The Pigeon Hole
The Pigeon Hole cave is situated 3km to the west of Cong, it is one of the most renowned and easily accessible caves in the area. Flocks of pigeons and woodquests gathered here in times past and thus it received the name- Pigeon Hole. It measures 37m long and 9m wider. Man enhanced the accessibility of the cave by developing 61 artificial steps descending to the underground passage. Huge masses of rock from the banister of the staircase. In winter, water gushes through the cave on its journey to the lake, or the pond at the old mill in Cong village. The water flowing rapidly through the caverns creates such an eerie sound that it may be mistaken for the wailing of the Banshee. In summer time the floor of the cave is dry with the exception of some alcoves which have retained the water. This, combined with the pitch darkness of the cave of the cave makes it necessary to carry a torch in order to explore the passage.
The "Fairy Trout" legend is associated with the Pigeon Hole. The story goes that on the shore of Lough Corrib stood the castle of an honourable young man who was engaged to marry a beautiful woman. They were very much in love. However, their happiness was not to be, for one night the young lover was ambushed and thrown into the lake to drown. Sometime after an unusual trout was noticed in the waters in the Pigeon Hole. The grief stricken maiden pined for her lost lover and eventually vanished. A white trout appeared and legend says that the fairies united the young couple once more. They were never again separated except on the occasion when an English soldier took the white trout from the water in an attempt to make the story untrue. He placed the trout on a grate to cook but as the flames touched the trout it jumped from the grate and transformed into a young maiden. The terrified girl begged him to return her to the water, which he did. The scar from the burning grate can still be seen on the white trout's side. |