Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document "…The story is told that in ancient times Lough Derg abounded in salmon and salmon-trout, just the same as its next neighbour, Lough Erne. The fishful lake gave an unfailing supply to the frugal table of the good monks, and little were the exertions needed in having always at hand a plentiful supply of this delicious and highly-prized fish. On a certain occasion the monks were expecting St. Patrick on his visitation, and had been out fishing all day, in order to have some salmon for the saint's repast However, they failed in catching any, and were sorely perplexed to find their hospitality thus put to so cruel a test ; which, when the saint had heard, he foretold that salmon would no more inhabit the waters of Lough Derg. And, as if to corroborate the truth of the foregoing incident, the legend goes on to say that about-sixty years ago a gentleman of the sceptical school, having heard the story as already narrated, put himself to great extremes in order to falsify the saint's prediction. He had salmon conveyed from a distance, carefully marked and deposited in the lake ; when lo! the very next morning the salmon were found in a net, which was placed in the River Derg to prevent their escape. Little over forty years ago Dr. O'Donovan related the self-same legend ; and, if it be only to show how much these legends are altered and exaggerated, even in a short period of time, I shall give his version of it. He says: ‘No salmon come into the lake, though they come up to the very throat of the river. Two fishermen (who had a weir near the source of the Derg) cast two live salmon into the lake not many years ago, to see if they'd remain there ; and in order to know them they cut off a part of their fins and tails, but, on their return, they found the same salmon caught in their cochall, or net. This is attributed to the curse of St. Patrick.’ As a matter of fact, salmon cannot be found in Lough Derg. The lake, however, abounds in trout, and affords excellent fishing. In this respect perhaps no other lake in Ireland can compete with it During the summer and autumn a day seldom passes without witnessing a number of arrivals of those bent on this fine Waltonian sport ; and the followers of the angle are generally rewarded with a numerous ‘take,’ Trout weighing six or ^ight pounds are occasionally hauled in ; but the class most commonly caught do not exceed a pound in weight When a gentle ‘fresh’ is blowing, no more contemplative or enticing pastime could be desired than playing a well-trimmed ‘cast’ off the shoals and reefs, which are so numerous throughout the lake. And we can well imagine how the monks of Lough Derg in the olden time, albeit their prayerful and penitential lives, enjoyed ‘to their hearts' content’ this delightful recreation, as they sailed over its waters in their skin-covered currachs. Eels, also, are to be found in Lough Derg. Near the mouth of the River Derg remains of an eel-weir may be noticed. Of late years pike has found its way into the lake, some large fish of this class having been caught weighing over thirty pounds. These ‘fresh-water sharks’ up to this have made sad havoc on the trout of the lake, but it is satisfactory to find that large numbers of them, during the spawning season each year, are netted in the streams flowing into the lake, and in this way, it is hoped, they will be diminished. Through the surrounding mountains, foxes have been a similar source of destruction to hares and heathfowl ; their number, however, is very much reduced, as each year beyond a score of them are caught in traps." Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Monograph Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interrogating the curse of St. Patrick Subject The topic of the resource Lough Derg--Folklore--St. Patrick--Interrogation Description An account of the resource "…The story is told that in ancient times Lough Derg abounded in salmon and salmon-trout, just the same as its next neighbour, Lough Erne..." Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Daniel O’Connor, Lough Derg and Its Pilgrimages: With Map and Illustrations, pp 72-4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available J. Dollard, Dublin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1879 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Digitised by archive.org, sponsored by Harvard University Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Monograph Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Pilgrim handbook Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DD_0030 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 54.616218, -7.876212 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Daniel O'Connor, 1843-1919 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public domain References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. http://archive.org/details/loughdergandits00ocogoog Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Daniel O'Connor eels fishing Folklore John O'Donovan mountains Salmon scientism St. Patrick trout wildlife