Lough Gowna () is a fresh water lake which is the uppermost lake on the

River Erne The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border. ...

. It is located on the border between

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

and

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

, with the largest part of the lake being in County Longford. Lough Gowna is a

moraine-dammed lake A moraine-dammed lake occurs when the terminal moraine has prevented some meltwater from leaving the valley. Its most common shape is that of a long ribbon (ribbon lake). Example of moraine dammed lakes include: *Argentina/Chile: General Carre ...

formed at the end of the last

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...

, and owes its complex indented shape to the underlying

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

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 A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

on the western (Longford) shore of the lake, but which is in County Cavan). The northern and eastern shores of the lake are surrounded by

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

, with areas of planted woodland along the southern shores of the lake in former

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

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 A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

founded in the sixth century by

Saint Colmcille Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

. The monastery was raided by the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

in 804, being burned and looted. During the twelfth century, the abbey conformed to

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

rules and remained there until the dissolution of the monasteries by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

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 the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church in the nearby village of

Aughnacliffe Aughnacliffe, officially Aghnacliff (), is a village in County Longford, Ireland. It is located close to Lough Gowna and the border with County Cavan. The village, and the townland in which it is located, take their name from the Aughnaclif ...

. Lough Gowna is an important centre for

coarse fishing In Britain and Ireland, coarse fishing (, ) refers to angling for rough fish, which are fish species traditionally considered undesirable as a food or game fish. Freshwater game fish are all salmonids — most particularly salmon, trout and cha ...

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, which is near 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 A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in which it is located. However, in 1950, after a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

of the villagers, the name was officially changed to Loch Gowna.

S.I. The International System of Units, known by the international abbreviation SI in all languages and sometimes pleonastically as the SI system, is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. E ...

No. 170/1950 - Local Government (Change of Name of Townland) Order, 1950. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1950/si/170/made/en/print The village, which actually sits on the shores of Swan Lake, acts as a service centre for tourism, with hotel accommodation and sizeable numbers of

holiday homes A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

in the area. Other parishes adjacent to the lake are

Colmcille Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

on the western and southern shores of the lake,

Mullinalaghta Mullinalaghta (; Irish language, Irish ''Mullach na Leachta''), also officially referred to as Mullanalaghta, is a half-parish in the north-eastern part of County Longford, Ireland, located about eight kilometres north of Granard. Name and to ...

on the eastern shore, and Dromard in the extreme north-west, all in County Longford; and

Mullahoran Mullahoran ( ga, Mhullach Odhráin – Hilltop of Odhrán) is a townland in southern County Cavan, bordering County Longford, Ireland. It is also the name of a Roman Catholic parish. It is a constituent part of the electoral division and civil ...

in the extreme east where the Erne enters the lake, in County Cavan.

Dopping-Hempenstall

In the 19th c the Dopping-Hempenstall family had a large yacht on the lake for their private use. it was built in iron by Bewley and Webb in Dublin.

Gallery

File:Lough Gowna - pre-dawn (235490009).jpg File:Lough Gowna - dawn (235490010).jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowna Lakes of County Longford Lakes of County Cavan

Dopping-Hempenstall

Gallery

See also

References