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Old Picric a.k.a WOIGO

3K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  Wee Jimmy 
#1 ·


A lot of folk on here ask about the shade west of Ireland golden-olive. Above is a photo illustrating what I believe may be the answer to its origins. Hopefully the Irish lads on here could shed some light on it....;-)
The seal fur shown was natural dyed in real picric acid which initially gives us the colour on the left.The stuff on the right is what happens to it after a month or so sitting on a sunny window sill. The picric reacts with sunlight or UV and changes it from yellow into what to my mind looks remarkably close to west of Ireland golden olive. In short, woigo and Old Picric as it is known as ,is one and the same.​
 
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#8 ·
Here in Donegal the sun is shining more and burning more.. Wasn't the picric colour created using urine of some sort.. Possibly a ram or goat.. I may be miles away with that..
Gary
It was Michael Rogan of Ballyshannon who used jackass urine as a mordant for his Fiery Brown seal's fur. He kept it in a bucket in the yard at the back of the shop and locals complained about the stench in warm weather. The local Garda sergeant was sent to sort it out but as he was one of Michael's best customers, somehow the matter was never resolved :)
 
#11 · (Edited)
"he must of made a fair earning selling flies as most didnt have a bucket to piss in "

And if they did , it wouldn't be left outside either . "Jackass" is Irish Vernacular for someone acting foolishly , as in "Amn't I the right Jackass to be tying flies to try and make a few bob" . Any one ever try and catch an Ass to do a bit of work , never mind get him to piss in a bucket ?? .
 
#16 ·
All joking aside , the West of Ireland is now regarded as a dangerous place for skin cancers on the face and ears due to the Evening Sun here , and people are now using sun protection even on overcast days when boat fishing.
Just an aside - I've been seeing various dermatologists over the past 6 years to have bits of sun damage to my skin treated - biopsies, excissions of BCCs, bits burnt-off with liquid nitrogen, and other bits smeared with 'Solaraze'...

And every dermatologist I have seen says the same thing: "If you are spending the day outside in the British isles between April and September, wear sunscreen, regardless of what the weather is."

As you say - boat fishing just makes that even more of a requirement!

Col
 
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