This beautiful lake holds a special place in the hearts of Irish archeologists. Home to a tower house and the ruins of an early Christian church, this lake also features the remnants of several crannogs (houses built on stilts over the water) and some of the earliest stone house ruins in Ireland. Furthermore, folklore suggests that the entrance to the Land of Youth lies somewhere around this lake.
The land around the lake was incredibly lush, but still bearing a few marks of the large wind storm that had whipped its way through this part of the country a few days ago. Several large trees were uprooted. Thankfully, they had been cleared from the paths, allowing us to more fully explore this gorgeous site.
This is an old lime kiln beside the lake. It is probably one of the newer (like the 1700-early 1800s) structures here. The purpose of a kiln like this was to create lime through the burning of limestone. This lime was then used in the mortar of buildings and for agricultural use.
The visitors’ center was a few minutes walk away from the parking area, and we enjoyed the scenery on the way there. The center featured a pretty neat, very thickly thatched roof.
Here are The Spectacles, foundations of maybe the first cluster of houses built around Lough Gur. Not much to look at now, but fascinating that something of these houses still remains after so long.
The view from the hillside is wonderful!
I especially enjoyed all the blooming hawthorn.
The hike through the woods was a little steep at times, but just lovely!
I never got tired of seeing the lake.
You may have noticed this tree and the stone fence in some of the pictures from above. I think it was very peaceful as well as rather lonesome looking.
This swan was not too sure about the visitors at the lake…
Here’s some other wildlife we saw nearby. 🙂
As we continued walking around the lake, I saw a kind of yellow iris growing by the edge of the lake.
I also saw some incredibly healthy nettles and some interesting snake grass.
This is Bourchier’s Castle. It is another of the many hundreds of tower houses in this part of Ireland, and while it looks to be in fairly decent repair, it is not open to the public.
Not far down the path was a pigeon house belonging to Bourchier’s Castle, probably dating from around 1684. Pigeons were often kept for meat and eggs, as well as for fertilizer from their droppings. This cylindrical building originally had a conical roof.
Look at this old wall! The moss is so thick.
Such a beautiful place! See the hawthorn blooming on the far side of the lake? And the water is so clear.
Time to head back to the car and go see some other things in this area!
