Fisherwoman’s Blues

It started with a blustery Cove shot GG took back on September 3rd, 2016, of a lone fisherman, happily braving the elements.

From a distance, it could have been anyone, of course, but then social media soon let us know who that silhouetted figure actually was.

That the fisherman in the photo turned out to be a fisherwoman did catch us by surprise.

“There aren’t a huge amount of us women fishers down here in Greystones,” smiles the fittingly-named Wendy Carroll Salmon this afternoon, “but it’s not like it’s some kind of struggle to join the club. I meet my good friend Yvonne Harris down here regularly, and it’s just about the most peaceful thing you could do with your time…”

The mist hitting the Cliff Walk like a blanket beyond, today, we’re down at the end of the pier on Greystones harbour. It doesn’t take long for her good buddy, Yvonne, to show up as well, too shy to come over and talk on camera. Both of them are here, they say, more for the peace of mind than the bucket of fish. “I tend to throw them back,” says Wendy, “although one guy recently swapped me a reel for a massive flatfish. For me, it’s all about being removed from everything around you, like a form of meditation. 

“That’s what we come here for,” laughs Yvonne. “The inner peace, and the free reels…”