Trawlers are forced out of Rosslare

March 1993

Wexford fishermen who have enjoyed traditional rights for centuries are being squeezed out of Rosslare Harbour as the port undergoes further development.

Many trawler owners are now being forced to dock as far away as Dunmore East, because Kilmore Quay and Duncannon are also out of bounds due to overcrowding and unsafe conditions.

The lack of a haven in their own coastal corner is causing severe operating problems for local fishermen, whose livelihoods are at stake.

The situation was highlighted at a meeting of Rosslare Harbour Development Committee, the body which represents the interests of diverse organisations involved in the port.

Public representative, Leo Carthy, was anxious to know what plans Iarnród Eireann, the port authority, had to accommodate the trawlers that had been berthing in the harbour for decades.

‘It’s a sad state of affairs that local fishermen can’t land catches in their own area. Where are they going to go? Are we going to run them out of Wexford altogether?’

Mayor of Wexford, Paddy Nolan, said it would be ‘a terrible pity’ if the fishermen were pushed out of Rosslare. He saw an old photograph of Rosslare Harbour recently, showing the port before the completion of major commercial development. There were 13 trawlers tied up in the area – ‘and God only knows how many more were out at sea that day,’ he said.

Walter Morrissey, executive officer of Iarnród Eireann, said he understood the port authority was taking ‘a sympathetic view’ of the fishermen’s problems, but he reminded committee members that Rosslare is a commercial port.

‘It wouldn’t be suitable to have large-scale usage of the port by trawlers,’ he said, adding that it ‘might’ be possible to provide a berth on the other side of the area, which has been reclaimed.