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Railway
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The Railway had many other connections with the harbour. Let us turn the clock back a little and examine some of them.

Kindale Kippers :- At the end of the 19th. Century we know that the Winter Herring were attracting many boats from the Isle of Mann, Arklow,  Northern ports, Scotland and some from the south of England to the harbour. This swelled the number of boats to an average of 70 to 120 during during the last three months of the year. Naturally this attracted fish curers to the town  and one of these was  Messrs. John Kindale and Co. of Manchester. The factory became known locally as ‘Kindale Kippers’. We are unsure of its beginnings but judging by the fish returns of the time it was pre 1900. Due to the lack of fish during World War 1 it closed down but reopened in 1920. We can verify this by using snippets from the Drogheda Independent. Here the site relies on Joe Curtis, our multi-gatherer of information and photographs. The snippet below was written by Joe when home computers and office scanners were unheard of and the only means of collecting was transcription i.e. the good old fountain pen.

balbriggan article on Herring fishing 14th February 1920
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2. The article is self-explanatory and clearly shows that herring are not only coming from the harbour itself but by rail from further afield which would justify the smoking of herring through the whole season in the seas around Ireland and possibly during the mackerel season as well. The herring were smoked in long wooden racks all along the factory walls. Some of these timbers were only removed in the early 1960’s. The old building itself can be seen in the following photograph.

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The Kippers were packed, placed on carts and hauled up the hill [on the right middle of the photo] to the station yard [top right] where wagons lie in wait for their freight. From here they were transported to Dublin, thence by ship to England and many of them were even exported to the northern ports of Germany and Poland.

James Donnelly recalls:

Alex

I was born in Balbriggan and my family on both sides was involved in the Merchant Marine and in the Fishing. My father’s family was of the Hosiery trade but my father wanted to go to sea. This he achieved for one day, for being caught in a blizzard off the Mournes the boat gradually made its way home in very low visibility. That was enough. He wrote a funny essay about it which I still have.

He told me stories about his growing up in Balbriggan and how hard times were. He lived in Quay Street and when young would spend a lot of time around the harbour. He remembered, as a lad, the end of the Herring Industry in the town, not for any historical reason but for the fact that he made some pocket money from it. He and other young lads used to push laden flat carts from the kipper plant up the hill to the railway station. The carts were brought to the rail siding where goods wagons were waiting to be loaded.

For this labour, several evenings a week, he earned a few pence but these same pence were as good as pieces of gold to the young lads and their families.

My father was born in 1910 so we are talking about the 1920.s give or take a year.

Regards,

Jimmy

In a sense this was extraordinary since there were no fish trains at the time, the goods carriages being added on to passenger trains as they wended their slowly way to Dublin. Fish trains had been tried but they failed miserably. a report for 1921 states ... ‘The transit from Ireland to the “Freshing” markets in England was of the poorest description. There were no fish trains as in other countries, and boxes of fish sent to Dublin or foreign markets received little care and attention. The condition in which Irish fish reached the foreign markets caused buyers to place it in the lowest grade. Delay in transit had much to do with this, but the manner in which the fish was packed was , and is, the main cause....Irish pickled mackerel has been placed in a very low grade on the New York market as a result of this haphazard system.’

Despite the limitation of transportation, the herring industry flourished as we can see from The Drogheda Independent of 26th. Jan. 1907. Under the heading ‘Herring Fishing Extraordinary at Balbriggan’, the local correspondent writes

The boats engaged at Herring fishing at Balbriggan, and which began so successfully on the 1St. Sept., still continue to do well, 20 to 50 mease  being quite common catches; whilst last week one boat had 87 mease. A mease numbers 635 herring, the word mease being derived from the old Norman word ‘meze’ or barrel. ...The value of the herrings taken at Balbriggan for the half year ended December 1906 was £5,000.  Incidentally a letter from the town clerk for the same year complaining about the build up of sand in the harbour states :-  In consequence of the neglected state of the Harbour [which is beside the Great Northern Railway Station giving easy facilities to Fish Markets, for sending the catch to Dublin Market] ...   Still trying to plug the old station!

Two years later  on 26th.Dec. 1908 a reporter for the Argus [another local paper] reports, under the heading ‘Record Herring Fishing’ ; At Balbriggan the number of herrings was abnormal. There were 20 boats put in from Kilkeel, 20 from Arklow and 10 from the Isle of Mann, as well as the local boats, all fully laden. One Kilkeel boat the Gordan Jane landed 100 hundred barrels - 160 - maize which will realise £22-10-0 in the fish market.

Kindale
Here is another picture of Kindale Kippers factory.. End two to three building behind the gas works,bottom centre of picture

In a sense this was extraordinary since there were no fish trains at the time, the goods carriages being added on to passenger trains as they wended their slowly way to Dublin. Fish trains had been tried but they failed miserably. a report for 1921 states ... ‘The transit from Ireland to the “Freshing” markets in England was of the poorest description. There were no fish trains as in other countries, and boxes of fish sent to Dublin or foreign markets received little care and attention. The condition in which Irish fish reached the foreign markets caused buyers to place it in the lowest grade. Delay in transit had much to do with this, but the manner in which the fish was packed was , and is, the main cause....Irish pickled mackerel has been placed in a very low grade on the New York market as a result of this haphazard system.’

