Clare Past Forum

My mother - a Ringrose - grew up in pre world war one Meelick. She remembered
the presence in the Crompan river of sought after, catchable, fish called croneens, presumably
the Irish croinini. A UCC professor of Irish told me that it meant a marking like a small crown.
Along the lower reaches in the 1950s I myself saw eels caught in the meadow trenches.
They were reputed to be able to slither across land from one aquatic place to another.
I am interested in any comments.

I wonder if anyone could attest occurrence of the
Gaelic word croinin elsewhere in Clare.
It is not listed in O Duinnin's Irish English dictionary.

Hi Matthew
I looked in Dineen too, but, as you say, "Cróininí" is not there. But I did find a reference to Croneens in this piece by by Paul Molloy: https://fishinginireland.info/2018/trou ... n-fishing/. It doesn't tell us what kind of fish Croneens were, but this other piece by Ella McSweeney in the Irish Times, 2 Sept 2023, tells us they are trout and similar to sea trout. I think the Meelick mentioned is not your Meelick: https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/ ... e-species/

About eels: I remember my mother saying they were chopped up and fried in the pan and were delicious, but she never cooked any herself, so I am doubtful about the deliciousness.

Matthew, you will be interested to hear that this year's The Other Clare, Vol 48, has an article on Irish words still in use in Co. Clare. It is "Nótaí ar Dhornán Focal Gaeilge i mBéarla an Chláir", by Proinsias Ó Cionnaith.

Sheila

Thank you Sheila.

You are welcome, Matthew.
I see now that the French know all about Croneens: https://pecheenirlande.info/la-peche-de ... n-shannon/.

Sheila

"(eels)...were reputed to be able to slither across land from one aquatic place to another..."
Movement of eels between ponds or to dammed water is well-documented. Because they can absorb oxygen from the air through their skins they can live for several hours out of water.