Description
The Monks Fishing House, Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
The monk’s fishing house hut, built in the early 12th Century. This stone structure stands in the the river. Inside, there is a square hole in the middle of the floor. On cold, rainy days, it is said the monks used to light a fire in the hearth and catch their dinner by lowering their line and bait through this hole and into the water.
Legend has it that the monks had a clever plan for catching the trout and salmon by fixing a net in the river below and connecting the net to a line attached to a bell in the abbey kitchen. When a fish was netted the bell rang to inform Brother Cook that he might include fresh fish on the menu for the day
