Menlo is a village about a
mile outside Galway, sitting on
the shore of the Corrib River. The river Corrib is just about 4.5 miles
long connecting Lough Corrib (lake) to Galway Bay. As the river bends
at Menlo, there is a deep spot (18.5 meters), which makes an
interesting dive. This is a historical site, famous for the wreck of
the 'Anach Cuain'. Raftery's poem of the same name, describes the
sinking which took place here in 1828. That year, a boat with 34
persons on board, set out from Annnaghdown 14 miles to the north of
Galway, on the shore of Lock Corrib, to go to the market of Galway.
There were sheep on board, one of which put it's foot through the
bottom of the boat and immediately the water began to pour in. A man
took off his jumper and tried to plug the hole in the boat in order to
stop the flood of water. In doing so he loosened a board in the bottom
of the boat; the water poured in, the boat sank and nineteen of those
on board were drowned.
The timbers of
an old wreck
are visible here, but as many identical
boats sank or were dumped here, it's impossible to verify if they're
from the Anach Cuain. A more recent wreck, a 28ft lake boat lies in
15M. Other items of interest include the old cast iron gates from the
graveyard, a motorbike, some old eel nets from the eel fishery. Further
to the south (near Menlo Castle) the remains of an old horse drawn
carriage can be seen. Directions: Follow the dyke road from Galway
keeping left. Park on the small pier beside the graveyard. Kit up here,
and go through the gate. Enter the water here, the deeper parts (18M)
are to the right/north. This site is only suitable for summer diving.
Rainfall reduces visibility (possibly down to zero), and increases the
current. During dry spells, the visibility can be up to 10M, although
dark. If possible, only surface near the river bank, as boat traffic
can be busy.
