Furious f ishermen walk out on minister
FRUSTRATED fishermen and locals from south Donegal have walked out of a meeting with Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue in protest over the Government’s handling of the industry.
Around 150 locals from the fishing town of Killybegs gathered at the Fianna Fáil community meeting at the Tara Hotel, on Thursday, where Brexit, fish quotas and the future of the area were among the topics discussed.
Donegal representatives Councillor Michael Naughton and Senator Niall Blaney joined Minister McConalogue to update locals on ‘the work that Fianna Fáil is doing for them at local and Government level’. But the night hit a sour note during heated exchanges over the fishing industry. About a quarter of attendees then left their seats and walked out of the meeting to demonstrate their grievance.
Those employed in what was once a thriving fishing area in Killybegs say it has become extremely difficult to make a living from the industry due to Brexit.
In response, two fishing businesses in the town are to receive more than €12million in Government grants as part of a €50million investment in the local port.
However, fishermen believe that drastic long-term measures need to be put in place to save the town from financial ruin.
Patrick Murphy, CEO of South and West Fish Producers, called on the minister to resign.
‘I am pleading with the minister to put any pride he may have in his role aside, and face up to the fact that he is so simply out of his depth on the fishing industry, it’s not funny,’ he said. ‘Minister McConalogue is either incapable of facing up to the abject state of our fishing industry or so delusional that he actually thinks he is doing a good job. He is presiding over a catalogue of disaster.
‘He has absolutely annihilated our once-thriving industry and it is both incredibly unsettling and unbelievable that this man remains at the helm.’
Mr Murphy, who is Aontú’s candidate for Ireland South for the European elections, added that the minister has ‘decimated and drowned the industry’ – and is challenging him to a debate.
Despite the walkout, Minister McConalogue deemed the meeting a success. ‘Delighted to see such a large turnout tonight,’ he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘Brexit, fish quotas and the future of Killybegs were among the issues discussed.’
Later, speaking on Highland Radio, he said: ‘There’s no getting away from the fact that Brexit has impacted the town, but I updated [the attendees] in relation to all of the various steps I’m taking as minister to work to see the town develop in the years ahead.
‘A quarter turned up just to walk out... Over half stayed for the full two hours. It was a very worthwhile meeting overall. In the fishery sector in particular you have a lot of stuff said on social media that stands up to no scrutiny. That’s why I go to each parish and meet people and communities directly on a weekly basis.’
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle told the Dáil on Thursday: ‘For those who aren’t from a fishing community, it can be hard to understand how much of a negative impact the EU and Brexit have had and the devastating downturn these communities have experienced. You can imagine how frustrating it must be for our fishermen to see other countries thrive off and over-fish in our waters without any punishment.’
‘He is presiding over a disaster’