TRANSITION year students from CBS James Street in Dublin have been enjoying a new fishing and environmental programme over the summer.
Developed and implemented as a joint initiative by Inland Fisheries Ireland and eir, the programme, which ran for over 13 weeks, was attended by 15 participants from the school ranging from 16 to 18 years of age.
 The initiative aims to enable students to become proficient at fly fishing with a view to introducing them to a lifelong hobby. It involves classroom lessons, fieldwork studies and practical exercises and sees participants take lessons on the art of fly fishing, fly tying and the local environment.
The programme combines the contribution of staff expertise from Inland Fisheries Ireland, the State agency responsible for the inland fisheries and sea angling resource along with support from eir as part of its corporate social responsibility outreach.
 Aside from classroom based lessons and outdoor exercises, students have also enjoyed field trips to Annamoe Trout Fishery, Wicklow and Courtlough Fishery in Balbriggan where they practiced their rod skills and fished for rainbow trout using fly fishing methods.
The programme culminated in a return trip to Annamoe Trout Fishery where the group once again put their lessons into practice on a fishing trip, after which they will were awarded with graduation certificates from the programme organisers.Â
 The course syllabus covers a wide range of fisheries themes from practical fishing lessons to fisheries legislation, research and environment and has been designed to fit into criteria of the President’s An Gaisce Award.
It is hoped that the group will be eligible for the award as a result of their participation. The programme has received strong support from the angling community in recognition of the need to bring youngsters into the sport to secure the future of angling in Ireland.
Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development said:
“We would like to congratulate each of the participants on completion of this fisheries module as part of their transition year programme.
“We were delighted to work with eir in creating and delivering this innovative new initiative which introduces students to the fisheries resource and to the pursuit of angling.Â
“We hope that the lessons learnt on important issues such as conservation and environmental protection will stay with students through life and that ultimately, they will become custodians of our rivers and lakes. We also endeavour to get them hooked on fishing for life.
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