The club was founded in 2000, by a small handful of Wexford anglers who felt that there was a void in existing clubs, as they did not cater for alternative types of shore-angling; most clubs in Wexford were either all beach venues or all flounder venues.
It was felt that to retain and grow interest & membership of a successful club, it would have to engage a wide variety shore-angling, that would cater for all.
On foot of this, MENAPIA SAC was born!
The original name for "Wexford" over 2000 years ago, was "MENAPIA" - named after a prehistoric Belgian Tribe who occupied the area.
Hence it being an appropriate name for the club, as fish was the main diet at that time!!
The first ever committee elected was:
Chairman - Phil Whitmore
Secretary - Joe Carley
Treasurer - Brian Cantwell
Word soon spread about the new club, and before long it had up to 15 members (Incidentally, the majority of those 15 members are still there to this day!).
The strategy of the new club was to fish every possible venue in Co. Wexford, (which offers a variety of deep beaches, heavy tide runs, mixed ground, shallow beaches and estuaries to name but a few) and alternate the fishing between Rock venues, Flounder venues and Beach venues.
The variety of venues (still fished to this day) by the club, has enabled even the most seasoned members to drastically improve their fishing skills and experience.
This in turn has paid off, with Menapia now being one of the strongest Match-Angling clubs in the Country.
Club events are always well organised, with a Pollution officer ensuring beaches are left in the same condition they were found - plus a strict 'Catch & Release' policy is enforced during events - making sure that the sport of Angling and fish stocks will continue for many years to come.
The club has had several successes over the last 10 years, in addition to making International history;
In 2009, the club took the 'Inter-Club County Title' for the SECOND year running (Sinnott Family Memorial Cup).
Two members of the club (Barry Roche & James Gordon) also qualified to participate in the 'Irish Shore International Team'.
Menapia SAC's Barry Roche & James Gordon compete in the Irish Shore International Team; both seated furthest right, with the rest of the team.In November 2010, one of our top anglers BRENDAN WALL qualified to be on the Irish International Angling Team - they fished the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in South-Africa and subsequently *WON*! They made history for Ireland that day - and also proves that we have the finest anglers in the world.
Such acheivments are proof that our club has indeed produced some 'world-class' anglers and we hope will continue to do so for many years to come!
(Left: Brendan Wall at World Championships in South-Africa)Membership of the club continues to grow each year, with about 25 full-time members onboard for 2011. Membership is open to all walks of life (Juniors included) and the club always welcomes new members - no matter how experienced (or inexperienced) they may be, or no matter what time of year.
If you are considering taking up the sport of shore-angling- or maybe you are a shore angler who just wishes to gain a bit more experience, Menapia SAC would be only too happy to hear from you.
Existing members are renowned for their experience and patience in showing new members the ropes, and giving you vital tips as to where to fish, when to fish, what bait to use, how to present your bait, what equipment to use and how to use it etc.as well as plenty of other useful tips.
The club have 14 meets a year, averaged out at about one meeting (fishing session) a month, each at a different venue - these are scheduled for evenings/weekends etc., so that they won't interfere with work arrangements. The dates and venues are agreed at the start of the year at a 'Fixtures meeting', where consideration is given to the tides, moon phases and time of year/species etc.
Our website is kept up-to-date on a regular basis too, with info about what marks are fishing best etc.
If you would like to consider becoming a member, you can speak to any of the committee or email info@menapiasac.com with your details, who will be only too happy to answer any questions you may have.
