According to 10, the canal was built during the 1840s as a Famine relief project. The intention was to enable navigation between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. There was one small problem. The six kilometre canal was cut through limestone, which was easy to dig but leaked like a sieve. Alas, the project ran out of money before the locks were built (or the canal bottom sealed).
The difference in height between the two lakes is about 10 metres and three locks were built in Cong. If you drive to the village entrance of Ashford Castle, you'll see a 'Pedestrian Walk' sign on the other side of the road - it's a bad bend and there's not much space to park.One of the lock gates is inside Ashford Castle (it was converted to a boathouse) but the other is accessible.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Front view | Rear view | Canal Path | Lock Gate detail | Canal and River |