The River Field

The Inchbeg Fishing School was started by my father, Jack Hamilton, in 1996. Jack grew up just over the road in the house we currently live in, and fished these waters every day as a boy in the 1930s. It was always his dream to own The River Field, as it is known, and when he moved home after 40 years in England, he finally bought it. He and my mother, Kathie, cleaned up the field over the course of a summer: they pulled sacks of refuse out of the bed of the river by hand, peeled back the overgrown banks and planted 500 native trees including ash, oak, sally, birch, lime and beech to provide a habitat for local wildlife and to get to work on our carbon footprint!

The school was opened to the public and it became a success with both tourists and locals, especially primary schools who were keen to learn about our indigenous wildlife and the effects of river pollution, a cause my father was  passionate about.

The school was his pride and joy, however in recent years his health has failed him and he is no longer able to do what he loves. I intend to re-open the school for the 2009 season as a not-for-profit enterprise, and donate the proceeds to the Alzheimer's Society.

Kathie

Kathie has a passion for the great outdoors, particularly wild flowers and is delighted to have found summer snowflake in the river field this year.

Hannah

Hannah is a writer. She learned to fish aged five in the field beside The River Field. She loves rock 'n roll, yoga and travelling.