Despite the limitation of transportation, the herring industry flourished as we can see from The Drogheda Independent of 26th. Jan. 1907. Under the heading ‘Herring Fishing Extraordinary at Balbriggan’, the local correspondent writes

The boats engaged at Herring fishing at Balbriggan, and which began so successfully on the 1St. Sept., still continue to do well, 20 to 50 mease  being quite common catches; whilst last week one boat had 87 mease. A mease numbers 635 herring, the word mease being derived from the old Norman word ‘meze’ or barrel. ...The value of the herrings taken at Balbriggan for the half year ended December 1906 was £5,000.  Incidentally a letter from the town clerk for the same year complaining about the build up of sand in the harbour states :-  In consequence of the neglected state of the Harbour [which is beside the Great Northern Railway Station giving easy facilities to Fish Markets, for sending the catch to Dublin Market] ...   Still trying to plug the old station!

Two years later  on 26th.Dec. 1908 a reporter for the Argus [another local paper] reports, under the heading ‘Record Herring Fishing’ ; At Balbriggan the number of herrings was abnormal. There were 20 boats put in from Kilkeel, 20 from Arklow and 10 from the Isle of Mann, as well as the local boats, all fully laden. One Kilkeel boat the Gordan Jane landed 100 hundred barrels - 160 - maize which will realise £22-10-0 in the fish market.

. The  winter herring fishing was not a new industry in the town. A report from the town clerk on the 16th. Nov. 1869 shows just how important it was. It is addressed to the Commissioners of the Harbour Board and states

Dear Sir,

Not having received a reply from your office to my letter 26t. Oct. respecting the appointment of Collector of Dues for this harbour, I am directed by Mr. Blackbourne, the Deputy Chairman and others of the Town Commissioners to inform you now that the Herring Season has commenced, and a great number of boats frequenting the harbour that you will be pleased to    send without delay the necessary document to empower me to collect the harbour dues here; and that you will also be pleased to invest the names of two merchants in this town Joseph Hamlet and Terence O’ Neill, Esquires as the required securities for me ,for the above situation, as before  noted in my letter.

I am Sir,  Your Obedient Servant, Francis Mc Gowan, Clerk.

This evidently would have meant a good deal of money to the Commissioners as as 1860s and 1870s were the peak years of the herring at Balbriggan

Winkles

Winkles

When I  was a young lad many local people, along with the  fishermen unable to go to sea collected winkles along the shore which  supplemented the meagre income of the times. People travelled as far southwards as Donabate on bicycles and northwards to Laytown. Later when the Factories began to decline more people took up the job and bent figures in caps pushing loaded bicycles with sacks hanging from them every whichway became a common sight. Where the best ‘crop’ could be found became every man’s secret, however they all ended up on the weighing scales at the Railway Station where young porter Ian Mc Garry and exporter Michael Mc Loughlin weighed. paid and packed them into one hundred-weight flour sacks for their journey onwards. Michael’s wife often recalls the nights spent around the fire cutting out labels from boxes when not enough metal ones were available, writing the address of Billingsgate Fish Market on them, punching holes and preparing string attachments for the next day. When a ton or two were ready young Ian would load them onto  a carriage at the siding which would be later connected to a Dublin bound train. Thence they made their way by boat to London and usually ended up in France, judging by the letters Mrs. Mc Loughlin received.

Ian recalls that they were not the only shellfish that travelled by train as Dick and young Harry Tuite as well as others often sent live lobsters to the Dublin market. These were wrapped in damp seaweed, crated, and sent with the instructions keep moist.A drop of salt water was provided for the journey.

dicktuite

Today.

There is no connection today between the railway and the harbour. ‘Hold on’ says one of my old pals to me ‘What about the Cup of Scald Train, surely that’s the most important train on the harbour today’. I had to agree. This refers to the Southbound train which stops at the station circa 8.15pm. To make a longer story shorter; there is a group of senior and not so senior locals, including myself who meet on the harbour practically every night of the year to discuss whatever happens to come to our attention. The members of the group all have one thing in common, their love of the sea and boats. Some are retired fishermen, some are boat owners of varying sizes, while others have some connection with the harbour itself. Our number varies from three to about ten depending on the weather conditions. The group has been called by several names such as ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, the ‘Night  Watch’ etc. but the name which stuck to us was the ‘Cup of Scald Gang’. This came about one night when one of the younger members, a Mr. Dowling, decided that we should all go home for a cup of scald [local for a cup of tea]when the above train arrives in the station. This was objected to strongly but youth prevailed, though the more senior members did win a concession that no one moves until the lights on the last carriage reflect no more in the harbour. Of course like all autocratic rule, we have the odd rebellion especially on nice warm Summer Nights when some of the members refuse to go at the appointed time, When the timekeeper is on holidays all rules are broken but once he did ring us from Spain at the appointed hour to remind us to depart. We departed, or should have departed, I forget which.

Here is a photo of the Cup of Scald Gang taken by Ben Gaughran who joins us now and then when he has a piece of interesting information to communicate

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This is just a small portion of the gang which sometimes amounts to ten members

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No 85 rattles through Balbriggan at speed 1987

Enterprise rattles through Balbriggan in 1987

Balbriggan November 1948

Steam train entering Balbriggan c.1948

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Railway Viaduct - Old Postcard  from Heeneys pillars have capitals unlike today

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Enterprise Vickers entering station 1971

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Enterprise Vickers loco on viaduct 1971

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the old Flying Sprey being lifted from the harbour 1984

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Vickers entering Station in 1979