Swimming Upstream

Patsy Peril grew up in the fishing community of Coonagh, on the outskirts of Limerick City. Involved in inland fisheries all his life, he is also an experienced light aircraft pilot. He has been deeply concerned with environmental matters since childhood, in particular concerning the health and future of Irish rivers. For decades, he has been involved in organisations involved with the oversight, protection, reclamation and sustainability of our natural environment, as well as both local and national salmon net fishers’ associations. Patsy continues his activism, striving for a time when our natural waterways are respected and cared for, and for a healthy and sustainable balance between the uses of our environment and its wellbeing. A frequent contributor to meetings, conferences and congresses, Patsy is now ready to bring his crucial message to a general readership.



Deirdre Nuttall has over twenty years’ experience of interview-led collaborative writing projects in the areas of memoir, biography, academic writing and popular non-fiction. Deirdre holds a PhD in ethnology and a master’s degree in Social Anthropology, with expertise in narrative, oral history and the ethnology of symbolic thought and practice.