Lough Lene is a lake in County Westmeath, renowned for its history and the richness of its waters. Most of the surrounding villages live to the rhythm of the lake and its miraculous fishing, renowned the world over as a delight for anglers. What’s more, Lough Lene’s shores are teeming with megalithic stone circles, ruined forts and many other vestiges of Irish history… Here’s something to delight you!
Great and beautiful fortresses were built here, and some of their remains can be seen here and there on the surrounding hills of Lough Lene.
From time immemorial, this lake has been an ideal fishing ground, and for centuries has provided an excellent livelihood for the surrounding villages. In those days, the local Irish were all fishermen from father to son, as tradition dictated, and the lake also provided a wonderful resource for agriculture, as well as water for the inhabitants of Collinstown and Castlepollard.
It was in 1881 that a little boy fishing for eels made a sensational discovery. On Castle Island, a small island in the lake, he found a magnificent 7th-century silver bell, with an engraved Celtic cross on either side. Numerous studies of the object revealed that the bell had belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Feichin and then to Fore Abbey. The bell is said to have been kept safe at Fore Abbey, lest it be seized by the Vikings. Since then, the bell has been on display at the National Museum of Ireland.
As the centuries progressed, the county of Westmeath decided to use Lough Lene as a tourist hotspot, extolling the beauty of the surrounding landscape, the countless ruined Viking forts and the quality of its fish. Since then, many anglers and water sports enthusiasts have come to spend a few days in the great outdoors!
Lough Lene takes the form of an oval, 3.2km long and 1.7km wide. It includes a small island called Nun’s Island, once home to a small convent of nuns.
Nearby is Turgesius’ Island, named after a great Viking king who ruled Westmeath, and Castle Island. Don’t hesitate to visit them: both are a little marvel!
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