A WEST Cork Councillor went above and beyond the call of duty to secure fresh delicious lobsters for a visiting cruise ship which docked in Baltimore last Saturday, the second one to visit there this summer.
Chair of the Municipal District of West Cork Fine Gael Councillor Caroline Cronin – who runs the well-known fish and chip trailer ‘Sean Ógs’ in Ballydehob – was onboard the French cruise ship ‘Ponant Le Bellot’ to welcome the crew to West Cork when the captain Mathieu queried if she knew where one could buy any lobsters.
‘We were getting a tour of the cruise ship when he asked how much lobsters were pricing in West Cork. I told him they average about €17.50 and he asked if I knew where he could buy some,’ she told The Southern Star.
Lucky for him, Caroline’s husband, Sean O’Driscoll, a well-known fisherman happened to be close by out at sea aboard his fishing vessel ‘Shauna Belle.’
‘When I got off the ship I met a friend who bought me back out on a rib to Sean on the ‘Shauna Belle.’
We took a few lobsters off Sean and went up to the port side of the ship and we did the deal there at the side of the ship. He got a good lot of lobsters for €200 and they were delighted with it.’
‘It was quite funny doing the deal at the side of the cruise ship and I always say: ‘A day that you don’t get a pound is a day wasted.’ I didn’t even think about it until I got home and the chef in the restaurant on the ship sent me a picture of the captain having his lobster for his tea.’
She said it was really heart-warming to receive that pic and the fact they were surrounded by lobsters but were unable to get them until she sealed the deal.
