Dunmore East Fish Auction: History & Today

Dunmore East had a daily fish auction from the mid-1980s through to the mid-2000s, selling mackerel, herring, cod, plaice and lobster straight off the day-boats. The auction hall stood on the pier where the lifeboat station is now. Buyers came from Waterford, Cork and Dublin to bid on ice-packed boxes at 7am. The auction closed when consolidation moved wholesale trade to Killybegs and Castletownbere. Today the harbour still lands fresh seafood daily, and Peter at The Spinnaker Bar in Lower Village buys directly from the boats for his menu.

The Auction Years: Mid-1980s to Mid-2000s

The fish auction at Dunmore East opened in the mid-1980s when the harbour had 30-plus day-boats landing mackerel, herring, cod, whiting, plaice, sole, crab and lobster. The auction hall was a concrete shed on the pier where the lifeboat station stands today. Auctioneers called bids at 7am six days a week, Monday to Saturday. Ice trucks from Waterford, Cork and Dublin lined the quay. Buyers walked the rows of boxes, lifted lids, checked quality, then bid by hand signal. The auctioneer's chant echoed across the harbour. Boxes sold by the stone or by the kilo depending on species. Mackerel went fast in summer. Lobster and crab fetched premium prices year-round. Local restaurants bought small lots. Wholesalers took the bulk for city markets. The auction was the economic heart of the village for twenty years, employing packers, ice suppliers, truckers and clerks. It closed in the mid-2000s when Irish fishing policy shifted quota to larger vessels and centralised auctions at Killybegs and Castletownbere. The building was demolished to make way for the new lifeboat station in 2008.

How the Auction Worked

Boats tied up at the pier between 5am and 6:30am. Crew unloaded fish into plastic boxes on the quay. Each box was tagged with boat name, species, weight and catch date. Ice packers layered crushed ice over the fish. Boxes were stacked in rows inside the auction hall. The auctioneer started at 7am sharp, moving down the rows box by box. He called the opening price. Buyers raised fingers or nodded to bid. The auctioneer raised the price in 10p or 20p increments until no one bid higher. He banged his gavel, shouted the buyer's number, moved to the next box. A clerk recorded every sale on a carbon-copy pad. The buyer's lot number was chalked on each box. Buyers settled accounts with the harbour office by noon. Trucks loaded and left for city markets. The whole process finished by 10am most days. Fishermen collected their cheques on Friday. The auction took a small commission per box to cover running costs. It was fast, transparent and fair. Everyone knew the day's price by breakfast time.

Why the Auction Closed

Three forces killed the Dunmore East auction. First, EU quota reforms in the 1990s and early 2000s allocated fishing rights to larger vessels with refrigerated holds, which favoured ports with processing plants like Killybegs. Second, supermarket contracts demanded volume and year-round supply, which small day-boat harbours could not guarantee. Third, operating costs rose—ice, fuel, wages, insurance—while landing volumes dropped as local boats retired or moved to other ports. By 2005 only a dozen boats were landing regularly. The auction struggled to cover its costs. The final sale happened on a wet morning in 2006. The building sat empty for a year, then was cleared for the new lifeboat station. Some former auction buyers now source directly from boats by phone. Others moved their business to Killybegs or Howth. The day-boats that remain in Dunmore East sell their catch to local restaurants, private buyers or small processors in Waterford. The auction is gone but the fishing is not.

Dunmore East Fishing Today

Dunmore East still has working day-boats landing fresh seafood six days a week. The fleet is smaller—ten to fifteen boats depending on season—but they fish the same grounds off Hook Head, the Saltees and the Celtic Sea shelf. Species caught today include mackerel, pollock, cod, plaice, sole, ray, monkfish, crab, lobster, prawn and spider crab. Boats land at the pier between dawn and mid-morning. There is no auction, so skippers sell directly to buyers waiting on the quay or by phone arrangement the night before. Peter at The Spinnaker Bar buys from the boats most weeks for his seafood chowder, mussels, prawn cocktail, beer battered fish and seafood pie. Other buyers include restaurants in Waterford, Tramore and Dungarvan, plus a few private customers who collect boxes for home freezers. The harbour is quieter than it was in the 1990s, but the quality of the catch is as high as it ever was. Day-boats still ice their fish at sea and land within hours of hauling nets or pots. That freshness is what matters.

Eating Harbour-Fresh Seafood at The Spinnaker Bar

Peter at The Spinnaker Bar serves the same harbour seafood that used to go through the auction, bought directly from the day-boats when they land. His menu includes seafood chowder €13.50 (crab, fish, prawn, cream), mussels €14 (chorizo, sherry, cream, garlic bread), prawn cocktail €12 (Marie Rose sauce, brown bread), beer battered fish €22.50 (chips, peas, tartare), and seafood pie €23 (cod, salmon, prawn, mash crust). The fish changes with what the boats land that week. Peter also does an 8oz striploin steak €37, lamb shank €27, chicken korma €22, and a Sunday roast on the day. Walk-ins are welcome most days. For Friday or Sunday evenings, or groups of six or more, ring Peter on (051) 383 133. He posts this week's hours on Facebook. The pub is in Lower Village, Dunmore East, facing the harbour where the auction used to be.