Castle Island
The tiny island off Lough Key Forest Park crowned by McDermott’s Castle, a medieval stronghold remade as a romantic folly, to be admired from the water only.
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About Castle Island
Castle Island, the old Rock of Loch Cé, lies just off the forest park shore and is Lough Key’s best-known sight. The MacDermots, kings of Moylurg, had a fortress here from at least the 12th century: the Annals of Loch Cé record a lightning fire in 1184 that killed the king’s wife and more than a hundred others. After the Cromwellian wars the island passed to the King family of Rockingham, who rebuilt the ruined tower house as a folly in the 19th century, with additions by the architect John Nash. Today it is a protected National Monument with no public access, so admire it from your boat, from the deck of the Lakeside Café in the park, or on the Lough Key Boats tour, which cruises close by. Please do not land.
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McDermott’s Castle
National Monument in State care with layers from an early cashel to the 19th-century folly; no public access, seen from the water.
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Neighbours by water
- Lough Key Forest Park
- Trinity Island
- Clarendon Lock Next opening Sat, 31 Oct at 09:30
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≈ distances are computed along the water, not along the marked channel. Times are our estimate: 7.5 km/h and 15 minutes a lock. Check the Waterways Ireland marine notices
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Other sources · Not known “McDermott's Castle, County Roscommon, Ireland” by Carlo Cretaro · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · Changes: resized and re-encoded -
Other sources · Not known “Castle Island in Lough Key Forest Park” by Apiechorowska · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Changes: resized and re-encoded -
Other sources · Not known “McDermott's Castle, Lough Key” by Oliver Dixon · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Changes: resized and re-encoded -
Other sources · Not known “Castle Island from the water” by Drhidayat1984 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Changes: resized and re-encoded
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Things to do (8)
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