Yes, but this gentleman did not come from the City of the Tribes. I am afraid that if Mr. Eoin O'Mahony were asked to trace his background he would have his hands full. This gentleman was able to flaunt his licence, that was given by the Parliamentary Secretary's Department, in the face of these Irish speakers.
I should like to make it clear that there is no ill feeling towards the Spanish fishermen coming in there. These men are only pawns in the game. We know who the gentlemen are who are playing the game. I watched the fish being landed from this trawler. My attention was drawn to dogfish that were being landed. If one of our Galway trawlers dared to land that type of fish, we know what would be done to it. Yet, not alone did An Bord Iascaigh Mhara accept it, but they sent out members of their staff, when the ordinary draymen refused, to carry the stuff over to An Bord Iascaigh Mhara from the quay side. I am a witness and I will stand over anything I say here to-night. It would be very interesting to know what financial arrangement was made for the payment of this staff for such transportation.
I have referred to the landing of dogfish. I inquired of some of the gentlemen who were interested in having the fish landed and was informed that this stuff would be all right for the continental market. That is very interesting. Dogfish, apparently, is good enough for the continental market but prime fish, in perfect condition, is not to be accepted by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara for any market, Irish or otherwise.
I should like to know from the Parliamentary Secretary what action has been taken in regard to the fine mesh net that we have seen on this foreign fishing trawler, so fine that one could not get one's small finger through it. If an Irish trawler had such a net, the owner would be subject to a fine of not less than £50. I can go further and say that the Department were informed. I should like to know what action they have taken to deal with this infringement of fishing law. I do not like to mention the name of the gentleman who was informed but I have seen to it.
The whole purpose of refusing to accept fish from the Irish fishermen is to depress the prices to Irish speakers. This is a very poor contribution from one who sets himself up as being a great Irish speaker and in the light of the Buy Irish campaign, all this lip service we have heard from the Departments these past few weeks. It would be interesting to know if An Bord Iascaigh Mhara intend to process turbot—for those who may not know, turbot is called the turkey of the sea—and sole into fish fingers. I should like to know if this fish will find its way into the Irish market to the exclusion of Irish caught fish.
I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will give me the answers I seek, because if he does not, I shall table questions here in the House until I get an answer to everything I ask. Does he intend to charge an import levy on this importation of foreign fish?
A fishery harbour has been mooted for Galway and the view is now widely held that this is for foreign trawlers only; no Irish need apply. They have positive proof from the way they have been treated and completely ignored in their efforts to get proper berthage in Galway while the Galway harbour scheme is going through. In the present position where these Irish trawlers are based, if the wind came overnight from the wrong point, the whole fleet could be wrecked. I brought this to the notice of the Parliamentary Secretary but nothing has been done.
The action in this case is merely the thin end of the wedge for what is to come. The view is that foreign trawlers will be based in Galway at the expense of the Irishman. It is a sad day when Fianna Fáil have allowed the land of Ireland to be swept from under the Irish people, when industries are now in the stranglehold of foreigners and, last but not least, the fish of our coasts are now to be handed over to them.
The Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries here for quite a while have given great promises but I would advise them when there is a general election, which we expect very soon, to keep out of Galway. They have done enough damage there already and if there is an election, the people will give Fianna Fáil their answer. I hope Deputy Geoghegan, who was very silent at Question Time today, will come into the debate to talk of the Irish-speaking trawlermen off the west coast. I shall give him his opportunity.
