‘We Can Take 15% Of Our Catch... But France Gets 70%'

In the picturesque village of Clogherhead, the Kirwan name is synonymous with the 40-boat-strong fishing fleet.

- John Kierans

For 200 years, the family of trawler owner and skipper John Kirwan have been earning a living catching fish.

His father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather – all knew the hardship of the way of life, but they loved it.

John started when he left school at 13 in 1974 now has his own vessel – the 80ft Argonaut 4.

As he and his five crew sailed through the night up the coast to join the national fishing protest in Dublin, he admitted he had never seen things so bad.

John said: “The people of Ireland own one of the best fisheries in the world and yet we are being forced to give away most of our fish to other EU countries to the detriment of our own fishermen and the whole industry.