Cast of hundreds in historic salmon flies book

Shane O’Reilly, angling advisor at Inland Fisheries Ireland, with two of the flies tied for the 1902 Cork Great Exhibition. See links below to the free online book of photos of the lures. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Beautifully intricate and incredibly made, hundreds of remarkable Irish salmon flies which were tied about 120 years ago have been brought to light for the first time in over a century.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the custodians of the wonderful collection described as a “long-lost treasure trove of Irish angling”, says it is exploring ways of putting the original collection on public display.

It has encouraged anyone with ideas on how that may be achieved to contact it with suggestions.

Fly tying involves the ‘dressing’ of a fishing hook to create an artificial fly, which is then used by anglers at the end of a rod and line to catch fish.

Many angling shops in Ireland in the late 1800s and early 1900s employed ‘fly dressers’ — some of whom were considered masters of their craft.

Shane O’Reilly and Suzanne Campion, head of business development at Inland Fisheries Ireland with the collection which can be viewed online via the links at the foot of this article. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

In recognition of the cultural importance of the craft and to record examples, a collection of traditional fly dressings was commissioned in 1902 for the Cork International Exhibition, with sets of flies collected for each of the country’s 20 fishery districts at the time.

The flies for the Cork and Skibbereen districts were tied by W Haynes and Son, with an address at 63 Patrick Street in Cork City, by Joseph Owen Harold (JP), with an address at Bank Place, Mallow, and by a Miss Hackett.

The collection has been stored in a box for decades but IFI has now produced an online picture book, The 1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies, showcasing the entire collection for people around the world.

“Each of the flies showcases the detail and beauty of traditional Irish salmon flies and the wide range of materials and techniques used by Irish fly dressers at the time,” IFI’s Shane O’Reilly said.

Many of those fly dressers are now revered around the world for the quality of their craft. 

 The flies featured from the Cork district include the Blue, Grey and Brown (Coiner), the Blue Crane, and the Durham Ranger, which were all for use on the Lee and its tributaries.

The Skibbereen district flies include the renowned Kate Kearney, the Blue, Grey and Lemon, and the Blue Jay, all tied for fishing on the Ilen.

Shane O’Reilly with Peter Kealy, present-day practitioner of the craft of fly-tying, with the historic collection of vintage Irish flies online now. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Interest in the collection was re-ignited by angling author, the late EJ ‘Ted’ Malone, who worked alongside fly tying experts Peter Kealey and Peter Dunne to meticulously examine, photograph, and record the various fly dressings for the book

Mr Malone, who described the collection as a “long-lost treasure of Irish angling”, sadly died in 2017, but the book is dedicated to his memory.

It can be viewed at FisheriesIreland.ie or at FishingInIreland.info.