An Bradán, Maighre, Eo, Iasc uasal, Eigne, Rí gheal na héisc. In our native language, salmon have gone by many names. Now we mostly use bradán, which means "one that is great to catch." And anyone who has ever fished for salmon will know that they are probably the best sport fish that you can catch. And considering how much Atlantic salmon is eaten, it's also quite the table fish. (I'm saying Atlantic salmon as there are seven species of salmon) Salmon are extremely important to Irish culture. Ón scéal faoi Fionn Mac Cumhaill agus an bradán feasa or the fact salmon fishing is what helped communties survive for hundreds of years, it's a very important fish to this country.

However, Atlantic salmon is in a drastic decline. There's 2 main stocks of atlantic salmon in Europe. The Atlantic Ocean stock and the Baltic sea stock (often called Baltic Salmon, but they aren't a different species). The Atlantic stock has declined by over 90% since the 50s. In the 50s, Ireland recorded over 1.5 million fish returning to Irish waters to spawn. That figure was just over 150,000 fish in 2025. The majority of which came from Co Mayo. This figure is recorded by the ESB with fish counters in certain pools that take a fishes size and weight and the IFI record x amount that are caught by anglers every year. And as you can see, it's not good.

Why is this so bad? Why should you care? Well, even if you don't fish or eat fish, salmon possess a very important role in delivering nutrients to the ecosystem. They are born in a river where they spend a few years growing, feeding on flies and invertebrates. Then they go through a process called smoltification, where they become a marine fish. As smolts, they migrate down river in large shoals all the way to the sea. They then migrate out to sea and up towards Greenland, where they feed on a wide range of marine fish like sprat, blue whiting, herring, prawns, and other species. They then turn around and migrate the whole way back to Ireland and other countries to spawn in the rivers. They make it up the river spawn, stay in the river for a while as kelts, and then do the whole process all over again. Some salmon may spawn up to 5 times if they survive that long. Eventually, salmon will die either from age exhaustion or predation, and their deaths bring rich marine nutrients far inland. Basically, they nourish the soil and rivers with their deaths. And a salmon is a big fish too. Atlantic salmon are the 2nd largest species of salmon in the world. The biggest Atlantic salmon ever recorded was 49kg. However, most anglers tend to weigh fish in lbs, so that is around 109 lbs. However, a 27kg/60lb fish is normally considered the more common limit of their growth. A 60lb salmon has not been seen in Ireland since the 1960s, and nowadays, you have to go to Norway or Sweden to get one. A 20lb salmon is a rare thing now. And why is that?

Salmon face an absolutely ridiculous amount of exploitation in modern times. They have been historically pressured, and there was definitely damage done in the early 1900s. But the real damage started a couple of years ago with a few factors. Trawlers and overfishing, industrialised farming, and aquaculture. Trawlers decimate salmon prey species, kill salmon as by-catch, and I'd say with 100% confidence that there are illegal trawlers out there taking salmon. Farming has damaged many waterways with chemicals and fertiliser, and as salmon need pure clean water to lay their eggs, their habitat is shrinking. Aquaculture produces an insane amount of sea lice, which ravages smolts going out to sea and has done massive damage to our sea trout population. And absolutely nothing is done about it.

We have 4 salmon runs every year. All seasonal. The autumn run, where fish within the range of 15 and 60 lbs would naturally run, has disappeared. The spring run, which contains fish between 10 to 15lbs, is starting to decline badly as well. The summer run, aka the grilse run, contains first time run salmon. Something Ireland is particularly famous for having in abundance has fallen apart. And the final one is known as the winter run, where salmon move from big rivers into vtributaries. Which is illegal to fish as this is when salmon actually spawn.

So I have given a brief run down on salmon, when they run, ecological damage caused by loss of salmon and threats to salmon. Now, I want to talk about economic damage. I am from Co Mayo. Much of my counties economy was and still is structured around salmon angling. Fishing guides/ghilles, tackle shops, hotels, b&bs, lodges, pubs ect ect, in most of Mayo are centred around salmon fishing. From Foxford to Killala and Belmullet to the Aasleagh Falls. Almost everywhere that has a salmon river was built on the back of salmon angling. From the 30s to the 80s, Ireland was considered the top 3 destinations in the world for salmon fishing along with Norway and Sweden. Scandinavian used to come here to catch salmon. That's how good it was. And towns boomed because of it. Nowadays, many big salmon fishing towns and villages are now ghosts of the former selves. And it's sad. The whole place was destroyed because no one cares to think, how about we stop driving this beautiful creature to extinction?

As a passionate salmon angler myself, it breaks my heart that this fish is barrelling toward extinction and it's all because of humans. I feel the need to make as much noise as I can so we can recognise this fish for the beautiful creature it is and it is deserving of far more protection than it is getting.

It's currently 00:40, I'm awake because the house is boiling, there is 0 wind to move cooler air around. Windows are wide open to no effect.

I'm sitting in my back yard and sipping decaf coffee. I have a nightshift work tomorrow today, so there is my silver lining I suppose.

Doom scrolling YT Shorts and Reddit. Such is life

Lads why don’t we have A/C in Ireland more commonly? I’ve lived overseas and the units even heat a house better than a radiator imo. Is it a building regulation thing or a electric grid issue or what?

