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CAST AWAY Photographer Tom Maher happened upon so
me folk out fishing the canals last autumn. What struck him as peculiar was their modus operandi and that’s how he came across the environmentally friendly world of magnet fishing. We joined them this spring to see what lies beneath. words Michael McDermott photos Tom Maher It’s 8am on a sun-dappled Thursday morning down on Spencer Dock and pals Richard Grant and Emma Brady are out magnet fishing. The laws of (magnetic) attraction in this instance is literally the zen of casting into the canal and fishing up what lies beneath. “I’ve been doing it since the first lockdown,” says Grant. “You’re basically looking for treasure with a very strong magnet. I try to go out once a week but ended up out three to four times weekly. When you are out here the world just disappears.” Emma elaborates on the thrill of slinging her hook, “It’s just like fishing, you throw it out and pull it back. I’ve found knives, screwdrivers, bolts, forks, bikes, shotgun shells, tills, more shotgun shells, car reg. plates, parts of cars, tyres, wheels…” It’s obvious at this stage that a lot is chucked into the canals, whether heedlessly or intentionally. “The first question you ask is, how did it get in there? What were they doing and thinking of when they needed to get rid of it? What was the need to throw it into the river? And then, it could be a case of a nice day with someone making ham and meat bread rolls by the canal and the knife fell in. You just don’t know and you make these little stories up in your head.” Both inform me that whilst still a niche hobby interest here, the world of magnet fishing is exploding elsewhere with the obligatory forums, blogs and YouTube channels. Grant cites Leigh Webber as one of the names in the game. A search later on leads me to a Newsweek article from April in which himself and a mate came across 46 safes buried in a riverbed which happened to contain stolen collector’s coins. Another wormhole link leads me to the headline: “TikTok Hilariously Shows Man Discovering ‘Buried Treasure’ is Septic Tank”. Clearly, the thrill of discovery has its viral merits too. In terms of a big land, Grant is still in the minor league. He did find a till with €15 worth of coins recently which was chucked into the canal after a robbery. On the morning in question, he hauls out a few bikes, metal bars, a mini trampoline and some security barriers. Each item is congealed in gloopy mud and varying stages of Titanic distress. Of course, the de rigueur shopping trolley makes an appearance too. 23