Wit, Whiskey, and Water How a Perpetual Debtor Became Ireland's Most Famous Fishing Guide

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/36/3b/63/363b6313-2860-2603-3dd9-9984c24ff0ca/mza_1362125285563323526.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Vices and Volumes: Tales from vintage books, with a little questionable history

Avril Clinton-Forde

6 episodes

1 week ago

What happens when someone with zero literary qualifications decides to read old books on a podcast? Pure entertainment. Host Avril Clinton-Forde explores vintage texts from the 1700s-1920s, uncovering obsessive, wonderful and proper passages about everything from marriage proposals to hound management. Born from a chance encounter in an Irish bookshop and a book shelf of ancient volumes, each episode dives into forgotten stories, eccentric characters, and the wonderfully elaborate language of the time. Perfect for history lovers, insomniacs, and anyone who enjoys literary curiosities.

History

RSS

All content for Vices and Volumes: Tales from vintage books, with a little questionable history is the property of Avril Clinton-Forde and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

History

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/44477911/44477911-1758753929992-9a5c082fb78af.jpg

Wit, Whiskey, and Water How a Perpetual Debtor Became Ireland's Most Famous Fishing Guide

Vices and Volumes: Tales from vintage books, with a little questionable history

31 minutes 18 seconds

1 month ago

Wit, Whiskey, and Water How a Perpetual Debtor Became Ireland's Most Famous Fishing Guide

The freeloading Captain Dunn's 1886 Fishing Adventure Through Victorian Ireland

What started as an embarrassingly juvenile book purchase—motivated by a peculiar horn-shaped fishing device—becomes a delightful journey through Victorian Ireland with one of its most charming rogues.

Meet Captain John Joseph Dunn, writing under the pseudonym "Hi Regan," whose 1886 fishing guide "How and Where to Fish in Ireland" reveals far more than just angling advice. Follow this cashiered military officer, debtor's prison alumnus, and perpetual charmer as he transforms his obsession with Irish waters into literary gold.

From moldy book rescues to railway maps missing modern counties, discover how Dunn navigated Ireland's waterways while dodging creditors. Explore his fishing wisdom (including Victorian midge repellent recipes involving paraffin), his tactical hotel reviews, and his encounters with Irish landlords and constables.

But there's more to this blackguard than meets the eye—learn how his passion for Irish independence, his role in the Home Rule movement, and his gift for storytelling created a fishing guide that's still in print today. Plus, discover the surprising literary legacy of his feminist daughter, who became far more famous than her roguish father.

Features readings from "How and Where to Fish in Ireland" (1886) and explores the social history of Victorian Ireland through the eyes of its most endearing scoundrel.