  We report on the discovery of HI in absorption toward the gigamaser galaxy
TXS2226-184 using the VLA. The absorption appears to consist of two components
-- one with a width of 125 km/s, and one broader (420 km/s), both toward the
compact radio source in the nucleus of the galaxy. Based on these large
velocity widths we suggest that the HI absorption is produced in the central
parsecs of the galaxy, on a similar scale to that which gives rise to the water
maser emission. This brings to eight the number of galaxies known to exhibit
both water masers and HI absorption. We explore the relationship between these
two phenomena, and present a physically motivated (but unfruitful) search for
water maser emission in five radio galaxies known to exhibit strong HI
absorption.
