Kilkeel
May 31, 2023
31 May 2023. Kilkeel. HM 216. Fifty fishermen under a firm female rod.
Danielle Rooney is an impressive person. For most Harbour Masters, one of the banes of their life are misbehaving fishermen. So when I asked Danielle how she found it running Northern Ireland's busiest fishing port, she told me her fishermen were no trouble at all. She has some kind of magic power I think!
Set under the dramatic Mourne granite mountains (used for Princess Diana's memorial fountain), Kilkeel is a hard core place. When we made our first visit by boat, we were greeted by a shout in the narrow entrance from a man wondering if we were lost. "It's ok, we have been in touch with the Harbour Master" I replied. "Ah the wee lassie is on holiday" came the reply. Thinking this was a bit rude, it was only when I met the same man a week later that I found out it was Danielle's father - and a proud father too!
Danielle left her previous job as a Coastguard Station Officer to become Deputy HM and then HM in 2020. Her father, brother and husband are on the RNLI crew, so on many occasions all four of them worked together on a rescue... It is no surprise that she is held in such high respect. In her office she showed me the detailed records of every visiting fishing boat which comes to use her repair slips, ensuring the fast turnaround of the 300t lifting cradles. During Covid, every day she visited the 40 nationals from Ghana & Philippines, who work and live permanently on their fishing boats.
In normal times these itinerant workers have a home-from-home at the Kilkeel Fishermen's Mission. I was lucky enough to meet Ingrid and Lesley who run the Missions in Kilkeel, Ardglass & Portavogie. The "FishMish" is one of the many charities supported by The Seafarers' Charity. They also supported me by popping my fold up bike in their car and driving me back north for 13 miles!
It is no surprise Kilkeel won Fishing News "Port of the Year in 2023" - congratulations Danielle and thank you for a wonderful visit.
@fishmish
Danielle Rooney is an impressive person. For most Harbour Masters, one of the banes of their life are misbehaving fishermen. So when I asked Danielle how she found it running Northern Ireland's busiest fishing port, she told me her fishermen were no trouble at all. She has some kind of magic power I think!
Set under the dramatic Mourne granite mountains (used for Princess Diana's memorial fountain), Kilkeel is a hard core place. When we made our first visit by boat, we were greeted by a shout in the narrow entrance from a man wondering if we were lost. "It's ok, we have been in touch with the Harbour Master" I replied. "Ah the wee lassie is on holiday" came the reply. Thinking this was a bit rude, it was only when I met the same man a week later that I found out it was Danielle's father - and a proud father too!
Danielle left her previous job as a Coastguard Station Officer to become Deputy HM and then HM in 2020. Her father, brother and husband are on the RNLI crew, so on many occasions all four of them worked together on a rescue... It is no surprise that she is held in such high respect. In her office she showed me the detailed records of every visiting fishing boat which comes to use her repair slips, ensuring the fast turnaround of the 300t lifting cradles. During Covid, every day she visited the 40 nationals from Ghana & Philippines, who work and live permanently on their fishing boats.
In normal times these itinerant workers have a home-from-home at the Kilkeel Fishermen's Mission. I was lucky enough to meet Ingrid and Lesley who run the Missions in Kilkeel, Ardglass & Portavogie. The "FishMish" is one of the many charities supported by The Seafarers' Charity. They also supported me by popping my fold up bike in their car and driving me back north for 13 miles!
It is no surprise Kilkeel won Fishing News "Port of the Year in 2023" - congratulations Danielle and thank you for a wonderful visit.
@fishmish