structure at Limerick was doubt¬ 
less originally made by the Danes a thousand 
years or so ago. In the course of time it be¬ 
came a realized property with due privileges 
and a legally recognized proprietor, and now 
takes tons of salmon annually on their way 
up the river. It is a great eyesore to the 
angler, and so far among philanthropic mil¬ 
lionaires there has not as yet arisen one to buy 
up and extinguish a several salmon fishery right, 
though grateful anglers would without doubt 
continue to bless such a benefactor from gen¬ 
eration to generation. But though trout fishing 
in Ireland is in general free and open or to be 
