Bid to bring fishing back to Corkagh Park lakes

A new community-led project is being established in an effort to bring supervised fishing back to the lakes at Corkagh Park.

Mayor of South Dublin Francis Timmons said he had facilitated an initial meeting to establish the Corkagh Park Fishing Project, which will draw up proposals for the future recreational use of the lakes.

The project’s committee will include people with experience in fishing and community development, with organisers hoping to demonstrate how the lakes could be operated safely and responsibly.

Mayor Timmons has previously raised the future of the fishing lakes through a number of motions to South Dublin County Council.

However, he said the council’s official position had been against developing the lakes for fishing.

Fishing is currently prohibited because of the presence of crayfish plague, while the council has also expressed concern about fishing equipment being left behind and posing a danger to wildlife.

Mayor Timmons said he disagreed with the council’s overall position and believed a properly organised community initiative could address its concerns.

“With a creative community response, we could see the fishing lakes open and supervised for competitions, for people with a disability and anyone with a fishing interest,” he said.

The Corkagh Park lakes were originally created as part of the flood-defence system for the surrounding area.

Cllr Timmons believes they could now serve an additional purpose as a community amenity offering education, outdoor learning and recreation.

He said a supervised fishing facility could accommodate experienced anglers as well as young people, beginners and people with disabilities.

The project could also increase the number of people regularly using that section of Corkagh Park, he said, helping to provide a greater community presence and discourage anti-social behaviour.

“The fishing lakes offer a real opportunity to create a community facility and provide education, learning and recreation for all age groups,” Cllr Timmons said.

“The Corkagh Park Fishing Project could be a real asset to South Dublin County Council by providing additional footfall to help combat anti-social behaviour in the park, while helping to maintain it as a valuable and much-needed community space.”