Lough Muckno: Killarney of the north!
The Lakes of Killarney are very famous; a little less famous are the lakes of the midlands of Ireland, the Lake District of Mayo in Connacht and Cavan and Fermanagh in Ulster but perhaps almost totally unknown is a lake in another Ulster county - Monaghan - called Lough Muckno. Located in the grounds of Castleblaney, i.e. the Castle of the Blaney family, from which the town of Castleblaney, County Monaghan sprung up, it is actually known as "Killarney of the north" - such is its idyllic enchantment and solace. The European waterski championship has taken place here and it is also a deep and rich resource for coarse fishing. However, aside from this, it's largely untouched and thus a 'Hidden' lake of Ireland, much like an unknown gem yet to have its full rays dazzled for all to see!
The name of the lake is most curious; translated from the Gaelic, meaning 'Lake of the Black Pig.' Now, of course, the nominative of the Black Pig figures very much in Gaelic mythology and folklore; there is also the real but enigmatic part of topography: "The Black Pig's Dyke" - a wall or series of earthen ramparts which run along the bandwidth of Ireland from around Leitrim/Sligo in the west to Armagh/Louth/Down in the east; interestingly a physical and natural demarcation from antiquity. The derivation of this lake's name means it's almost certain that the dyke runs very close to Lough Muckno itself.
Within the grounds of the 900 acres Leisure Park which has been open since 1980, is "Hope's Castle hotel". Formerly a house, it was taken over by a member of the Hope Family in the 1800's; this was the family who gave their name to a green diamond, which was the largest to be discovered in the world. On the site of the old Castle, there is much history around here - the "Oakboys revolt" of 1763, for instance, when the castle was the seat of a British Army Barracks!
As it's located in south Ulster, Lough Muckno and indeed Castleblaney tend to be overlooked and few people know about the area or the locality. But its hinterland is very important; a couple of miles to the east of here is Crossmaglen in county Armagh with its famous market - with which it has strong links; and hence the Plains of Macha of old - which was the thoroughfare of Cuchulainn in the annals and old stories. A few miles to the south is Inniskeen, which was the birthplace of one of Ireland's famous sons and one of my favourite poets, Patrick Kavanagh, who wrote arguably one of the greatest romantic poems of unrequited love of the twentienth century On Raglan Road. As an aside, although it's never been recorded, I wonder did he ever grace Lough Muckno and drink in the radiance of the place? (Of course, the omnipresent drumlin, which figures in his early poetry, can be seen from here).
But what makes Lough Muckno and hence, Castleblaney so worth seeing and exploring, is that this lovely and elegant lake and its leisure park, whilst a popular hub for sportspersons and nature lovers, still retains a measure of elegance and a state of uncorrupted wilderness that cannot be measured by any barchart. Imagine the difference between a rural family's child who stays at home in the homestead remaining innocent and uncorrupted, and the other who goes to the city and loses that fresh and sweetly becoming innocence! Muckno still has that sweet and becoming innocence! Besides, it has none of the crass 'sidekicks' of the Lakes of Killarney with visitors being taken around in a pony and cart! In the words of the song Muckno Strand by Caffrey Mahon: "I know an island in a lake, not very far from land
An island with a peacefulness
that only GOD could plan!"
