Ten Cavan angling events get funding boost

Inland Fisheries Ireland has announced the beneficiaries of its 2018 Sponsorship Programme, which supports angling events and initiatives across the country. Ten initiatives in Cavan will receive funding.

The scheme will support 63 events to be held in Ireland and a further 10 juvenile and women’s events to be held overseas, to the overall tune of €30,000 with a focus on those which help grow Ireland’s angling tourism product and support novice anglers.

The 10 initiatives in Cavan which will receive funding are:
1.    Cootehill IFI Fishing Festival, five-day coarse fishing festival at Cootehill, organised by Cootehill Fishing Festival
2.    Arvagh Breffni Seniors event, angling competition at Arvagh lakes over five days, organised by Arvagh Angling Holidays
3.    Arvagh International Coarse Fishing Festival, angling competition at Arvagh lakes, organised by Arvagh Angling Holidays
4.    Arvagh King of Clubs, angling competition at Arvagh lakes, organised by Arvagh Angling Holidays
5.    Arvagh Breffni Open, angling competition at Arvagh lakes, Arvagh Angling Holidays
6.    Romanian Catch and Release Angling Association’s lure fishing competition at Lough Ramor, organised by the Romanian C&R Angling Association
7.    Feeder fishing three-day event, Barnagrove Lake and Lough Sillan, organised by C/M Lakelands Feeder Club
8.    Building Angling Tourism Potential in Leitrim & Cavan, workshop format event at Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, organised by Upper Shannon Erne Future Economy Project.

 A further two events span both Cavan and Leitrim:

            9.  World Pairs Angling Championships, Shannon-Erne region, organised by World Pairs Angling
            10. All Ireland Championships Senior & Ladies, Shannon Erne and various locations in counties Cavan and Leitrim, organised by the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, celebrating 60th anniversary.

The angling initiatives listed above will be supported through financial aid and, where possible, through resource support from Inland Fisheries Ireland staff members. The Sponsorship Programme was announced in January with applications invited from anglers, angling clubs and organisations nationwide. In total, there were over 100 applications to this year’s programme.
Suzanne Campion, head of business development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “With Ireland having some of the best wild fisheries in Europe, this annual Sponsorship Programme forms part of our National Strategy for Angling Development, which aims to develop our angling tourism potential while also managing and conserving our fisheries resource. Tourism initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East are further boosting visitor numbers and our Sponsorship Programme for 2018 will support angling clubs and groups nationwide to offer local events which engage domestic anglers, overseas anglers and those who are about to cast for the first time.”
Recreational angling is estimated to contribute over €800 million to Ireland’s economy on an annual basis, supporting upwards of 11,000 jobs.
Angling offers rural communities the opportunity to increase the number of visitors to the area and, in turn, support local business and create jobs by providing a sustainable source of income for both catering and accommodation services.