Mayo ports, whaling stations and maritime activities
By Tom Gillespie
TRANSPORT and trade by sea have always been important in a maritime county such as Mayo. The extent of trading off the western coast is recalled today through tales of the 16th century Pirate Queen, Grace O’Malley.
At the end of the 18th century, Captain George O’Malley, like his illustrious namesake, acquired a reputation as a successful smuggler around Clew Bay.
The development of land-based transport, combined with the introduction of the Coast Guard in 1822 (for the collection of excise duty and suppression of trade in smuggling goods), heralded the demise of Mayo’s sea-borne illicit trading.
Westport Quay was a busy port on the west coast, particularly in the early 19th century. Against the backdrop of Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay, horse-drawn carts transported goods to and from steamers.
Flour and general cargo were accommodated in the steamer sheds and warehouses along the waterfront.
Cattle drovers brought their livestock to the port by foot and later by train after Westport was linked to Castlebar by rail in 1866.
According to ‘The Story of Mayo’ by Rosa Meehan, published by Mayo County Council in 2003, there were regular sailings to transport goods, livestock and people between Westport, Liverpool and Glasgow.
However, the port was in decline by the mid-20th century, caused partly by the Economic War between Ireland and Great Britain and also as a result of World War II.
Ballina, located at the mouth of the River Moy, developed as a merchant town and a commercial port, aided by the building of The Quay in 1836.
The 1837 ‘Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ records Ballina as a port, market and post town.
Writing in 1853, Sir John Forbes refers to the large export of corn and salmon to Liverpool from Ballina and the importation of Indian corn.
In 1860, the Moy Harbour Commissioners were established by an Act of Parliament to administer the port.
Ballina became a significant centre for the importation of timber, coffee, tea, sugar, tobacco, coal, fruit, iron, cement and furniture.
Exports included, pigs, cattle, sheep potatoes, barley, oats, salmon, seaweed and fertiliser.
The collapse in the export of livestock as a result of World War II contributed to the eventual decline of the port.
A passenger service operated from Ballina to Great Britain and North America for over 100 years, from 1850. In that year, at the height of the Great Famine, over 200 passengers sailed from Ballina to Canada. The passenger service was later operated by the Limerick Steamship Agency, which ceased local operation in the late 1960s.
The Quay closed for regular trading in 1983, but was later reopened in 1985 on a limited scale. Business now consists mainly of pleasure boats and a number of large commercial vessels.
There has always been excellent sea fishing off the west coast of Mayo, where the catch includes mackerel, haddock, and herring. Fish was solely for home consumption until after the development of fish-curing skills and adequate transport to distant markets.
A Scotsman, Alexander Hector, was among the first to establish a fishing business in Mayo, on Achilll Island in 1856, when 100 people were employed processing salmon and basking shark.
In modern times, fish-processing plants developed at Ballina, Doohoma, Killala and Newport.
Fishing boosted the local economy in many parts of Mayo, such as Achill. Paul Henry lived on the island between 1910 and 1919, and recorded many scenes of daily life, include his painting of ‘Launching the curragh’.
The curragh was an ideal craft for fishing since it was light, without a sail, easily manoeuvred in the water by oars and required no harbour, being lifted ashore on the men’s shoulders after a day’s work.
It was also, however, a dangerous vessel since it offered no protection against strong winds and was witness to many tragedies over the years.
Fallmore, Blacksod and the islands of the Inishkeas have traditionally fished for lobster, using pots made out of twisted heather roots. The lobster season began in April and most of the catch was exported to England.
Today, lobster fishing continues off the coast of Mayo, with most of the catch being exported live to Spain.
Oyster fishing has also provided an important source of income for a number of part-time fishermen in the waters off Achill, Belmullet and Clew Bay.
In 1995, however, dwindling stocks allowed only a total catch of 12 tonnes. Fortunately, by 2000, Blacksod Bay had recovered and was producing 53 tonnes of oysters, while Clew Bay alone produced 14 tonnes.
Whales were killed for processing by commercial whaling stations off the west coast of Mayo until the early 20th century.
The species hunted were mostly fin whales, but also some sperm, blue and humpbacks.
The products produced included lighting oil, low-quality soap, crayons, candles and ingredients for use in explosives, medicines and varnishes.
Whalebone was used in corsets, bristle brushes, fabric stiffener, bone meal and cattle food.
The Inishkea whaling station operated from 1907 until 1913 at Rusheen, off Inishkea South, under the management of a Norwegian company, run by Captain lorentz Bruun. In 1910, Bruun established another whaling station at Blacksod Bay, but operations were suspended there during World War I. Whaling recommenced in 1920 under a new enterprise called the Northern Seas Company, but closed permanently in 1923.
The life of the Mayo and Norwegian men at the whaling stations is documented in Robert W. Paul’s 1908 film ‘Whaling Ashore and Afloat’ and in James Fairley’s 1981 book ‘Irish Whales and Whaling’.