Castlefore Lough

Castlefore Lough (Irish: Baile Choille Fóir, Loch, meaning "townland, or homestead, of the wood, lake")[4] is a mesotrophic freshwater in northwest Ireland. Known for good course fishing, Castlefore Lough has limited bank fishing.[1] The ecology of Castlefore Lough, and other Leitrim waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.[5]

See also: Keshcarrigan Lough, Lough Scur, and Keshcarrigan
Castlefore Lough
Location in Ireland
LocationCounty Leitrim
Coordinates54°01′23″N 7°54′42″W
Lake typeFreshwater
Native nameBaile Choille Fóir Loch  (Irish)
Primary inflowsShannon–Erne Waterway
Primary outflowsShannon–Erne Waterway
Basin countriesIreland
Surface area0.3 km2 (0.12 sq mi)
Max. depth6 m (20 ft)
Surface elevation66 m (217 ft)
Islands1
References[1][2][3]

Etymology

The lake takes its name from the district of "Castlefore" (Irish: Baile Choille Fóir), meaning the "lake of the townland, or homestead, of the wood".[4]

Geography

Castlefore Lough lies 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) due east of Keshcarrigan village, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) due west of Fenagh in south County Leitrim, northwest Ireland. The lake has a tilted cone shape, a surface-area of 0.3 square kilometres (0.1 sq mi) and depths to 6 metres (19.7 ft).[1][3]

Ecology

Fish present in Castlefore Lough include "roach-bream hybrids", Roach, Perch, Bream (including. Skimmers), Tench, and Pike. The pike population is the "native Irish strain" (Irish: liús meaning 'Irish Pike') not the other European Pike strain (Irish: gailliasc meaning 'strange or foreign fish').[5] The lake has stocks of Pike up to 8 pounds (3.6 kg).[1]

Human settlement

From Prehistoric Ireland times, lake dwellers settled on a crannog at the eastern end of Castlefore Lough,[6] with possibly two crannogs existing here.[7] The human settlements near Castlefore lough are Keshcarrigan and Fenagh villages, and the townlands of Gubroe to the northwest, Killmacsherwell to the north, Annaghaderg to the south, and Leamanish to the southeast.

  • Castlefore Lough
  • Crannog at eastern end
  • Illustration of crannog.

Poem

An old published poem titled "An Exile's Dream", praises the beautiful and picturesque scenery around Castlefore Lough.[8]

"I sat down to rest and fell into a slumber, I thought I was back near my own native place, And roaming along by the bright crystal waters. The lovely blue waters of Castlefore Lake.

I stood for a while to admire its beauty And turned my eyes to that sweet little space. The Island far out where wild birds go a-nesting On the lovely blue waters of Castlefore Lake.

Then my gaze wandered up in another direction. To some beautiful swans, oh, what noise they did make. They splashed and they fluttered, but seemed quite contented On the lovely blue waters of Castlefore Lake.

A boat being near me, I took the advantage To go for a sail to some different place, I sailed straight across and enjoyed the fresh breezes On the lovely blue waters of Castlefore Lake.

On the opposite side of the lake I just landed. When I woke from my slumber in this far foreign place I felt happy and longed for to dream once again, on The lovely blue waters of Castlefore Lake".[8]

See also

References and notes

Notes

    Citations
    1. anglingireland.
    2. discoverireland.ie 2017.
    3. Haug 2013, pp. 37.
    4. logainm.ie, pp. Baile Choille Fóir.
    5. Pedreschi, Kelly-Quinn, Caffrey, O’Grady, Mariani, Phillimore 2014.
    6. Mulvany, Fraser, Roberts, Mulvany, O'Flaherty 1852, pp. xliii.
    7. Munro 1890, pp. 370.
    8. O'Boy 1916, pp. 15.

    Primary references
    • anglingireland. "Satellite Pike Waters in the Ballinamore and Castlefore area". Inland Fisheries Ireland. Retrieved 5 Aug 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
    • "Baile Choille Fóir/Castlefore".CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
    • Haug, Per Ivar (2013). "Gazetteer of Ireland". Til Opplysning, A series of papers from the University Library in Trondheim, Nummer 16 (Third ed.). Hommelvik: UBiT, Universitetsbiblioteket i Trondheim. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

    Secondary references
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