RETIREMENT OF DUNDALK INSPECTOR
Inspector Paddy Greene from the Dundalk District of Inland Fisheries Ireland has retired having worked with the Fisheries Service for 40 years. A large crowd of colleagues, friends and stakeholders gathered to wish Paddy well on his retirement on Friday 27th August in Buswell’s Hotel in Dublin.
Paddy’s career began with the Salmon Research Agency, ESB and Department of Marine in 1970. He then moved into the role of Hatchery Manager in Virginia 1972 where he worked for a number of years. An opportunity to move as Assistant Inspector to the Dundalk District of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board arose in 1987 and in 1993 he was promoted to Inspector of the District.
At the time poaching was rife with huge problems with illegal salmon fishing throughout the District. Paddy took a very strong stance on the poaching problem in Dundalk which resulted in many court cases and convictions secured. This has continued right up to the present day with the focus as much on coarse fish as salmon. In recent years many cases have been taken and won for illegal coarse fishing and some have resulted in jail sentences for the Monaghan area.
During the celtic tiger years, Paddy sourced funds from both national and EU sources and completed a number of projects which were a tremendous success. Some examples of these include the angling centre at Toberona, improvement of salmonid habitat on the River Fane, disabled angling access facilities in the Monaghan area, access to Monaghan fisheries, refurbishment of Creevy base and installation of a fish counter on the River Fane. These projects were a tremendous success thanks to his fantastic ability to lead and manage projects with tremendous skill. They involved a variety of stakeholders with whom he had built up great relationships during his time with the Fisheries Service such as Fisheries Conservancy Board in Northern Ireland, Loughs Agency, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, Waterways Ireland, Louth and Monaghan County Councils, Monaghan Tourism, OPW, Gardai, angling clubs and organisations to name but a few.
Speaking at his retirement, Mr. William Walsh, Director with the Eastern River Basin District of IFI stated ‘I would like to congratulate Paddy on his retirement and thank him for the great service he has given fisheries over the last 40 years. His commitment, enthusiasm and dedication with which he carried out his duties have been outstanding. I wish him and his wife Maura a happy and healthy retirement’.
