Inniscarra nets world fishing event

A world coarse fishing championship is to be held in Inniscarra next summer.

The championship, which is estimated will bring €2m to the region, will be held on Jul 19 and 20, and will be screened by Sky Sports and TG4, and covered by a number of specialist fishing publications.

The World Feeder Fishing Championship will feature teams from 30 countries.

Tommy Lawton, one of the event organisers, said the Inniscarra venue was given the green light at a meeting in Rome. It had been widely anticipated that the venue would be chosen.

He believes that between competitors, stewards, and spectators, there could be at least 1,000 people on the lakeside on each of the two days. Mr Lawton is a member of the Inniscarra Lake Tourism Development committee which pushed to get the prestigious event.

However, they faced an obstacle: “You wouldn’t get a championship like this if you didn’t have proper access. We needed to build a road to the east of Roobes Bridge, near Coachford onto the lake,” he said.

A grant of €133,560 was forthcoming for the project from Avondhu Blackwater Partnership. The committee raised another €10,000, and Cork County Council came on board with €40,000.

Inland Fisheries Ireland provided €30,000 to run the event while the ESB is also carrying out €100,000 of work to upgrade the area for anglers.