Tipperary community remembers angler Owen and local river's link to wild Atlantic salmon

A beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, saw a large crowd gather on the island in Golden village.

Surrounded on three sides by the River Suir, flowing full and loud in autumn flood, and bounded on the other side by the castle that guarded the river crossing, it was a fitting setting for the unveiling of a sculpture to commemorate a creature woven into the fabric of Golden’s history - the Atlantic salmon.

The crowd was welcomed by Cllr Ml Fitzgerald, who thanked everyone for coming out to support this wonderful initiative. In attendance, were the family of the late Owen Jackman, his partner Roisín McGrath, Deputy Martin Brown, Cllr Declan Burgess, and representatives from the IFI and many fishing organisations.

The statue had originally been the brainchild of Owen Jackman, of Cashel, Golden and Tipperary Anglers Association and he had worked alongside Golden Tidy Towns Committee, and with Sheevaun Thompson of LAWPRO, to plan and fund the idea.

Sadly, Owen’s untimely death last year meant he would not see his plan come to fruition.

The statue was to serve as a marker for the Irish record rod-caught salmon, caught on the River Suir at Longfield in 1874 by Michael Maher.

Following Owen’s death, it was decided by all those active with the project, that the project should go ahead and that Owen’s massive contribution to the local area should also be commemorated on the sculpture.

Cllr Fitzgerald went on to share his own memories of Owen, commenting that he was a man who lived for the river and who had a passion for the natural world.

He remarked that it was lovely to see so many of Owen’s friends, family and loved ones gathered today to see his vision come to life.

He paid tribute to all those who had worked so hard to make this day happen, mentioning in particular the huge role played by Stephanie Lawrence of Golden Tidy Towns in seeing this project through from inception to installation and also paying tribute to sculptor Philip Quinn, who took the idea and beautifully wrought it from stone.

Derek Cagney, chairman of the CGTAA, spoke on behalf of the fishing club. He opened with a minute’s silence for all deceased members of the club.

He remarked how delighted they were to see this sculpture erected.

The salmon was one of the most recognisable symbols of Irish nature and it was great to think that the Irish record salmon had been caught within a few miles of where they stood.

While it was important to mark our history, Derek also hoped that the sculpture would serve as a reminder of the need to preserve what we had, so that our children and grandchildren could also enjoy it. The salmon is, in common with a lot of other species, under pressure, with pollution, global warming, intensive fish farming and commercial fishing decimating stocks across the world.

He counselled that we all have a part to play in making small changes locally in our lives, that could add up to bigger changes globally.

He spoke of the club’s delight at seeing Owen’s memory preserved and he also took time to remember other club members who gave so much to the club during their lives, including John and Jimmy Doyle, Jim Fogarty, PJ Jackman, the late Jimmy O’Keeffe and Liam Ryan (Bilco), and the countless other men and women who had loved the river and had given so much back to it over the years.

Gerry Kenny, president of Munster Regional Trout Anglers Council, travelled from Clare for the unveiling. He spoke of his fond memories of fishing with Owen on lakes and rivers across Ireland and of the work Owen had done with MRTAC over the years at a national and international level to preserve and promote the sport he loved.

Stephanie Lawrence of Golden Tidy Towns committee told of how this project was the culmination of a lot of hard work and planning by a number of people, including the hardworking members of the Golden Tidy Towns Committee.

She thanked Derek Cagney in particular, and the fishing club, for their help in sourcing funding for the project and thanked the county council also, for their funding, advice and constant help.

The Tidy Towns had done a lot of work in the village over the previous few years and she invited anyone with an interest to come along and join in their activities. All would be more than welcome.

She thanked her fellow committee members who had done so much to help make the day possible. The Tidy Towns provided refreshments, teas and coffees for the large crowd on the island and helped to make it such a wonderful community occasion.

Sheevaun Thompson of LAWPRO, the Local Authority Water Programme, which works for better water quality and biodiversity, remembered the early days of the project’s inception in the dark days of Covid, where meetings could only take place in the open air. It was a testament to the resolve of all those involved that they showed such enthusiasm and determination to drive this project.

An art competition had been held earlier that week in conjunction with the local school in Golden and the results from an extremely talented field were on display on the day.

First prize went to Emma Kane for a remarkable line drawing of a fisherman with a salmon. Emma was presented with a fly rod and reel by the fishing club. Second place went to Kate Tierney, whose drawing of a salmon and the bridge in Golden caught the eye of the judging panel.

Margaret Jackman, on behalf of the Jackman and McGrath families, spoke movingly, about how much they miss Owen every day.

As a family they are invested in the river and not a day goes by but that one of them isn’t out at the river at Jackman’s Weir, where their family have tended and loved the river for generations.

The family take comfort from the fact that Owen’s friends in the fishing and shooting clubs, and in the Tidy Towns, have taken on his legacy and continue to work to preserve and protect the river for the next generation.

Cllr Declan Burgess, Cathaoirleach of the Tipperary, Cahir and Cashel Municipal District added his congratulations to all concerned and spoke of how wonderful it was to see a community united in action.

Fr Pat Coffey blessed the monument and led the crowd in a brief prayer in memory of those gone before.

At this point the monument was unveiled by Derek Cagney, Sheevaun Thompson and Stephanie Lawrence.

Phillip Quinn explained that the two and a half tonne limestone piece showed a relief of Michael Maher’s salmon on one side, while the other side quoted the final words from Norman’s McClean’s classic short story, A River runs through it.

He said it was the perfect symbiosis between stone and word, as the block he had picked to work with featured fossils from across the aeons and the natural facing of the stone echoed the waves and eddies of the river.