Annaghdown, situated on the shores of Lough Corrib, was once the site of a 12th century diocese, later abandoned by the Diocese of Tuam. St. Brendan of Clonfert is supposed to have died here in 577 A.D., having first founded a monastry. The archaeological remains of the village reflect its monastic history, and comprise holy wells (named after St. Brendan and St. Cormac) and ruins of a castle, the cathedral and Augustinian priory, another religious foundation.
Annaghdown has a particularly tragic place in Irish history. Before the local roads were properly surfaced it was customary for the people of the vicinity to travel by boat to Galway to market; animals, poultry, people and produce travelled together in the boats. On one occasion such a boat took water - caused, it is said, by a sheep kicking through the rotten planking - and sank, with great loss of life. This event was the subject of a long ballad, 'Anac Cuan', familiar to many generations of schoolchildren, which recounts over a number of verses, the sad events.
Today Annaghdown is a centre for angling on that side of Lough Corrib. It has a pier for boats and can be reached easily by road, unlike the days when travel by water was the easiest option.
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