Irish international angler, Mary Gavin-Hughes from Derrada, Newport, has been chosen to captain the Irish team in the Home International Championship which this year is being hosted by Ireland and will be fished out of Belmullet from May 18 to 22.
Teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will take part.
The signal honour given to Mary to captain the Irish team comes in the wake of her remarkable success in the 2009 All-Ireland Open Boat Sea Angling Championship with ladies and gents All-Ireland medals at stake.
Mary won the open section competing against 128 top Irish anglers, winning two All-Ireland gold medals and cups
Her prizes included the All-Ireland Findlater cup and gold medal, the All-Ireland Shalimar cup and gold medal and, in 2009, she also won a third cup as overall winner in the Newport Sea Angling competition.
It was the first time in the history of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers that the Findlater and Shalimar cups and gold medals were won by the same angler on the same day.
Such prestigious achievements made Mary the overwhelming favourite to captain the Irish team in this year’s Home International Championship.
Other team members are Josie Barrett (Connacht), Henry Ross (Munster), Liam O’Callaghan (Leinster), and Liam Longmore (Ulster). Pat Walsh, Currane, Achill, is the Irish team manager.
A delighted Mary told The Mayo News that she was greatly honoured to be appointed Irish team captain.
“It will be a very tough championship and the Irish team will be doing all in its power to pull the gold medals. There is a wide variety of fish species off the Belmullet coast and that will add to the excitement of the championship. The championship is run on a points system with catch and release. The Irish team will need all the support from the pubic that it can get.” she said.
Mary is arguably the most decorated sea angler in Ireland and she has won several European gold, silver and bronze medals competing in the European Sea Angling Championship. In 2009 alone she won two gold medals and one bronze. Little wonder then that Ireland are favourites to win the upcoming Home International Championship.
