Lough Diheen, the smaller and somewhat less visited cousin of Lough Curragh, sits on the north side of the Galtees beneath the peak of Galtymore and Galtybeg. It is often connected to tales of a snake or a serpent, and the following tale is one of those collected in the the School’s Collection in the 1930s. And, just like nearby Bay Lough in The Vee, there are attempts to drain the lake in this historical tale; what someone would do with an empty lake, remains a mystery!
“I heard the following story from William Connery”, says James Ryan, the collector of this particular tale. From Cloughready in Emly, William Connery was 45 years when he told the tale.
“One day a man was trying to drain it when he saw a great serpent. The monster of olden times was a pest in the country. When St Patrick came to Ireland he had a talk with the serpent, which consented to live under the cover of water which the saint procured.”
“St Patrick promised to set him free after the day of Luan. The Luan which Patrick meant was the last day and ever since, the serpent is calling out ‘Is fada de Luan í a Phadraig’ (‘It’s a long Monday, Patrick’)”.
“The people of the locality used to say that the serpent puts its head up from the lake and calls out its complaint on every seventh Monday. They added that it was fastened to the bottom of the lake by a rib of grass, over which the saint wove a spell.”
FURTHER LORE
Yet another tale from Lake Diheen is told of in the collection, this time from a Mrs Dwyer. This tale differs slightly:
“It is said that there is a serpent in this lake which St Patrick cast into it one Easter morning, many years ago. This is the only animal of its kind that is in Ireland, as St Patrick banished the rest of them. This serpent is said to rise on Easter Sunday morning every seven years.”
Local hikers may be able to confirm if they have ever heard the monster make its plea from the lake; on any seventh Monday, or indeed, any Easter Monday morning.
