The act and art of Fishing is one of the many factors that have sustained life on the remote and rugged Aran islands off the west coast of Ireland. In fact Fishing from the island has inspired one of the most interesting items of fashion that is still popular some 150 years after it was first woven by the women of the island to protect their fishermen as they braved the sea to make a good catch. The iconic irish sweater men wear with the cable knit design is from Aran and you can own one if you go onto https://www.shamrockgift.com/aran-sweaters/mens-aran-sweaters.
Whilst Aran is a rugged and hard place it is easy to see why the people and the past chose to live there. It is easy to defend (useful against Vikings in particular) but the soil on the island is thin and sparse and can barely support grains and root vegetables, at least not to any great degree. This meant that mutton from the sheep, although they were valued more for their wool, they had on the island and fish were the main sources of food.
The men of Aran soon become adept at utilising the sea to their own advantage. It was not only fish that they could catch. There were plenty of mussels, crabs and lobsters to be found as well. Soon the islanders developed lobsters and crab pots to catch the crustaceans. This meant that they were able to trade these foods with mainlanders to gain bread and vegetables to supplement their diet.