Aran islanders demonstrated their skills when they won a lobster pot making contest at a new maritime festival on Inis Meáin.
The first Féile Farraige Inis Meáin,drew a “fine field” of eight handmade pots for Comórtas an Phota Gliomach or the lobster pot contest, according to the organisers.
Despite strong competition from across the water on the mainland, the honours stayed firmly on the island, with first prize going to Seán Ó Domhnaill and Cillín Ó Fátharta.
Pat, Naoise and Caomhán Ó Fátharta came second, while Micilín and Ferdia Ó Coincheanainn were a close third.
Craft Tradition — Handmade lobster pots showcasing traditional and modern designs are displayed before judging at the inaugural Féile Farraige Inis Meáin. Photo: Lorna Siggins
The event was organised by Maureen Concannon of Pleanáil Teanga Inis Meáin, while the judges were Máire Éinniú, head of Nua Mara, Ireland's marine innovation and development centre, a subsidiary of Údarás na Gaeltachta, and Máirtín Ó Tuairisg of BIM (Bord Iascaigh Mhara).
Each one was a small masterpiece of a craft passed down through generations of fishing families, and not a bad showing at all for a festival in its very first year, Éinniú says.
The entries ranged from traditional pots built from hazel sticks in the old island style to modern designs, a display that captured both the deep roots and the living evolution of the craft, she says.
“One entry even featured a parlour, the clever second chamber that holds the lobster securely once it has taken the bait, proof of just how much thought and knowledge went into every pot on the table,”she says.
The entries came from fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, working side by side, she notes, and it was a “multigenerational showing that proved the craft of the pota gliomach is in safe hands for many years to come”.
"You can't make a pot like these without a deep understanding of the sea," the judges noted. "Every bend of the stick and every knot in the mesh reflects generations of knowledge of tide, ground and the ways of the lobster. It was a privilege to see that knowledge, and the families behind it, living on."
Island Interest — A full house at Ionad Pobail Inis Meáin as spectators young and old inspect the handmade lobster pots during the inaugural Féile Farraige Inis Meáin.
The day's focus on the future of the fishery didn't finish there as Máirtín Ó Tuairisg gave a demonstration of v-notching, the conservation practice of marking the tails of egg-bearing female lobsters so they are returned to the water to breed, protecting stocks for the next generation.
The v-notched lobsters were then released back into the sea off Inis Meáin, ensuring the waters around the island will keep those eight fine new pots busy for years to come.
The pot competition was just one highlight of a packed weekend celebrating the island's relationship with the sea.
Events included Margadh na Féile, a guided shore walk with Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh, an exhibition of the seaweeds, shells and placenames of the Inis Meáin shoreline, and a seafood tasting evening at Teach Ósta Inis Meáin with local chefs.
There were currach demonstrations and rowing with Club Iomramh Inis Meáin at Céibh an Chóra, a duck race on the incoming tide, a barbecue, and a photography exhibition at Siopa Ruaidhrí Beag throughout the weekend.
As Éinniú says, it was “a first Féile Farraige Inis Meáin to remember, and on this evidence the first of many”.
“ Comhghairdeas leis na buaiteoirí ar fad, agus le Maureen agus lucht eagraithe na féile. Go maire an cheird agus go maire an fhéile,”she says.
