Lough Mask ()
is a limestone lake of about
[ in Counties Mayo and ]Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, into Galway Bay. flows into Lough Mask, which discharges through the Cong Canal and underground passages in the limestone bedrock of the district. The flows from the underground passages and the Cong Canal come together at the village of Cong to form the River Cong which flows into Lough Corrib.
Lough Mask is the fourth largest lake, by area, in Ireland and the sixth largest lake in the island of Ireland. The eastern half of Lough Mask is shallow and contains many islands. The other half (Upper Lough Mask) is much deeper, sinking to a long trench with depths in excess of 50 metres.
Lough Mask has a mean depth of , and a maximum depth of . Its water volume of is the largest in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...
).
History
In 1338 Sir Edmond de Burgh was drowned in the lake by his cousin Sir Edmond Albanach Bourke of County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
, at the end of the Burke Civil War (1333–1338). He was captured at Ballinrobe and taken to Oilean-an-lara (the Earls Island) where he was killed.
According to a side-note on the manuscript containing the oldest copy of 'Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne' ("The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne") (Royal Irish Academy Ms. 24.P.9), Irish scribe Dáibhídh Bacach ("lame David") Ó Duibhgeannáin was living and working on ''Oileán Ruadh'' ('Red Island') on Lough Mask in the house of Tadhg Og O Flaherty on 1 April 1651.
The " Lough Mask Murders" of 1882 were a notorious incident in the Land War in which a grandfather and grandson acting as bailiff
A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary.
Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
s were killed by tenant farmers and their bodies dumped in the lake.
Legend
According to local legend, a banshee haunts Bly Island, a small island in the lough. There have also been rumored sightings of a banshee around the shore of the lough as well as other forms of paranormal activity.
Fishing and recreation
The lake is popular for its trout
Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
fishing. The World Cup Trout Fly Fishing Championship takes place annually on Lough Mask at Cushlough Bay near Ballinrobe.[ ]
Petersburg Outdoor Education Center is situated on the shore of the lough, close to Bly Island. The center uses the lake for numerous water sports including kayaking, canoeing and sailing.
Other
"Loch Measca" was taken as the pen-name of Séan Seoighe (John Joyce) in ''Eachtra múinteóra'' an Irish-language memoir published in 1929.
See also
*List of loughs in Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of loughs (lakes) on the island of Ireland. It also shows a table of the largest loughs. The word ''loch, lough'' is pronounced like ''loch'' () and comes from the Irish language, Irish ''loch'', meaning ''lake''.
Acc ...
*River Robe
The River Robe () is a river in County Mayo, Ireland.
It rises near Ballyhaunis, then flows generally west for , where it drains into Lough Mask.
The river is the longest tributary of Lough Mask and it drains 320 square kilometres of south ...
References
External links
A Preliminary Synopsis of the WFD Surveillance Monitoring Fish Stock Survey on Lough Mask, June 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mask
Lakes of County Mayo
Lakes of County Galway
Gaeltacht places in County Mayo