Sir, We write to thank The Irish Times for your article of December 30th exposing the circumstances that led to the disastrous 1971 EEC/Ireland fishing deal. As a fisherman who lived through those times and has had to suffer the consequences ever since, I often wondered how it came about, considering the nationwide total opposition to the acceptance of the deal that was on offer.
Brendan O'Kelly has to be thanked for his courage in breaking silence and telling his truly astonishing side of the story how Dr Patrick Hillery first enlisted Mr O'Kelly's services to, strengthen the Irish case, and then dictatorially sent him home from Brussels on the critical day, without a word of explanation. We must never forget that, after centuries of suppression and poverty, the Irish fishing industry was showing an annual increase over the previous three years, of over 25 per cent. This was a direct result of Brendan O'Kelly and his colleagues in Bord Iascaigh Mhara. All this was given up on one day.
What has not been told by Mr O'Kelly if he knows was exactly what the deal was and why it was made. Was it the acceptance of that infamous clause in Regulation No. 2141 of 1970? This is the clause that gives equal access to the fishing grounds of a member state to the vessels of all other member states. The original six states had fished out their own grounds but they knew well the wealth in Irish territorial waters and went for it.
The question must be asked and answered did Dr Hillery know what he was giving away? The Irish Times must ascertain Dr Hillery's and the Irish Government's answer to this. Will it be revealed in State papers?
Informed opinion, and The Irish Times, gives the value of fish taken from Irish waters by other nations as being worth £1.5 to £2 billion a year. Not one penny of this reaches the Irish taxpayer, except perhaps through a Brussels handout for which we are expected to be grateful and put up an EU plaque.
In a subsequent administration, Dr Garrett FitzGerald refused to hold out for a 50 mile limit, saying that it would be "extremely disruptive of Community solidarity, offensive to our partner and would have caused great irritation" (Dail Debate, 296 Cols 666 669). Oh dear £1.5 to £2 billion a year of irritation. We Irish are a hospitable, generous nation.
We have seen the dilapidation of the native Irish fishing fleet, with serious consequences for the safety of lives, refurbishment grants at approximately half the level of other sectors (27 per cent for fishing vessels against 50 per cent for processing plants), the depletion of stocks by other nations vessels, the slashing of quotas, 40 extra foreign vessels fishing up to 12 miles from the Irish coast all hailed as victories" (sic) by successive Ministers on their return from the annual pilgrimage to Brussels. Who will call a stop to this madness? Surely any regulation can be changed? Yours, etc., Chairman, Irish South & West Fisherman's Organisation, The Pier, Castletownbere, Co Cork.