Starting at Easter, there are four brand new angling festivals on Lough Muckno at Castleblayney where anglers can now drive to any of the 220 permanent pegs available.

The 2013 Lough Muckno Angling Festivals

  1. Easter One with £10,000
    Fish match days March 30-31-1 April (Three days)
    Contact Active Irish Angling +44 (0)151 324 4744
  2. Easter Two with £15,000
    Fish match days April 2-5 (Four days)
    Contact Active Irish Angling +44 (0)151 324 4744
  3. Muckno Mania 200 Festival £20,000
    Fish match dates July 1-5 (Five days)
    Contact Active Irish Angling +44 (0)151 324 4744
  4. Muckno Autumn Festival £20,000
    Fish match dates September 30-4 October (Five days)
    Contact Active Irish Angling +44 (0)151 324 4744
Peadar O'Brien with a big catch from Concra Wood on Muckno
Peadar O'Brien with a big catch from Concra Wood on Muckno

“It is time for a change” said Dick Caplice, Chairman of the Irish Angling Development Alliance, and an international match angler himself.

“Match angling in Ireland is a massive and important element in attracting overseas tourists to Ireland.  To meet their expectations we are introducing trend setting advances that will modernise the approach to organising angling festivals.

It is simply about organising well-run events with the potential for great sport and a transparent approach to entry fees and how monies are returned to the matchmen.

We are promising to return every penny of the match entry fees in prize money and set a price that cancels any need for additional optional sweeps and super pools. We will also pay out any additional sponsorship that is available and so far we have €13,000 promised and that will be paid out in two team events”.

Anglers wanting more information should contact Active Irish Angling on +44 (0)151 324 4744 or email: [email protected]