Monsters lurk in the deep of Galway’s lakes

Date Published: 20-Aug-2009

NEXT time the sun shines and you’re considering going for a paddle in your nearest lake, beware that you might feel something other than a friendly fish nibbling at your toes – you might in fact be invading the personal space of a monster.

A new book on the lakes of the country has documented the supernatural beasts that have been sighted in waters across Galway, and which are believed to still lurk in the murky depths.

The book, entitled ‘Irish Lake Marvels – Mysteries, Legends and Lore’ by john Dunne, revives the stories that were probably well known by older generations of farmers and fishermen who had the living daylights scared out of them by a monster rearing its ugly head.

The Connemara region features prominently in the book of lore, and the scariest beast of them all seems to be the monster-in-residence at Lough Auna, three kilometres south-east of Clifden. A number of bog workers over the years have reported seeing a massive creature that has the head of a horse and the body of an eel slinking through the water.

The leviathan cousin that lives in Lough Abisdealy was sighted most famously by the novelist Edith Somerville, who recorded that she and a number of others were on their way to church when the monster rose from the water, a huge snake-like creature that came far up out of the water before disappearing again. This particular monster is rumoured to be a bit of a land-lover, having been seen slithering out on to the shore on several occasions.

Lough Fadda, also near Clifden has…