Lough Conn
(Irish:
Loch Con)
is a lake in County Mayo, Ireland and covers about 14,000 acres.
With its immediate neighbor to the south, Lough Cullin, it is
connected to the Atlantic by the River Moy. Lough Conn is noted
for its trout and salmon fishing.
In Gaelic mythology, various accounts are given of the origin of
the name. In one account, Lough Conn was created when Fionn mac
Cumhaill was hunting with his hounds; Conn and Cullin. They came
across a wild boar. Finn and the hounds attempted to chase it.
However, as the boar ran, water poured from its feet. The hounds
ran ahead of Finn and eventually Conn was ahead of Cullin. Conn
chased the boar for days until a lake appeared. The boar swam
back to land but Conn was drowned. This happened again in the
south to Cullin.
According to another account, the name means in Irish “the lake
of the hounds”. The story is that the fierce hounds of the
chieftain Modh pursued a wild pig into the lake, where they
drowned.
The ruins of a priory exist at Errew Abbey. Tigernan of Errew is
said to have founded the monastery in the early 6th century. It
was originally called "Mainistir Taobh Thiar do Shruth", "the
abbey on the west side of the stream". Up to 1,400 students from
all over Europe are claimed to have studied there. Errew Abbey
was dissolved in 1585.
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