Ringsend has long been known colloquially as ‘Raytown’ reflecting its history as a fishing village. Originally a long narrow peninsula separated from the rest of Dublin by the estuary of the River Dodder, the name Ringsend is believed to come from ‘Rinn’ the Irish word for peninsula and the word ‘end’; the end of the peninsula.
The commercial fishing in Dublin Bay and its surrounding rich waters was always very good, with the nearby harbour of Howth remaining one of the country’s top three landing ports for ray.
In 1988 Brander wrote that the Irish sea ray (Family Rajidae) fisheries was one of the longest-established and most commercially important ray fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic.
The UK vessels have been the traditional exploiters, landing between 5,000 and 6,000 tons annually between 1920 and 1940.
Following the demise of the UK fleet, landings dropped proportionally and the Irish whitefish trawlers have become the main prosecutor of the fishery, with rays providing both a regular by-catch and a seasonally directed resource of up to 2,000 tons annually over the two decades ending 1990, proving this non quota ray fishery was of significant importance.
Given the susceptibility of elasmobrachs (shark, ray and skate) to over exploitation, concerns have long been expressed over the sustainability of this resource. This was epitomised by the commercial extinction of the common skate raja batis in 1981, and the localised depletion and decline in the abundance and size distribution of the commercially important thornback ray raja clavate.
There are eight species of ray recorded in Irish waters, with only three of commercial importance, the cukoo ray (raja naevus) and the blond ray (rajaa brachyura) which are the most abundant and the thornback ray (raja clavata).
Other Ray species which have been caught include electric ray (torpedo nobiliana), homelyn ray (raja montagui), undulate ray (raja undulata), painted ray (raja microcellata) and sting ray (dasyatis pastinaca).
Dublin City dwellers have a huge appetite for ray and chips, served in its many fish and chip shops for generations. Dubliners consume more ray than the rest of the country combined.
The once humble ray wing has also made it onto the menus of some of the capital’s finest restaurants such as Chapter One where chef Ross Lewis holds a Michelin Star and The Winding Stair on the quays.
Deep-fried fish and potato chips have appeared separately on menus for many years, though the potato did not reach Europe until the 17th century.
Originally a Sephardic dish, ‘pescado frito’ it came first to the Netherlands and then England with the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in the 17th and 18th centuries. The dish became popular in London and the South East of England in the mid 19th century and the first fish and chip shop recorded was in London in 1860.
It was the early part of the 20th century before Dublin’s first recorded shop was opened by Leo Burdock, a Russian immigrant. The influx of Italians to Dublin after the second world war brought about an explosion in fish and chip shops, such as Borza’s, Ferrari’s, Beshoff’s and Cafolla’s, many of which are now in their third generation of ownership, and all of which are familiar with the request for that Dublin favourite a ‘one and one’– in other words ray and chips.