Westmeath duo play part in three-in-a-row fishing team

History was made by the Irish Youths angling team, including the two members from Westmeath, who won the annual international youths fly fishing competition between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales last week.

Among those on the team were Darragh Duncan from Mullingar and Evan McMickan from Athlone. It is the first time any country has recorded three successive victories in the competition.

"But for Irish lads to do it is even more historic because they’re normally restricted to fishing a different type of method, and this was at a venue that probably wouldn’t have been regarded as suiting them," says Cllr Andy Duncan, Darragh’s father, who was over for the event, at a place called Llyn Clywedog.

While the success teams tends to depend on the weight of the catch, that effectively boils down to the number of fish: "Ireland were significantly ahead, and Scotland came after them. The competition operates on a catch and release basis.

This was 17-year-old Darragh’s second year on the team, and he will be hoping to be included next year as well. A student at St Mary’s Coláiste Mhuire, where he is about to enter fifth year, Darragh has been fishing since he was around five years of age.