Anglers are returning to many of Ireland's best known fisheries after Covid-19 restrictions were eased. Inland Fisheries Ireland said anglers may fish in a location less than or equal to 5km from home, but most of the major tourism angling promoters say they are still closed and losing thousands of euro in daily income due to the ban on foreign travel.
IFI Chief Executive Ciaran Byrne said he believes angling will be a key plank in helping return tourism to rural areas. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said about 2% of the country is covered in water, with up to 12,000 lakes and 70,000km of water ways, which mean a significant number of people live near a lake or river.