Locations Suitable for Anglers with a Disability or Restricted Mobility

Disabled Angling Facilities

Cavan

1. Big disabled Stand with ramp and protective railing, Castle Lake, Virginia, Co Cavan.
2. Town Lake, Killeshandra, Co. Cavan. A floating jetty with guard rail and parking – Coarse fishing
3. Holy Lake, Belturbet, Co. Cavan.     Put & Take Trout – specially adapted boat will be operative for the 2002 season. There is a wheelyboat with ramp where the wheelchair can fish this productive Trout fishery.
4. Lough Gowna Co.Cavan – Dernaferst Shore north and south from the shore near car park with assistance.
5. Cuillaghan Lake Ballyconnell, Co.Cavan – A floating jetty with guard rail and parking – Coarse fishing

Cork

1. Munster Blackwater – Fermoy: Wheel chair accessible boats are available in the club waters. For more information on the wheelyboat at Fermoy contact:
   Chris O’Donovan, Fermoy Town & District Angling Club.
   Tel: +353 (0)89 4135120
2. Sea angling hoist at Kinsale. Also a mobile hoist that can be sited at any suitable pier particularly for sea angling festivals etc.
3. Argideen River: There is full access to the pool below Inchees Bridge which is a concrete structure but gives very good access to Salmon and Sea Trout fishing.
4. Bantry: There are a number of disabled stands at Lough Bofinne, a Rainbow Trout Lake near Bantry.
5. Inniscarra: There are a number of stands on the Innisleena section for good Coarse and Pike fishing.

Donegal

1. Owenea Fishery: Beat 3, Glenties.
2. Eske Fishery: Mill Pool.
3. Rosses Fishery, Lough Waskel – disabled boat access.
4. Roosky Lough, Creeslough: ‘Clodha’ Wheelyboat available

Galway

1. There are two wheelchair accessible stands on the Cong River for Salmon and Trout fishing
2. At Ballyquirke Lake near Moycullen there are two concrete disabled stand with guard rails for Coarse and Pike fishing.

Kerry

1. Sea angling hoist at Cahersiveen. The board also has a mobile hoist that can be sited at any suitable pier particularly for sea angling festivals etc.
2. Lough Currane: There is a hoist at Frank Donnelly’s angling centre for excellent Salmon and Sea Trout fishing.
3. Killarney: There is a hoist for disabled anglers at Lough Leane for Salmon and Trout fishing from a boat.

Laois

1. Gill Pond – Ballinakill: Mixed Coarse Fishery, 2 disabled stands present. Easy access for all anglers. No toilet facilities present.

Leitrim

1. Drumsna on the Shannon has a disabled angler boat for lake angling.
2. Kesh Lake, Keshcarrigan, Co. Leitrim.  One concrete stand for coarse and Pike
3. Shannon/Erne Waterway, Keshcarrigan, Co. Leitrim. There is a plastic stand with guard rail and car parking – Coarse fishing.
4. Garadice Lake, (Haughton’s Shore), Co. Leitrim. Suitable for wheelchairs with assistance along the shoreline from the lake shore road.
5. Kiltybarden Lake, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim. Suitable for wheelchairs with assistance along the shoreline from the lake shore road.
6. Rockfield Lake in Carrigallen from the lake side road and car park with assistance.
7. Gulladoo Lake Carrigallen – A floating jetty with guard rail and parking – Coarse fishing

Louth

1. River Dee disabled facility, Ardee, Co. Louth.Riverside walk upstream of the town of Ardee, park offering good Trout fishing in pools and riffles.
2. River Fane at Stephenstown.

Mayo

1. There are disabled angling facilities on the Moy Fishery in Ballina including the Ridge Pool & the Fresh Water Beat.
2. Additional facilities are provided on the Ballina Salmon Angler’s Association water and the Foxford Salmon Angler’s Association water.
3. There are some concrete ramps on the Glenamoy River for fishing for Salmon and Sea Trout on some very good pools.

Monaghan

1. Carrickmacross: Capragh Lake, Lough Nagarnaman
2. Castleblaney: Lough Muckno (Gas Lake), Lough ross
3. Peter’s Lake, Monaghan Town, Co Monaghan
4. Lough Major, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan. A floating jetty with guard rail and parking in the town in Ballybay – Coarse fishing
5. Mullanary Lake, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan – operative 2002. There is a stand with guard rail alongside road with parking.
6. Gortnawinny Lake, Clones Co.Monaghan- A floating jetty with guard rail and parking – Coarse fishing

Tipperary

1. River Suir – Cahir: There are 6 stands purpose built of individuals with wheelchairs on the River Suir downstream of the Swiss Cottage. Ideal trout waters and permits are available locally. Public Toilet facilities are available which wheelchair access also.

Waterford

1. Waterford Fly Fishing at Carrigavanty, Knockaderry and Ballyscanlon fisheries have wheelchair accessible boats available. Lakes stocked with browns and rainbows. Ideal location. Permits available locally at Centra Supermarket, Kilmeaden. To Hire out the Wheelie Boat contact Pat Smith (Treasurer) On : Tel. 051 384428
2. Ballyshunnock Reservoir- Kilmeaden: This is a mixed coarse and trout fishery with angling access for individuals with disabilities. Permits are available in the Centra Shop in Kilmeaden, however there are no toilet facilities available at present on site.
3. Munster Blackwater – Cappoquinn: Wheel chair accessible boats are available in the club waters. For more information on the wheelyboat at Cappoquin contact:
   Jeremy Nicholson, Cappoquin Salmon and Trout Anglers Association.
   Tel: + 353 (0)58 52302

Westmeath

1. Mullingar has a disabled angler boat for lake angling

Wexford

1. Oaklands Lake – New Ross :Ideal for coarse fishing. We have used this ourselves during National Angling Awareness Week when we had members of the Waterford and Wexford Branches of the Wheel Chair Association fishing at the lake. The lake has ramps, appropriate stands and toilet facilities.

Wicklow

1. National Disabled Angling Facility, Aughrim, Co Wicklow
2. Rainbow Trout fishery (purpose built facility)

The following is a passage from the Waterways brochure on disabled angling facilities on the River Barrow in the southern Region.

There are two wheelchair accessible angling stands and a car park at Athy (map 3), on the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal. The angling stands arelocated at the southern end of a major match angling section. This section plays host to a large number of local and provincial coarse angling competitions, run by the Athy and District Angling Club.

The Barrow Line at Ballyteague and Athy is between 12 and 15 metres wide and averages 1.75 m deep. The canal corridor supports a wide diversity of aquatic and marginal plants that harbour myriads of fish-food insects. This aquatic vegetation also acts as a spawning and nursery habitat for a variety of coarse fishes. This may explain the large quantity of healthy fish that is resident in this productive canal. The vegetation is carefully managed and does not pose an obstruction for anglers.

Barrow Navigation

On the Barrow Navigation at Bagenalstown (map 2),Waterways Ireland has developed a quality angling section with wheelchair accessible stands. Five state-of-the-art stands with adjacent car parking are located on the banks of the river, downstream of Rathelin Lock. A dedicated tarmac towpath services the section.

The Barrow Navigation adjacent to the stands at Bagenalstown is aproximately 40m wide. The flow is slow and the water is between 3 and 4 m deep. The margins of the Barrow Navigation support moderate stands of reeds and yellow water lilies. The density of boat traffic through the area is low.

Fisheries