Angling show is brainchild of local pair

Angling show is brainchild of local pair

30 April 2014

A DOWNPATRICK couple has launched a major new angling event.

Albert and Irene Titterington, Directors of the Great Game Fairs of Ireland, are spearheading the new Northern Ireland Angling Show.

The new event will be part and parcel of this year’s Irish Game Fair at Shane’s Castle at the end of June which is the Province’s largest annual celebration of country sports, lifestyles and heritage.

Enjoying the support of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure’s Angling Outreach programme, the new Northern Ireland Angling Show includes specialist stands featuring everything fishing. There will also be tackle dealers, boats, representative organisations, fly tying and casting instruction, competitions and a “put and take” fishery for kids. 

Mr. Titterington, the Game Fair’s Director, said late last year the angling community faced the sad news that Ireland’s best loved angling magazine, The Irish Angler, was ceasing publication.

“Great Game Fairs of Ireland immediately stepped into the breach, creating the new Irish Game Angler magazine as a high quality into our already highly successful Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine,” he explained.

“Both are available in glossy magazine format as well as free to read online. The response to this from anglers right across Ireland was so immediate and so enthusiastic that we decided to take the bold move of developing a full scale angling show. We were determined that this opportunity wouldn’t be the one that got away.”

A veteran of 53 game fairs, Mr. Titterington is a firm believer in the need to keep changing and enhancing his shows.

He continued: “We are always looking for new ideas to make the day out for the family an even more exciting and enjoyable experience and, with many new attractions in the pipeline, we were already confident that this year’s event would be the best ever.

“However, about six months ago, when one of the team came up with the idea of a specialist angling show which could be supported by our new Irish Game Angler magazine, we felt the opportunities were just too good to miss.”

Mr. Titterington said the approach has been to create a show which not only answers the demands of the dedicated angling fraternity, but which also opens the sport to newcomers.