Dublin Angling Initiative Annual Fishing Competition
The Annual Dublin Angling Initiative trout fishing competition took place on Thursday 3rd November, at Angling for All facility in Aughrim, County Wicklow. This competition is one of the many youth angling events organised by the Dublin Angling Initiative. Fifty two teenagers participated from all over Dublin, and this competition is certainly the highlight of the fishing calendar for these youngsters. The majority of the participants have attended fishing courses run by the Dublin Angling Initiative throughout the summer months and many have been coming for a number of years and are now good anglers.
Competitors fished in teams of four from the following youth projects; Mulhuddart Community Youth Project, Blanchardstown Youth Service, Whitechurch Youth Development Project, Sphere 17 Darndale, JAY Project, Jobstown, Bradog, Dublin city and Youth Enhancement Whitechurch. This competition is catch and release and after a brilliant day’s fishing where the hard fighting rainbows provided fantastic sport, more than 40 rainbow trout were caught and safely released.
The winning teams on the day were:
1st place: Dublin 15 (team 2) – Aaron Thompson, Daniel Connolly and Shane Murray.
2nd Place: Dublin 15 (team 1) – Jay Sinnott, Josh Twomey, Graham Beattie
Whitechurch (team 2) – Cormac Healy, Barry Downey, Josh McCarthy
Mulhuddart (team 6) – Mark McMahon, Steve McMahon, Eric Hughes, Corey Geoghan
3rd Place: Jobstown (team 1) – Davie Simpson, Dean Meehan, Corey Dardis
The prizegiving ceremony took place at the Pavilion, adjacent to the fishery where Des Chew and Darragh Long of Millard Brothers presented the prizes of DAM rods and reels. Every young person received a prize which will help them to continue with their hobby.
Des Chew, Project Manager of the Dublin Angling Initiative stated: ‘This competition has been a great success thanks to the ongoing support of Inland Fisheries Ireland, George Kelly of Millard Brothers who donated the prizes for the competition and the staff at the Angling for All facility who sponsored the fishery today. I would also like to praise the fisheries officers of IFI, Derek Evans for his ongoing support to the competition and to the young people themselves who are great advocates for the sport of angling and represent the future for angling in Ireland’.
The competition was organised by Des Chew of the Dublin Angling Initiative. Many thanks to Oisin Cahill, Maurice Carolan, Josie Mahon of Inland Fisheries Ireland Blackrock, Chris McGregor, DAI and Darragh Long from Millards. Thanks also to the youth workers who brought the young people to the competition and who do tremendous work with them all year round.
