Date of Birth: 5th August 1931

Place of Birth: Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford

Date Interviewed: 12th May 2011

Summary: Frank Scallan grew up in a thatched cottage with mud floors which he shared with his five sisters and four brothers. He remembers icicles hanging from the thatch in tough winters but summers were long and hot. Frank started fishing at a young age and got his first paid job with Tommy Power, trawling for fish such as ray, plaice, sole and cod. His brother Joe was “a better fisherman” and together they bought their first boat, a forty-seven foot Scottish trawler. Before the harbour at Kilmore Quay was redeveloped the boats would often have to move to Duncannon or even Waterford to shelter from bad weather. Frank got his own boat in 1959. He and his crew had a lucky escape when they ran aground at Hook Head.