Literally hundreds of tourists cross Lough Ree, part of the Shannon, every week on cruise ships, searching for shallow waters and rocks, while enjoying the unspoiled landscapes. They rarely think for a second what might lurk below, watching and waiting… Ireland’s answer to Nessie and Champ: the Monster of Lough Ree. Which could explain what gently crashed into his boat last night.
Lake Monsters: An Irish Tradition
In reality, the Lough Ree Monster is not that unique: Ireland has a tradition of underwater creatures that defies rational explanation. While neighboring Scotland appears to have cornered the lake monster market in the public imagination, Irish sightings are simply less hyped. Where the Scottish tourism industry makes a song and dance about the Loch Ness monster, Ireland deals with these matters quietly.
But even early manuscripts and especially folklore mention aquatic cryptozoological phenomena as
- Aonbharr : a horse capable of traveling by land or sea, be it a magical steed or a curious mutation;
- the Bledmall , a sea monster from the deep, mentioned in the first narratives;
- the Horse-Eel or Eel-Horse – a huge aquatic creature, snake-like, with a mane, that wallows on lakes and streams;
- the Irish crocodile (unrelated to the alligators in the New York sewers);
- the Master Otter – a great race of otters with magical connotations, Dobharchú is the father of all otters and the “King of the Lakes”;
- Mermaids and Mermen , especially Liban of Lough Neagh is famous in legend and a rare example of an inner mermaid to boot;
- the Suileach multiple eyes;
- the water horse ( cada uisce ): a horse that lives in the sea and is known to bite humans; Saint Feichim de Fore managed to use it as a draft horse.
An honorable mention must go to normal eels – according to folklore, they could predict the famine in the west of Ireland by whistling!
Monsters everywhere!
The lakes of Ireland were often specifically connected to mysterious (and often carnivorous) life forms. Here are some examples:
- Lough Derg, in County Donegal, had a monster on the shore, but a convenient Saint Patrick banished it beneath the waves. This lake monster supposedly grew from a hairy worm found in the bones of a dead witch, and was named Caoránach .
- We know much less about the monster at Lough Graney … that it appears once every seven years. This reminds us of the similar legend that Lough Sheelin (County Cavan) takes a life every seven years.
- Lough Mask had (or has) the elusive Irish crocodile.
- Muidris or Sineach , a monster in Lough Rudraige (County Down) , killed by Fergus Mac Leide, is gone but has not been forgotten either.
- Lough Swilly in County Donegal finally had the multi-eyed sea monster Suileach , which was dispatched by Saint Colum Cille.
The oilliphéist (literally “great reptile”), a dragon-like monster that carved the Shannon to prevent Saint Patrick from banishing snakes, is also known in legend …
The Lough Ree Monster: Nessie from Ireland?
Even in the early days there were rumors about an underwater monstrosity on Lough Ree. The Life of San Mochuda mentions him, kindly adding that he had eaten a man. However, the additional descriptions were not really communicative.
But by the way, Lough Ree also had a reputation for hiding an underwater city complete with a cathedral. It is said that a bishop once tried to visit him and never returned. The jury still doesn’t know if he settled down, was the victim of an early diving accident, or was eaten by the monster.
Interest in the Lough Ree monster was rekindled in the 1960s, not by spaced hippies but by respectable men of the cloth. Several churchmen saw “the monster”: Father Quigly, Father Murray, and Father Burke, fishing at Holly Point. The priests were quoted in the “Westmeath Independent” with these words: “It was moving. It sank underwater and came back up in a loop. The length from the end of the coil to the head was 6 feet. There were about 18 inches of head and neck above the water.
The head and neck were narrow compared to the thickness of a good-sized salmon. It was getting its propulsion underwater, and we didn’t see it all.
Jan Sundberg’s 2001 GUST Expedition
In June 2001, an expedition of the Global Underwater Search Team tried to get to the bottom of the monster’s matter through surface monitoring and a hydrophone. The evidence was not conclusive: a “peculiar sound” and a small (!) Object swimming in the lake.
What could be on Lough Ree?
Nothing? Well, this could be the arch-skeptics response, attributing all sightings to environmental conditions, over-active imagination, and / or “a drop of the good stuff.” Other less drastic explanations could be
- Fish : both large fish and groups of fish could be mistaken under certain conditions for less common creatures.
- Floating debris – A considerable amount of sights (and boat ‘bumps’) can be explained by debris floating near the surface, such as uprooted trees.
- Otters – A large otter might well surprise the casual observer, including the fabulous Master Otter.
- Seals or Dolphins : While marine mammals may have occasionally come to Lough Ree in the old days, the construction of the power station at Ardnacrusha has made this virtually (though not totally) impossible.
Go hunting monsters
Lough Ree is part of the Shannon and therefore can be sailed by yourself on a chartered cruise without any problems. Monster hunting has never been easier, just scrap and go. With comfort and with gourmet restaurants nearby. Hobbyist cryptozoologists will not be noticed at all among the other leisurely browsing tourists. Actually, “research” is a very valid excuse to spend a week or two totally relaxed.
If this sounds too stressful or you just can’t make the time… go monster hunting in Lough Ree on your computer. Waveline Cruisers has multiple webcams and even comprehensive weather data to boot; see links below. But you’d have to have a lot of eagle’s eye to spot any less than monstrous-sized monster here.
Seen the monster?
If you think you saw the Lough Ree Monster, either directly on the lake or on the webcam, please send us a report and photos / screenshots.
