The historic Erne Fishermen's centenary celebration in Ballyshannon

A reenactment of the legendary boat protest that launched The Erne Fishery Case, also known as ‘The Kildoney Men’s Case’ (1925-1933) took place at the Mall Quay in Ballyshannon, on Sunday.

The heroic Erne Fishermen who won Ireland’s most historic legal victory for public fishing rights were artistically honoured in “On the Shores of Change” by Maura Logue’s Dark Daughter Productions.

The centenary celebration was organised by Paddy Donagher, the grandson of one of the fishermen, Alec Duncan. Paddy, like his forefather, has kept the historical spirit of The Erne Fishermen alive over the years through organising memorial events and writing his pioneering history book, ‘Kildoney and The Erne Fishermen 1607-2013’.

Paddy stated that The Kildoney Fishermen's Centenary Celebration was “told in story and song”. Music was performed by the Phil Rooney Comhaltas Group and the Ballyshannon Choral Group. The “story of the Fishermen's plight” was “told by Dark Daughter Productions under the direction of Maura Logue,” said Paddy.

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“On the Shores of Change” was written by visionary artist Maura Logue. Two dramatic actors framed Maura's symbolic narrative, poetically colouring the oration of the historical event.

By the windy morning-star river, many stars shone in this reenactment. Michael Bonner starred as a young Mr. John Cleary, The Kildoney Fishermen Volunteer’s Spokesman, and Freya Lomax starred as Eily McAdam, the first female editor of The Donegal Vindicator, who reported the historic event in her opening monologue. The oarsmen “took on non verbal roles and the choir sang from the truck" said Maura.

Paddy and Maura both believed that this creative reenactment would cast a realistic light on The Kildoney Fishermen in the moments leading up to their courageous boat protest.

Maura wrote an epic script to embody the epic moment. The well-crafted oration from her cast, Lomax (McAdam) and Bonner (Cleary), elevated these ordinary Donegal fishermen into extraordinary everyman Irish heroes.

Maura's direction of Ernian theatre for her local community captured the scene-setting spirit of the legendary story and captivated the fisher-folk audience with their own remarkable history.

Reflecting on the event, Maura said that the “Fishermen were honoured with sincerity and Paddy Donagher made all possible”. Paddy expressed in his final address that he wished all “to continue to remember 1925” and “to continue the tradition of remembering these men into future times”.

Maura’s production and script, Paddy’s organisation and address will be recorded in the annals of Donegal history along with one of Ireland’s greatest historical events. The Erne Fishermen, immortalised now in “On the Shores of Change”, changed Irish fishing history forever. Unfortunately, as many Donegal fishermen know only too well, the same fishing rights that The Erne Fishermen fought for and won have been tragically lost over time.

However, one mighty truth can be learned from Paddy organising The Erne Fishermen centenary celebration. While fishing rights can be temporarily taken away, no one can ever take away the history-making moments that will be remembered from Sunday's commemoration through inspirational stories and songs.

To cast our fishing lines back into the past, our lives may appear to be short in these changing times, but by imagining the heroic Erne Fishermen launching their historic boat into the eternal waters of the Erne at a Celtic twilight — our shores of change are long. Erne go bragh “The Erne Forever”.

Paddy Donagher’s history book is now available in A Novel Idea in Ballyshannon.

Éamon Ó Caoineachán (Eddie Keenaghan) is a poet, writer and historian from Bundoran. He is related to two of The Kildoney Fishermen, Mickey McCarthy and John McCarthy through his grandad P.J. Patton (son of Rose Anne McCarthy)