The bridge over the Garavogue River in Sligo. The
Garavogue River was originally called the
Sligeach or the
Sligo River, a name meaning
abounding in shells,
due largely to the abundance of shellfish found in the waters
surrounding the town. So abundant in fact, that bucket-loads of shells
were removed
when foundations for the town's buildings were laid. The
Garavogue is a fairly narrow, fast-flowing river, in which the
salmon fishing season is very long indeed. There is an ancient
manuscript which states that
Saint Patrick met two fishermen on the
Garavogue River and asked them for a
salmon, the
fishermen explained that there were no
salmon here in the winter months, however they cast their nets into the river and to their surprise
found a large
salmon from their nets, which they presented to
Saint Patrick. In return
Saint Patrick is said to have blessed
the
Garavogue River and imparted to it the privilege of yielding
salmon throughout the year.(info from Wikipedia)