MURRISK FLEET - Motor Boats 1925-1966

• Name of Boat - Owner
• ‘ST. EVER’ - Jimmy Jordan (First motor boat obtained from the Fishery Board)
• ‘MURRISK LASS’ - Tom Ryan (Second motor boat) (Later owned and skippered by John Groden)
• ‘SARAH O’CONNELL’ - Erwin Browne
• ‘WHITE HEATHER’ - Josie Kelly
• ‘TOPIS’ - Jack Ruddy
• ‘PEGGIGEE’ - Chas. O’Malley
• ‘ST. IRENE’ - W.J. (Pongo) Kelly
• ‘ST. AMBROSE ‘ - Austin Burke
• ‘NAOMH SIMON‘ - Paddy Groden

With the advent of the motor boat life was a little better for the fleet. They were able to go out for two or three days fishing if they so decided and return to Murrisk pier with their catch.

Business was booming in the 1930’s & 40’s. An Ice plant was set up in 1943 by Bord Iascaigh Mhara to supply the ice to the local fishing fleet. When the fleet arrived at Murrisk pier with their catch, the ice was waiting for them, having been transported by horse and cart from the ice plant on news of the boats being sighted.

Also waiting for them was a supply of fish boxes which were made by timber supplied by the Fishery Board. These boxes were the handiwork of Frank and Eddie Groden who made an average of 100 per day and were paid one old penny per box. The fish were already sorted, gutted and cleaned and now they were put into the boxes with chunks of ice to keep them fresh and cool.

The Fisherman’s Memorial is a project that was built and funded by Murrisk Development Association Ltd in 2006. This Memorial was put in place to acknowledge the fact that Murrisk was a traditional fishing village up to the mid 1960’s approx. Name plaques along the wall of the memorial remind us of the fishing boats that fished out of Murrisk at the time.

We believe that it is important to remember our past as we live in the present and look forward to the future.