Lough Neagh North

• published: 24 Sep 2014
• views: 6

In September 2014 I was invited by Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative Society to develop a photographic portfolio that captured the lives, the livelihoods, the people and the environment of Lough Neagh. The main challenge for me was to capture life on and around the Lough in a manner that did not disrupt those who earn their living from fishing and its associated industries. In this way I could document life as it actually is and I very much hope that the photographs contained in these collections capture that spirit and the spirit of those who work the waters of this huge inland waterway. Lough Neagh has the last remaining commercially viable wild eel fishery in Europe. It also constitutes one of the most unusual examples of Christian ministry on this island: for more than 40 years it was run by a priest, Father Oliver Kennedy, who was concerned to safeguard the livelihoods of his parishioners. The catch is collected each morning and brought to the Society where it is sorted, packed and sent to England and Holland. Eels are also available to buy on-site at the fishery.