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sport · Tuesday 22 September 2026 · Various 
Leitrim Angling Festival
At Multiple Leitrim waterways · Lakes and rivers across County Leitrim, with focus on Ballinamore area
At Multiple Leitrim waterways · Lakes and rivers across County Leitrim, with focus on Ballinamore area
The Leitrim Angling Festival is one of the standout events in the Irish coarse fishing calendar - a multi-day team competition spread across the lakes and rivers around Ballinamore in east Leitrim. Organised by the Connaught Fishing Federation, it brings together ten-person teams from the four provinces to fish across three match days: Monday 22nd, Wednesday 24th, and Friday 26th September 2026. If you are a serious coarse angler, or part of a club keen for a provincial challenge, this is the kind of event that is worth building a September week around.
The festival rotates across a selection of Leitrim waterways local to Ballinamore, with pegs drawn on each match day to keep things fair. The area is exceptional for this kind of competition - there are at least 40 lakes within a 10km radius of the town, plus 17km of riverbank along the Shannon-Erne Waterway corridor. Bream and roach are the main target species: bream average around 2.5lb but run to 7lb specimens, with roach at 8-10 ounces. Garadice Lake, at 1,200 acres, is one of Ireland’s premier coarse waters, and Lake Bolganard holds the Irish bream record of 12lb 3oz set back in 1997. Ballinamore has hosted All-Ireland championships and international competitions including the World Pairs, so the infrastructure - car parking at pegs, accurate maps, experienced stewards - tends to be well organised. The entry fee of €80 includes the pegging fee. Teams should register in advance through the Connaught Fishing Federation.
Ballinamore is in east Leitrim, roughly 20km south of Carrick-on-Shannon. The easiest approach by road is via the N4 Dublin to Sligo route, turning south at Dromod or Carrick-on-Shannon onto the R202 or R280. Journey time from Dublin is around two hours; from Galway, about 90 minutes. There is no direct bus service to Ballinamore itself, so your own vehicle is essential - particularly for a festival where fishing locations rotate across multiple waterways. Parking at angling venues around Ballinamore is generally free and accessible, and local accommodation (B&Bs, guesthouses, self-catering) caters specifically to visiting anglers, so booking a few nights is straightforward.
Ballinamore sits at the heart of the Shannon-Erne Waterway, and the same canal and lakelands that make it such good fishing country also make it fine walking and cycling territory in September. There is more to see in Leitrim and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to Multiple Leitrim waterways in Leitrim? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Leitrim area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.