A midlands community has found a natural resource - which has nothing to do with either agriculture or industry - that is helping to sustain its future. A local lake, stocked with coarse fish, has become an angler's paradise, and is providing jobs for smallholders near Ballacolla, Co Laois.
Granstown Lake was for centuries the playground of the local landlords - Lords Castletown - who stocked it with coarse fish for their own amusement and the pleasure of their friends.
But in the last few years local people, who used to be banned from fishing it, have formed a development community and taken over the running of the lake for tourism.
The picturesque lake, which covers 40 acres and is only 24 feet deep, has gained a reputation in fishing circles all over Europe.
Granstown Lake is actually better known abroad than at home, and a visit to it confirms that: the fishing stands are packed with British and European anglers, with very few Irish fishermen or women.
According to Matt Doyle, who lives beside the lake and controls access to it, community involvement in the project began in May 1995.
"Local people decided that we should lease the lake from the OPW (now Duchas the Heritage Service) to use it for the benefit of locals.
"For years the lake had been rented by the OPW to a man from Dublin, who used it very infrequently, and we decided that there was a wider use for it for the entire community." Having secured the lease with the aid of a grant from the local LEADER EU rural development programme, the committee erected a number of fishing stands.
"We also decided to include some places for disabled anglers so they could use the facilities, which are the most modern available in this country.
"It really took off and was first discovered by British anglers, who traditionally came to this area and always wanted to fish it.
"It holds very large pike, tench, rudd, eel and perch and has already delivered specimen fish," says Mr Doyle.
"There are huge coarse fish in there. The largest pike which has come out of it weighed 31lbs and the largest tench, 8lbs, 2oz. And we know there are bigger ones in there from surveys carried out by the fisheries board." The good news for specimen hunters is that there is a rule that all fish caught on the lake must be returned immediately, thus ensuring that the precious resource remains intact.
Last year more than 300 fishing people, most of them from Britain, came to the area and they were joined by people from France and the Netherlands.
"There seems to be less awareness of the lake in Ireland but I suppose that will change in time," said Mr Doyle. "The good thing is that where there was once only one bed-and-breakfast operator in the area, there are now at least four, and we find that fishing people want to come and stay here for as long as they can.
"The development has helped the area greatly, and we hope to build on what has already happened. We are expecting numbers of visitors to increase greatly this year.
"We have marketed the lake at a major fishing holiday fair in Britain, and were surprised to know that many people there already knew about it. The Laois LEADER company is carrying out a major research programme of the local lakes with a view to marketing them abroad as fishing venues and we will be part of that."
Those wishing to fish the lake should contact Matt Doyle at 0502-34125. Fishing costs £5 a day or £20 a week.