Lough Corrib

Lough Corrib is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland, a shallow sheet of water running north from Galway city toward Mayo and dividing the limestone farmland of the east from the bog and quartzite of Connemara. Local counting gives it an island for every day of the year. Inchagoill, near the middle, holds the ruins of two early churches and a carved inscribed pillar, and boats run out to it from Oughterard and Cong in season. Anglers know the lake for wild brown trout and for the mayfly hatch in May, when boats work the shallows in numbers. The water leaves for the sea by the short Corrib river.

What you actually see

• Inchagoill - an island with early church ruins and a carved inscribed pillar.
• The mayfly hatch - the May rise that fills the lake with fishing boats.
• The Cong shore - wooded limestone country at the northern end of the lake.
• The eastern islands - low limestone islets scattered across shallow water.

When to go

May is the lake's month, for the mayfly and for long evenings on the water. Boat trips to the islands run from about April to September and stop when the weather turns. The lake is shallow and gets rough quickly in wind, so sailings do cancel. Winter leaves you the shore walks and not much else.

Honest expectations

There is no single viewpoint that shows you the lake, so a boat is more or less required and the trips depend on weather. The island ruins are modest and the guide's commentary carries them. Fishing here is for people who already fish. Casual visitors find the shoreline flat, and public access to the water is limited in places.

Nearby

Cong sits at the north end; Galway city is at the outflow to the south.