Charles I. were admitted to the fisheries on the payment of
30,000L. In 1673, Sir W. Temple, in a letter to Lord Essex, says that
"the fishing of Ireland might prove a mine under water as rich as any
under ground."[9]

The coasts of Ireland abound in all the kinds of fish in common
use--cod, ling, haddock, hake, mackerel, herring, whiting, conger,
turbot, brill, bream, soles, plaice, dories, and salmon. The banks off
the coast of Galway are frequented by myriads of excellent fish; yet,
of the small quantity caught, the bulk is taken in the immediate
neighbourhood of the shores. Galway bay is said to be the finest
fishing ground in the world; but the fish cannot be expected to come on
shore unsought: they must be found, followed, and netted. The
fishing-boats from the west of Scotland are very successful; and they
often return the fish to Ireland, cured, which had been taken out of
the Irish bays. "I tested this fact in Galway," says Mr. S. C. Hall.
"I had ordered fish for dinner; two salt haddocks were brought to me.
On inquiry, I ascertained where they were bought, and learned from the
seller that he was the agent of a Scotch firm, whose boats were at that
time loading in the bay."[10] But although Scotland imports some 80,000
barrels of cured herrings annually into Ireland, that is not enough;
for we find that there is a regular importation of cured herrings, cod,
ling, and hake, from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, towards the food of
the Irish people.[11]

The fishing village of Claddagh, at Galway, is more decaying than ever.
It seems to have suffered from a bombardment, like the rest of the
town. The houses of the fishermen, when they fall in, are left in
ruins. While the French, and English, and Scotch boats leave the coast
laden with fish, the Claddagh men remain empty-handed. They will only
fish on "lucky days," so that the Galway market is often destitute of
fish, while the Claddagh people are starving. On one occasion an
English company was formed for the purpose of fishing and curing fish
at Galway, as is now done at Yarmouth, Grimsby, Fraserburgh, Wick, and
other places. Operations were commenced, but so soon as the English
fishermen put to sea in their boats, the Claddagh men fell upon them,
and they were glad to escape with their lives.[12] Unfortunately, the
Claddagh men have no organization, no fixed rules, no settled
determination to work, unless when pressed by necessity. The
appearance of