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Cong

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"CONG, a parish and post town, in the baronies of Ross and Kilmaine, in the counties of Galway and Mayo, province of Connaught, Ireland. The surface is rocky and wild in the extreme, abounding in hill, ravine, cave, and chasm; parts are boggy, and very excellent limestone is quarried. The western portion lies at the foot of the Joyce Country hills, near the Benlevy and Maamdarg mountains. It commands a fine view of loughs Mask and Corrib. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Tuam, value £365, in the patronage of the bishop. The church stands on a trifling elevation at a short distance from the village, and was rebuilt in 1855, at an expense of £1,000, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. A tower and spire have since been added at the cost of £900. There is a Roman Catholic place of worship. Cong was formerly a town of much consequence, and the reputed capital of Connaught. It is now only a village, where petty sessions are held, and contains a police station. To the old abbey of Cong, it is said, Roderick O'Connor, the last native king of Ireland, retired from the cares of state, and died in the year 1198. His tomb is alleged to have existed in the abbey, founded here by St. Fechan in the 7th century, till a recent period. There is yet a gate and some remains of the abbey, which are in the Norman style. Cong is the central pass between the loughs Mask and Corrib into Joyce Country and Connemara. The waters of Lough Mask are 36 feet higher than those of Lough Corrib, and pass underground through the celebrated cave called "the Pigeon-hole," into the latter. There are seven Druidical circles in and adjoining the glebe land, besides two ancient crosses, one of which has been removed to the Dublin Irish Academy. The neighbouring seats are Ashford, Ballymagibbon, and Strandhill." 

Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868

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Description & Travel

The Wikipedia entry for Cong.

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You can see pictures of Cong which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

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Historical Geography

See the parish page  on logainm.ie (The Placenames Database of Ireland)

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Land & Property

The entry for Cong from Griffiths Valuation 1847/64

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OSI grid reference M0968253898 (Lat/Lon: 53.527469, -9.362662), Cong which are provided by: