School: Doire na Creiche

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1. Béaloideas

   

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   Over fifty years ago fish was very plentiful in Bantry Bay. The most of the families round the coast had boats for fishing. Many people near the coast made their living by fishing. Lobsters, herrings, mackerel, and hake were very plentiful. The districts near the coast were more thickly populated at that time than what they are now.
   The lobster fishing was a very important industry at that time. There is a big pond at the bottom of Ardnatrush with a big wall all round it and a narrow entrance to the sea. This is known as the Losters Lobster Pond. It was built by an English gentleman named Captain Chambers. He also built a big house near it. In the summer time when lobsters were plentiful and cheap he bought thousands of them from the local fishermen and placed them in the pond and fed them with coarse fish. At the mouth of the pond near the sea there was a sluice which used to be opened when the tide was coming in to let in fresh water and closed when the tide was going out. When winter came and when lobsters got scarce and dear he used o sell them in England for a big price. In this way he prospered year by year. One night a terrible thunder shower fell. The drain near the pond over flowed its banks and the fresh water went into the pond and killed all the lobsters. Then Captain Chambers became bankrupt and went back to England and the pond and the house are now in ruins.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Denis Connolly

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   76

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ardaturrish Beg, Co. Cork