Faughan Anglers and Honourable Irish Society disagree over future management of River Faughan

The dispute between The Honourable The Irish Society and River Faughan Anglers Ltd regarding the future management of the river shows no sign of abating. 

Duane Farrell, the secretary and chief executive of The Honourable The Irish Society, acknowledged the “amazing work in custodianship” carried out by Faughan Anglers and the angling clubs who lease other rivers from the Society, in a statement to The Derry News.

Mr Farrell also praised how the clubs engaged members of the community “in an activity that promotes health and wellbeing for those who participate”.

“The Society wants to better support this important activity,” he added. 

According to Mr Farrell, The Honourable The Irish Society is a philanthropic funder.

“We operate commercial activities to generate a surplus,” he added, “and 100% of that surplus is spent in pursuit of our charitable purposes.

“In recent years, the Society has spent approximately £250,000 annually in a grants programme supporting schools and community groups among others. In the last 25 years approximately, that figure is in excess of £2,5 million of grant support to local communities.

“As part of a review of the Society’s strategy which has been ongoing for the last year, the Society has sought to better combine these purposes, particularly where it relates to the angling clubs we currently lease our fishing rights to.

“This work has been informed by a survey which clubs responded to back in 2023. The key trends which clubs talked to us about in that piece of work were concerns about areas of work which clubs wanted to invest in to increase sustainability but were struggling to do this as a result of concerns about medium term financial sustainability, particularly in light of the impact which the covid pandemic had on clubs at that time. 

“This has informed the Society’s thoughts about what actions we can take to increase the sustainability of angling as a community activity which provides significant positive outcomes for communities. In turn, this has informed an initial set of proposals which we are in the process of consulting clubs on,” said Mr Farrell. 

The chief executive added that the “change in direction” in the Society’s strategy recognised it could do more to “support angling clubs in the important work they undertake day and daily in communities”.

He admitted the Society’s support of angling clubs over the years had been “piecemeal and responsive”.

“Our new strategy is rooted in recognising the valuable work which clubs are already undertaking to protect river environments and supporting that in a more proactive way and building a new system to support clubs in this aspect of their work,” said Mr Farrell.

“We are currently consulting with clubs on our initial proposal.

“Local anglers are an amazing asset to communities right across Northern Ireland, investing hours of voluntary effort in maintaining and developing rivers as well as facilitating a pursuit which provides health and wellbeing to those who participate. Local anglers are the heart of our plans.

“We have also identified that generating additional income from sales of tickets to tourists who are also interested in angling and sharing that income with clubs will also increase the sustainability of the Society’s grants and those angling clubs and the work they undertake while also marketing the amazing angling we have here and attracting visitors into our amazing rivers,” said Mr Farrell. 

Speaking to The Derry News, Gerry Quinn, secretary of River Faughan Anglers Ltd, revealed the responses to The Honourable The Irish Society’s 2023 were never published and it was proposing to rescind the right of angling clubs to sell day tickets to visiting anglers. 

“I can speak with authority on behalf of River Faughan Angler,” said Mr Quinn. “The Honourable The Irish Society is a London based charity which owns property and sporting rights awarded for services rendered to the crown in early 17th century Ireland

“In late 2023 it surveyed those angling clubs leasing the fishing rights from it, touching on a number of topics including financial stability, membership, and environmental issues around water quality. The Society reviewed the responses but did not publish them, rather it came up with a set of proposals to replace club leases with a partnership with the Society, an offer to remit some of the rents paid by clubs back to it to be spent on works it must approve, and the rescinding of the clubs’ right to sell day tickets to visiting anglers,” he added.

“The Society presented these proposals to clubs and dressed it up as a consultation process, which it patently is not. It ‘consulted’ on what it sees as the way forward for the Society and presented it as partnering with clubs. 

“This is not a partnership of equals agreeing a way forward, rather clubs have been asked to accept a set of proposals presented to them by The Honourable The Irish Society.

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“River Faughan Anglers’ position is that we are not sold on these proposals from the Irish Society and we have told it so. We have told it we will keep to the existing leasing arrangement instead of adopting their proposed partnership, and indeed we offered to buy out the fishing rights. This stance was unanimously endorsed by our anglers at an EGM on March 13.

“I am also assured that all clubs who lease water from the Society are united in opposition to their current plans to ‘assist clubs’,” said Mr Quinn.

According to Gerry Quinn, River Faughan Anglers manages its affairs, including its finances, “professionally, competently  and effectively”.

“We do not accept that the Society has a remit for determining the role of angling clubs, and we are not at all convinced its  proposals are in our best interests. 

“Nevertheless River Faughan Anglers is content to contribute to the Society’s grant making capacity by paying for the lease of the fishing rights on an annual basis. In return we look forward to the quiet enjoyment of our sport on the River Faughan.”