In
Ireland pearls have been found principally in the rivers of counties
Kerry, Donegal, Tyrone, Antrum, etc. In an article in "The Field,"
December 10, 1864, Mr. F. T. Buckland stated that they abound near
Oughterard, and that a man called "Jemmy the Pearl-catcher," who lived
there, told him that he knew when a mussel had a pearl in it even
without opening the shell, because "she [the mussel] sits upright with
her mouth in the mud, and her back is crooked," that is, corrugated
like a ram's horn. Pearls are yet found in several localities in the
Emerald Isle, notably in the river Bann in the northeastern part and
in the beautiful Connemara district in western Ireland. In 1892 the
Bann yielded one of the choicest pearls that ever came from Ireland.
Within the last twelve months Lady Dudley, wife of the Viceroy of
Ireland, presented to Queen Alexandra a number of pearls from the
Connemara. These were mounted in a green enameled brooch, and excited
so much admiration that an active demand for similar gems quickly
developed in County Gal-way.
Mr.
D. MacGregor, a well-known jeweler of Perth, to whom we are indebted
for much information relative to pearls in Scotland, states that no
attention whatever is given to conserving the mussel; on the contrary,
the waters are unscrupulously despoiled by the greedy pearl fisherman
who destroys all that he finds, since, by chance, they may yield the
coveted gem. Immense numbers are thus wantonly destroyed, which if
allowed to grow and propagate would be more likely to contribute to the
pearl yield, as it is well known that it is the aged mussels in which a
pearl is most likely to be found. There is no close time, and so
extensive have been the raids upon the mussels in recent years that
they have been rapidly exterminated in places accessible to the
fishermen; and should the spoliation continue and extend to the deep
waters, the pearl-mussel may soon become extinct.
Pearl
fishing is not prosecuted throughout the year, as it can be carried on
only in the dry season when the waters are low. There are a number of
professional fishermen who search in their favorite streams, and
sometimes very profitably, as much as £200 having been gained in a
single season by one fisherman. One of the most noted of these was
"Pearl Johnnie," who a few years ago hailed from Compar-Angus, in
Perthshire, and who styled himself "Pearl Fisher to the Prince of
Wales," by reason of some dealings he once had with his Royal Highness.
He was very successful in his experience of more than thirty years.
There is little mystery in the search ; skill does not always avail,
and men, women and children are rewarded or disappointed
indiscriminately. The bed of the stream is searched until the
