New book brings “long-lost treasure” of Irish angling to new generations around the world
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raditional Irish salmon flies, commissioned one hundred and twenty years ago for the Cork International Exhibition in 1902, now feature in a new historical picture book from Inland Fisheries Ireland.
fish. It’s a little-known part of Ireland’s heritage but many angling shops in the late 1800s and early 1900s employed ‘fly dressers.’ Some were considered masters of their craft, thanks to their skills, creativity and the traditional methods that they used.
Did you know? Fly tying involves the ‘dressing’ of a fishing hook to create an artificial fly, which is then used by anglers at the end of a rod and line to catch
1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies In recognition of the cultural importance of this craft and to
Shane O'Reilly, Inland Fisheries Ireland project manager.
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Spring 2022 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
record examples, a collection of traditional fly dressings was commissioned in 1902, with specific sets of flies collected for each of the twenty fishery districts throughout the country. The current custodians of this important collection, Inland Fisheries Ireland, has published the ‘1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies’ picture book online, making it freely available to new generations around the world.
