Camera:
Canon 100d
Lough
Key (
Irish: Loch Cé) is a lake in
Ireland. It is in the northwest of
County Roscommon, northeast of the town of
Boyle. The lough's is believed to be named after a mythical figure named Cé.
The name Lough Key comes from the Irish Loch Cé. In
Irish mythology, Cé was the druid of the god
Nuada. He was wounded in the
Second Battle of Mag Tuired and fled southward until he came to Carn Corrslebe, where he rested. He saw ahead of him a beautiful plain full of flowers. He sought to reach it, and when he did, he died. When his grave was dug there, a lake burst out of it, and flooded the whole plain. It was thus named Loch Cé after him.
The lake is in the northern part of the
River Shannon drainage basin, and is fed by the
Boyle River which flows from
Lough Gara, through the town of Boyle, into Lough Key. From there it flows eastwards until it reaches the River Shannon just above Carrick-on-Shannon. Its area is 843.7 hectares (2,085 acres) and its average depth is
5.1 metres (17 ft). One can see a view of the lake from the
N4 road as it ascends the
Curlew Mountains after bypassing Boyle. The view is enhanced by a modern steel sculpture of an Irish chieftain mounted on horseback (see photograph).
The area around Lough Key and the nearby town of Boyle, in County Roscommon, have been inhabited for thousands of years.
The lake is several kilometres across and contains over thirty wooded islands including
Castle Island,
Trinity Island, Orchard
Island,
Stag Island, Bullock Island, and Drumman's Island. Castle Island has had a number of structures built on it over the centuries. The earliest record dates to
1184, in the
Annals of Loch Cé, where a lighting strike is reported to have started a fire in "
The Rock of Loch-Cé," a "very magnificent, kingly residence."
Currently a folly castle built in the early
19th century by the
King family stands on the island.
Trinity and
Church Islands each have the ruins of medieval priories standing on them. [
Archaeology digs from c.2005-2012 found that the 'folly' seems in fact to be a remnant of several previous historic structures.
The King family acquired the land around Lough Key in the
17th century Cromwellian Settlement, renaming the area from
Moylurg to
Rockingham. In 1809,
Rockingham House – a mansion designed by
English architect John Nash[5] – was built. The house remained the seat of the Stafford-King-Harman family until it was badly damaged in a fire in
1957. It was subsequently demolished in
1970, despite earlier pledges by the
Irish government to restore this historically important building.
Immediately to the south of the lough is
Lough Key Forest Park, a popular destination for recreational walkers. The park, opened in
1972,[7] covers 865 acres (350 ha) formerly part of the Rockingham estate. The Moylurg
Tower, standing on the site of the old Rockingham house, now stands overlooking the lake to the north and lawns to the south. There are many amenities in the park including boat tours, boats for hire, water activities, camping and caravan park, an outdoor playground and shop. A
2007 development[8] added a number of new attractions including a forest canopy walkway and children's play areas, to cater to the "
21st century visitor."[9]
Sir
Cecil Stafford-King-Harman (
1895–
1987), second (and last)
Baronet of Rockinghamensured that the land went back to the people of Ireland through the
Irish Land Commission, who subdivided the pasture land into several farms of approximately 50 acres (20 ha) and granted these to local people. An extensive area around the then-derelict Rockingham house became the
Forest Park and this was looked after by the
Department of Forestry. It is currently in the care of Coillte, a semi-state body. The park contains the remains of five ring forts, giving evidence of the long habitation of this region.
The area surrounding the lake is significant in medieval
Irish literature and legend. Starting around
1000 AD, the
Annals of Boyle were compiled on Trinity Island, and from 1253 to 1590 the Annals of Lough Key continued from where the Boyle annals ended. Lough Key was also the site for the legend of Una Bháin. Famed harpist
Turlough O'Carolan is buried at
Kilronan, three miles (5 km) to the north of the lake.
Lense: Canon EF 24-105mm f/
4.0 L IS USM Lens
Ireland -
October 2015
- published: 18 Oct 2015
- views: 43