The 58th Annual Newport Sea Angling Festival took place in the beautiful surrounds of Clew Bay over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Over 60 anglers took to the seas over the two day event with the junior members out on Saturday 3rd of August followed by the Senior anglers on Sunday 4th. Check in on Saturday began from 9am onwards at Newport Quay. There was a great buzz of excitement as the young anglers, filled with freshly cooked sausage rolls, boarded the boats to begin their days fishing. The committee were back in action again early Sunday morning providing tea and sausage rolls for all the senior anglers just before they boarded the boats and headed out to sea.
The weather conditions for the Junior anglers on Saturday was fair but the recorded catches were low. This was in sharp contrast to the conditions on Sunday for the Senior anglers who had to brave the wind and the heavy rain for the afternoon. However, despite the poor weather on Sunday, the fish count on most boats was good.
There were prizes on offer in a range of categories including Novice Junior category (1st to 3rd), main Juniors category (1st to 5th), largest fish, Ladies category, Seniors category (1st to 8th), Junior Master Angler and best skipper.
The prize presentation took place in Nevins bar which was packed to capacity as all other events in the town were cancelled due to the poor weather conditions. Club Chairman Sean Fahy got the proceedings underway against a backdrop of a slideshow of images taken at our recent events. Each of the various sponsors were thanked for their continued help and support (a full list of sponsors below and also available on our website and Facebook page).
Those in attendance eagerly awaited the results from the various categories. Local angler Declan Moran was announced as the overall winner of the competition with a total of 36 dogfish and 2 Bulhuss (230 points total). Declan received the much sought after Tom Moran Memorial Cup (a cup dedicated to his late father who passed away in 1997 and was among the early founding members of the club as well as a local skipper). The main Junior section winner was Patrick Sammon with a total of 6 fish and 85 points. Patrick received the Margaret Moran Memorial cup and ensured the cup came back to Ross (as Margaret was both a former club secretary and a sea angling mentor to Patrick when he was young). A prize for the largest ray category was won by Peter Coyne who landed a stingray on board the Finnaun (which was the first time a Stingray has been landed in this event). Laoise Fynes was also announced as the Junior Master Angler for the season. See all results from the competition listed below:
The results of the NSAC 58th Annual Festival Competition were as follows:
Seniors Category: Fish Points
Overall Winner Declan Moran 38 230
2nd Place Paul Murphy 21 105
3rd Place Kieran McGowan 17 105
4th place David Nevin 10 100
5th Place Jessica Loftus 14 95
6th Place Francis O’Toole 18 90
7th Place Sean Kilroy 11 85
8th Place Jim Pressley 8 85‘.
Best Senior Lady Category: Fish Points
Winner – Siobhan Melvin 14 70
Runner up – Niamh Tester 12 60
Largest Fish Category:
Largest Bullhuss – Declan Moran (40″)
Largest Ray (Stingray) – Peter Coyne (26″ x 40″)
Largest Conger – Niamh Murphy (46.5″)
Juniors Category: Fish Points
1st Place Patrick Sammon 6 85
2nd Place Leah Moran 3 60
3rd Place Holly Magee 10 50
4th Place Cian Moran 5 45
5th Place Liam Moran 3 45
Junior League (Master Angler):
Winner – Laoise Fynes
Junior Novice Category: Fish Points
Winner – John Moran 6 50
2nd Place – Dmytro Krys 9 45
3rd Place – Paul Moran 4 20
Best skipper – Tom Moran – The White Water II
Congratulations from all at Newport Sea Angling Club to each of the winners and thanks to all those who took part in the competition over the weekend.
We would also like to thank our Skippers for their help over the two days, all the staff of Nevins Bar, those who presented prizes, anyone who helped to make the day a memorable occasion for all who took part. The club would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generosity, as without their support, the competition would not have taken place.
Our thanks to the 2024 NSAC 58th Annual Festival Competition sponsors as follows:
Trophy Sponsors: Tom Moran Cup – Bella Moran & Family (Main Trophy Sponsor), Sue Steer (Novice Category Sponsor), Peter Moran (Junior Trophy Sponsor),Kilroy Trophy – Josephine / Sean Kilroy, Jayne O’Malley Cup – Martin / Mary O’Malley
Main Sponsors: Clr Brendan Mulroy (Main Club Sponsor), Mary’s of Mulranny (Competition Sponsor), Nevins Bar (Competition Sponsor), Inland Fisheries Ireland (Main Club Sponsor), Bord Iascaigh Mhara (Main Club Sponsor), Attracta’s Laundrette, Futura Flooring, Sheridans Centra, Kelly’s Butchers, Newport Pharmacy, Patricia’s Fashions, Tracks & Treasures, The Towers, Hotel Newport, Bridge House Beauty Salon, Moynish Guest House, Gerry Grealis – Avondale House, Alan Leneghan, Corcoran’s Drapery, Market 57, Print Addiction, Sweeneys of Achill, Jim Pressley, Mulranny Motors, The Bridge Inn, Westport House Adventure Park, O’Malley Transport.
Please contact any member of the club if you wish to get involved in helping out at any of our events throughout the year!
We are now taking entries for our next competition which is a Teams event scheduled for 7th of September. Contact Sean on 087 0644601, Declan on 087 6831216 or any member of the committee for more details / to book in.
