- Lough Gowna
Infobox_lake
lake_name = Lough Gowna
image_lake = Lough Gowna (230569952).jpg
caption_lake =
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coords = Coord|53|51|N|7|33|W|region:IE_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
type =moraine dammed lake
inflow =River Erne
outflow =River Erne
catchment =
basin_countries = Ireland
length =
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islands = Inchmore
cities =Loch Gowna , Colmcille,Mullinalaghta , Dromard,Mullahoran Lough Gowna ("Loch Gamhna" in Irish, meaning "Lake of (the) calf") is a fresh water lake which is the uppermost lake on the
River Erne . It is located on the border betweenCounty Longford andCounty Cavan , with the largest part of the lake being in County Longford.Lough Gowna is a
moraine-dammed lake formed at the end of the lastglaciation , and owes its complex indented shape to the underlyingdrumlin landscape. This results in a large number of bays and inlets on the lake, often connected by narrow channels. The river Erne enters the system in a western direction into the easternmost part of the lake (locally known as "Derries Lough") and exits northward through County Cavan. However, the damming caused by the moraines that gave rise to the lake result in large bodies of water to the north-west and south-west which form the bulk of the area of the lake. A number of other small rivers also flow into the lake. The county border runs through the north-western part of the lake, and then turns eastwards, with the western and southern parts of the lake being in Longford and the north-eastern parts being in Cavan.The north-western and south-western portions of the lake are connected by a narrow channel at Dernaferst (a
townland on the western (Longford) shore of the lake, but which is in County Cavan). The northern and eastern shores of the lake are surrounded bypeat bog , with areas of planted woodland along the southern shores of the lake in formerdemesne s in the townlands of Derrycassan and Culray. The lake is considered to be an important site for wintering wildfowl.The lake contains one large island in the south-western part, Inchmore ("Inis Mór" in Irish, meaning "Big island"), which was the site of a
monastery founded in the sixth century bySaint Colmcille . The monastery was raided by theVikings in 804, being burned and looted. During the twelfth century, the abbey conformed toAugustinian rules and remained there until thedissolution of the monasteries byHenry VIII in 1543. The site was still used as a graveyard by the local population until the early years of the twentieth century. The remains of the abbey are still to be seen on the island. A fifteenth-century tower bell, reputedly from the monastery, was recovered in the nineteenth century and now hangs in theRoman Catholic church in the nearby village ofAughnacliffe .Lough Gowna is an important centre for coarse fishing and the shape of the lake, with wooded peninsulas interspersed with bays and inlets, make it attractive for tourism. There are picnic sites at Dernaferst and at Dring (at the southernmost point of the lake).
The name of the lake comes from a legend about a supernatural calf which escaped from a well in the townland of Rathcor (south of the lake) and raced northward with a stream of water from the well following it and flooding the area now making up the lake.
The lake gives its name to the village of Loch Gowna, on the north-eastern shore of the lake in County Cavan. The original name of the village was Scrabby ("Screabach" in Irish), and gave its name to the townland and
parish in which it is located. However, in 1950, after aplebiscite of the villagers, the name was officially changed to Loch Gowna. The village serves as a service centre for tourism, with hotel accommodation and sizeable numbers ofholiday homes in the area.Other parishes adjacent to the lake are Colmcille on the western and southern shores of the lake,
Mullinalaghta on the eastern shore, and Dromard in the extreme north-west, all in County Longford; andMullahoran in the extreme east where the Erne enters the lake, in County Cavan.External links
* [http://www.longfordlibrary.ie/heritage/sites/992.htm Information about the lake from the Longford Heritage website]
* [http://longford.ie/community/townsection.asp?action=3&town=4&contenttype=3 Inch Mor monastery, from the Longford tourism website]
* [http://www.pikerslodge.com/html/fishing.htm Map of the lake from a local hotel website]
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