The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-12
PEAT SUPPLY
failure HITS
irish FISHERS
ArrGn Islanders SOrely
In Need of Fuel
Especial to The Daily Worksr)

4 Especial to The Daily Worker)
KILRoNAN, Arran Islands (BS
Mal)-The failure Of the potato eroE
has not affected the natives Of these
three islands as badly as the destruc
tlon Of the peat supply on the Cone
mara mainland, owing to the heavy
Hoods.
Usually a heavy rainfall does moi
adversely affect the food supply on the
Islands, the staple being potatoes and
fish. Owing to the limestone forma'
ton and the sandy soil the potato
crop thrlVes better In a rainy season
than q dry one. What hit the Island
ers hardest was the failure of the fish
Ing Industry.
The standard Of living Of the Arran
Islanders is not high by any means,
and when crops are fairly good, the
fishing industry prosperous and a
plentiful supply Of peat available the
natives are considerable better of
than the townspeople, and in Utopia
compared to the slum jewellers OF such
English cities as Liverpool where
thousands of the pauperized Irish Ia
borers from the Orange section of Ire
land emigrate to.
Most Of the emigration from this
section is to the United States, par
ticularly the New England states and
San Francisco.
The Main Industry.
Fishing is the main industry here.
Usually from two to three thousand
barrels Of sailed mackerel, several
thousand barrels Of herrings and large
quantities Of other varieties of fish are
available for export. But this year
owing to the depredations OF the
steam trawlers the entire export was
only 200 barrels.
No fuel whatsoever grows on the is
land. Outside of a few trees in the
areas surrounding the houses of the
protestant minister and a former jus
tice Of the peace, the islands are bare
SACCpb III u AelA anu AQA az UuonCGs IL
normal times the islanders exchange
Ash and sometimes potatoes with the
Conemara peasants for enuf fuel to
last for one year. The Conemara
peasants cut the turf in the bog, dry
it and haul it to the island across tn,
nine mile strip Of Galway bay in hook
ers. Thirty dollars in English money
was the average cost Of years sup
ply of turf or dried peat.
Parasites Have conVenienees.
This year there was no turf and no
money with which to buy coal owing
to the bad fishing season. There are
very few stoves or CRATES on the is
land outside of the houses Of the
parish priest and curate and the
homes of the other flunkeys Of the gov.
eminent. The hearth in the peasants
little limestone hut with matched
roof is not suited for burning coal, but
perfectly alright for a nice blazing
turf fire when dried peat is available.
The little steamer which is the only
puDAAC IdAA4CA COnucCbAuS Tic luudDl
tants with the mainland plies between
Galway and the islands once a week
in winter and twice a week in sum.
mer. It ploughs the distance Of about
thirty miles in three hours. 1t is one
of the toughest bits OF sea anywhere
around the British isles.
Dangerous Work.
There are no piers at the two small
er islands so the natives board the
steamers in their primitive canoes
This is dangerous work in bad wea.
Their but these hardy fishermen are ac-
customed to danger and accidents re-
sulting in drowning are very rare.
The canoes may capsize but they
never sink.
The islanders were relieved to learn
that the Irish Workers and Peasants
Relief Committee was organized in
America to raise funds for relief.
There are thousands OF people in Bos
ton, Mass; Portland, Maine; and New
York from these islands and the re-
mittances of those exiles help to keep
the pot boiling and the fires burning
in fha deeOiafa fslanda of Galway hav