David,
The book you are thinking about is Donald MacRailds book, titled 'Culture, Conflict and Migration' The Irish in Victorian Cumbria. Published in 1998. I myself have published a book on our Town, Cleator Moor, called 'Cleator Moor - Revealed - An Illustrated History' however this is now out of print, it dosn't deal with any Manxman though.

There is another website that may bring up The Isle of Man fishermen at Whitehaven, try
http://www.whitehaven.talktalk.net

Regards

Tom Duffy, Cleator Moor.