There used to be eels in the lake at Barmeath and probably still are. The lake is landlocked and I could not work out how they got from the sea to the lake but they did; probably through an overflow drain that runs under the fields and then through ditches down to the sea. Much more surprising was that they spawned in the Sargasso Sea and made a 5,000 kilometre journey to get to Barmeath.
The eel lives in European waters and then returns to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. Much remains undiscovered about their migratory routes and life cycle. The Atlantic salmon has attracted more research and conservation. Salmon spawn up rivers in the British Isles and Norway mainly and then return to the North Atlantic to feed before returning, usually to the same river, to spawn.
Why eels don’t spawn in European waters and salmon don’t spawn in the Sargasso Sea is a mystery to be pondered. But we digress.
If you live in Ireland they have arrived. If you live in London and the South East they are on the way and will arrive this weekend. They are very punctual. They arrived at Barmeath in the same two day window all the time my grandfather kept records. (I think it was 2/3 May.) They are swifts.
Swallows and martins look similar to swifts, also are migratory but are not so punctual. They all nest in Northern Europe and fly South for the winter and who can blame them. The swift goes down to equatorial and sub-Saharan Africa, a prodigious journey (circa 22,000 kilometres) made entirely on the wing. Swifts land only to nest.
I became interested in this earlier in the week when my attention was drawn to the Swift Conservation organisation. Swift numbers in the British Isles have declined by about half since the 1990s; modern buildings are inhospitable nesting places, old buildings lose their nesting places when they are restored and insecticides destroy their food supply. I regret not having a few swift nesting bricks put in when I was doing an attic conversion. It is something that architects should discuss with clients. Here is some advice.
It is noteworthy how tastes change. Eel was once considered peasant food in Ireland, now it is something of a delicacy, and regularly appears on the menu of haute cuisine establishments.
Lough Neagh eel has been awarded PGI which gives it the same status as Parma ham, Champagne and Feta cheese. Many other foods have undergone a recent rags to riches metamorphosis.
Perhaps the next time you visit the mighty towers of Barmeath you may find yourself presented with a hearty dish of eel stew for supper.
Baby eels (angulas) are an expensive Spanish speciality that I enjoyed vey much when I had an expense account. Nowadays it is considered ecologically unfriendly to eat them so young but they are irresistible sautéed in garlic; the Spanish equivalent of snails.