Spirit of a Calf

The Story for this piece:

Another tale says the Erne was formed when a magical spring well overflowed.

 Lough Gowna (from IrishLoch Gamhna, meaning 'calf lake') is a fresh water lake which is the uppermost lake on the river Erne. It is located on the border between County Longford and County Cavan, with the largest part of the lake being in County Longford.

 Here is one version of the story recorded by a pupil of Clonbroney, Co. Longford in the UCD folklore collection

 “Long, long ago in the parish of Colmcille, in a townland called Dring, there was a holy well blessed by St Colmcille. When he travelled to those places he blessed that special well for the use of the people alone. A woman one day took clothes to the well and washed them, and all of a sudden a wild sort of  calf jumped up through the ground, and ran along the plains from Dring to Arvagh, a distance of six or seven miles, and the water from the well followed the calf all the way. That was how the lake of Gowna was formed. The holy well dried up, and the people were very sorry to see their well gone.

According to legend, that is how Loch Gowna got its name.”

 I have included the dipper bird, the dipper is a water bird. They have a characteristic bobbing motion when perched beside the water, giving them their name. Dippers had not been seen around this area for a few years, but this year at the dawn chorus on this island one was spotted nesting in the bridge.