KELLY'S SHORE LANE ST JOHNSTON
IMPORTANT EMAIL RECEIVED 2017
Dear Patrick,
I write to ask if I could be granted permission to use the photograph
of the Fishermen working at the Foyle 1949 29th July off the St
Johnston - Carrigans website?
My dad (Steve Kelly), formerly of Shore Lane, Carrickmore, passed away
on Saturday 18th March following a short battle with illness - at least
he managed to get one more St Patrick's Day in.
He and his brothers fished the Foyle for a good many years, from the
forties through to the early 80's and I would like permission to print
this photo on the back of the Order of Service card for his funeral.
Am I right in thinking it's of Brogan's Quay at the bottom of Shore
Lane?
From my memories as a boy it certainly looks like it.
Anyways, the funeral is on the 4th of April at the Cathedral of St
Peter here in Lancaster (the town in northern England that dad adopted
as his second home), so thankfully there's plenty of time to organise
things, but I'm sure he would appreciate the gesture.
I don't know whether or not you'd be interested, but his older brother
Neil is still alive and living in Lancaster, he too was a Foyle
Fisherman, I had often thought about interviewing my dad about what it
was like growing up in the fisherman's cottage on Shore Lane and what
it was like going out in the dead of night to lay the nets for the
salmon - always aware that the bailiff could pounce at any point, I
myself as a boy, was privy to the fishermen going out in the dead of
night (usually after an evening in Maggie's), to lay the nets and I
also have older cousins who fished the river too.
Well obviously I'll never be able to interview dad now, but I could
quite easily interview Neil and other family members to see what
stories they come up with, I think they might make a good historical
record of what it was like fishing the Foyle following the Trial in
Dublin, which coincidentally involved other members of the Kelly
family, (uncles of mine and brothers and cousins of my dad and uncle
Neil).
Basically the Kelly family of Carrickmore played a massive part in the
history of salmon fishing on the Foyle, but there's no mention of them
on the website - which is a shame.
Before he died, my dad told me a story of how his cousin, they called
him 'The Devil', (who lived at The Block in Carrickmore) took an oar to
one of the Foyle officials when they came to see him prior to the start
of the Foyle Fisheries Court Case in Dublin.
I'm sure that my uncle Neil would remember such a story in detail.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for your time and looking forward to hearing back from you.
Kind regards,
Sean.