Monks fishing ho. (in Ruins) — Cong South

This unusual little building, traditionally known as the ‘Monk’s Fishing House, stands on a stone-built platform directly over the Cong river, c. 90m W of Cong Augustinian abbey (MA120-053001-). It is a rectangular, single-storey gable-ended structure (int. c. 3.45m E–W; c. 2.95m N–S) built of mortared stone, now roofless, with a pointed doorway in the E gable wall. There is a small semicircular fireplace in the W gable wall, with a rectangular chimney above. Flanking the N side of the fireplace is a large rectangular window, and there is also a small pointed window in the N wall; both windows overlook the river. In the stone floor a narrow rectangular hole opens onto the river, perhaps to facilitate fishing activities. The exact date of the building is uncertain, but Leask (1941, 117) suggested that it may have served as a watchhouse for the abbey’s fishing weirs. It is a National Monument in State ownership (no. 432). Attached images: MA120-053007-_01.JPG viewed from N MA120-053007-_02.JPG viewed from N MA120-053007-_03.JPG Doorway in E gable MA120-053007-_04.JPG Interior: fireplace and window in W gable Compiled by: Anne-Julie Lafaye and Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 1 February 2022