School: Sean-cheann tSáile (roll number 9649)

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1. Local Employment

   

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   Up to thirty years ago Kinsale was a flourishing fishing town. The mackeral fishing which was locally known as the "Boldies", began on or about the 1st of March and ended about the end of June. The boats used were known as Boldy boats, and used to carry a crew of seven. When men from the locality left for the fishing annually, they were said to be "going to the "Boldies."
   These fishing boats had no means of propulsion except sails, hence on calm days, they were often unable to reach the harbour. Each buyer had two or three crews of local men, whose duty it was to proceed to sea every morning in a yawl, and buy the catches of the incoming fishing boats. Each man received 26/- pr week, and the cox of each yawl about £2 1/2. The yawls of all the buyers were obliged to start together every morning on the stroke of eight, and they used to have exciting races to sea sometimes.
   Up to eight hundred boats could often be seen in the harbour on a Saturday night. These boats came from all parts of Europe. Buyers from England used to come over to Kinsale during the fishing season and sometimes gave up to three pounds pr hundred for fish.
   When steam trawlers came into use, the price of mackeral fell so low that it would not pay the fisherman to continue his fishing.
   A story is told that a man, when looking at the forest

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. catching animals
            1. fishing (~216)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   James Francis Healy

   Gender

   Male

   Collector

   Sheila Dempsey

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   13

   Address

   Old Head, Co. Cork

   Informant

   James Hartnett

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Old Head, Co. Cork