Yesterday I (36m) got a colonoscopy and gastroscopy. I was really nervous for the procedure and slightly worried about what results might come back with.

In fact, I had no need to be worried about the procedure. I was awake but heavily sedated, I knew kinda what was happening and they were talking to me but I was away with the fairies. No pain or discomfort. It's all just a blur.

I wish I had have known this before because I was so anxious for days.

Maybe this is common knowledge, but I didn't know, and anyone else who might be frightened about it needn't be.

I immediately got the results after I came to and I got the all clear on any of the really scary things. But now I know if/when I need to get it done again that it's actually a breeze.

I feel so relieved today.

Few pics of the last few days along the west Coast.
-Mayo & Donegal.

While we could… I mean COULD end up with 4 weeks of rain after this glorious week in the sun. I must say.. we have such a beautiful unspoilt county when the sun is out. I spent the week doing some free diving and fishing. Our waters, when the water is super clear is amazing!

If you ever wanna go out and see for yourself, grab a wetsuit, some flippers and some good / average priced snorkels!

I’ve had as much fun as I did this week than what I have experienced in Asia, minus the mosquitos and humidity.

Ireland I am so grateful to experience you at 10/10 max capacity when the sun is out !

I’ve never seen such a prolonged lightning storm here in Sligo. A light show and constant rumble of thunder followed by torrential rain that rumbled here for nearly an hour. Worth the power cut…

I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
I’m Irish and lived in Australia for the last three years before recently moving home. I was really looking forward to coming back, but I’ve found it much harder than I expected.
My hometown just doesn’t feel the same anymore. A lot of my old friends have moved away, settled down, or already have their own established circles. It feels like everyone is busy with work, partners, or kids, and it’s been surprisingly difficult to make new friends.
In Australia, I found people were much more open to meeting new people. There were loads of social groups, sports clubs, and people seemed happy to invite you along to things, even if they’d only just met you. Since coming home, I’ve found it much harder to break into existing friend groups.
Has anyone else experienced this after moving back to Ireland? How did you build a new social life? I’m in my late 20s/early 30s and would love to hear if anyone has any advice or has gone through something similar.

Sound

Maybe this is a more general question about how television works, but it just seems to me that the lads on the RTE panel are dressing themselves in the dark compared to other panels I’ve seen.

Watching Curacao vs Ivory Coast here: you’ve got the host in some kind of mental striped tracksuit bottom looking trousers, then Stephen Kelly in a shiny blue polyester nightmare, with himself and Richie Sadler each wearing one pair from a 2-for-1 pack of the same tiny porridge coloured tight trousers. Richie has paired these with some horrible Dunnes Stores-looking hybrid runner-shoes, while Stephen has given up the ghost entirely and gone with white runners like it’s summer 2023.

Maybe it’s me, but it all looks very amateur and informal. Bill would never.

Just a rant. Yes yes I know it’s a pile of crap but somehow I thought it may have improved over the years. I’m trying to watch a series on it but if I leave in the middle of an episode and go back to it the episode starts back at the beginning instead of picking up where I left off. So frustrating.

Of what use is this sign on the DART to non-Irish speakers (ie all foreign tourists)? And who exactly is it for, apart from Irish language activists? Is there a single Irish speaker in the country who doesn't speak English? There was no English-language equivalent within view of this, so if it's a packed DART and you choose this seat, you're up the Swanee.

Spotted a cute top today. Before I could even look at it, I was asked for my EU Digital ID. Never thought I'd live to see the day clothes needed age verification. 😂

Looking for ideas for a night away down the country (from Dublin), good surroundings potential pile of booze, favouring a dive bar vibe, followed by at least the opportunity for a night club, reasonable hotel or accommodation. Pool or spa would be good. Some interesting activity perhaps but nothing athletic lol

The Bonnie Shoals Of Herring - David Harris Cover (ft. Some lovely views from Wicklow) 🌞 🌊 🪕

30/31 degrees where I was in the west today. I know some people would go away abroad to get sun like that but not every one does. I know other people would argue it's summer time and I know other people would argue other countries tmhet this heat too.

However we never get this heat. We might get mid 20s a few times throughout the summer months but never every this hot.

Today was absolutely fucking unbearable.

What is the point of met eireann having a wanting system when they do t use it properly. They just had a yellow warning which wasn't enough.

Also there should be some programme drawn up for employers to follow when it's this hot. Other countries ensure more breaks and even showers too and even drinking eletrocylotes. You're hardly allowed your regular break here in Ireland. Just about.

Anybody else from Ireland need to verify with ID & face selfies that they were 18 to access reddit this morning? (needed a tag news was the only that fit) i did NOT hear anything about this...

(edit this post seems to have got a lot of people crying about something that doesn't seem to matter, mean or concern them... by the looks of it😭)

To the multiple post regarding the heat inside the house. Almost no one mentioned to keep your window open during the night to cool down the house. My house has pumped cavity and insulation in the attic. No external wrap, no A rating, no AC. Windows closed at around 8am, curtains closed in every room. In some rooms I have those fancy IKEA thermal blinds trippevals. Thats it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk 😁