Lough Key
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Lough Key is a lake in the Republic of Ireland. It is located in the north of County Roscommon, to the northeast of the town of Boyle. The lake is several kilometres across,almost circular, and contains over thirty wooded islands including Castle Island, Stag Island, Bullock Island, and Drummand Island. Castle Island contains Cloontykilla Castle, also occasionally known as Macdermott's Castle for one of the most important traditional families in the district. It is a fine trout and coarse fish lake.
Immediately to the south of the Lough is the Lough Key Forest Park, a popular destination for recreational walkers. The park covers 800 acres (3.2 km²), and was formerly part of the Rockingham estate .The Moylurg Tower, standing on the site of the old Rockingham house now stands overlooking the wonderful lake to the north and impressive lawns to the south. This was the seat of the Stafford King Harmon family until the 1950s ,who at the end of the nineteenth century owned over 30,000 acres (120 km²) in north Roscommon and Sligo.
The area surrounding the lake is significant in mediaeval 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 Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan is buried at Kilronan, three miles (5 km) to the north of the lake.
The lake is northern part of the River Shannon's catchment, and feeds a short tributary of that river which joins the main river at Lough Drumharlow, some eight miles (13 km) to the east. One can see an impressive view of the lake from the Sligo Dublin road as it ascends the Curlew Mountains after bypassing Boyle and this view is enhanced by a modern steel sculpture of a gaelic chieftain mounted on horseback.
