Lough Scur

EtymologyEdit

Fanciful folklore of the 19th century claimed Lough Scur was named from Oscar son of Oisín, and his grave lay at Aghascur, "the field of the Scur". However, it is pointed out the word "Scur" (Irish: Scor, genitive scuir) has various meanings, and the lake probably translates to "lake of the horse-stud" though O’Donovan alternatively gives the meaning "lake of the camp".

GeographyEdit

Lough Scur is about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) northwest of Keshcarrigan. It covers an area of 1.14 square kilometres (0.4 sq mi). Lough Scur is deep with generally a soft mud or compact peat bottom, the shallowest portion is the northern reach, between Driny and Drumcong, probably due the a large quantity of detritus carried into it by a mountain stream at Annadale. Beyond the roscarbon shoal there is an isulated rock almost level with the summer water surface, nearly circular, measuring c. 10 – c. 15ft across. Lough Marrave might be considered a continuation of Lough Scur, as they share the same level and connected by a half-mile channel. Keshcarrigan lough is connected to Lough scur by a small stream about 250 metres (820.2 ft) in length. Carrickaport Lough drains into Lough Scur by a 450 metres (1,476.4 ft) stream running through Drumcong townland. Drumaleague Lough, lying 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) to the south west, is connected via the Shannon–Erne Waterway. Sub-glacial Rogen moraine landforms are evident in the valley between Slieve Anierin and Lough Scur, caused by ice age glaciers moving northeast to southwest over millions of years, the Morainic drift heaping up thousands of drumlins in the surrounding lowlands.

EcologyEdit

Fish present in Lough Scur include "roach-bream hybrids" (54%), Roach (22%), Perch (9%), Bream (9%, including. Skimmers), Pike (6%), nine-spine stickleback, and Eel. The large proportion of hybrids results from the Pike here preferring Roach (86%), Stickleback (9%), and Perch (4%) in their overall diet. 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'). Large pike have been caught here weighing 10 kg (22 lb) or more.

When surveyed in 2002, no zebra mussels were reported at the highest water level, and in 2005 the water quality was rated as mesotrophic.

Ancient lake dwellersEdit

Lough Scur contains five or six crannogs (artificial lake dwellings). The recording of large numbers of ancient dug-out canoes from county Leitrim remind us that waterways also provided a key means of transport before and since the Middle Ages. The Tuatha De Danann mythology might be associated with prehistoric human settlers around Slieve Anerin.

Stone AgeEdit

There was a Mesolithic Human settlement at Lough Scur, c. 8,000 – c. 4000BC. Five Lithic flakes were found together with a polished shale axe, a dolerite axe roughout, and a piece of leather under a dugout canoe. The leather and canoe are not dated, but the flakes are Mesolithic. Raftery (1957) claimed small stone age crannogs were observed at Lough Scur. The pre-Bronze Age material were described as flat, circular sites of stones, 6-10m in diameter and 400 cm above the lake mud. The interiors often consisted of brushwood, irregularly sized stones and sometimes horizontal timbers, some charred. Charred animal bones were found on the surface, indicating swine (wild boar, domestic pig) and oxen were part of the diet.

Bronze AgeEdit

There was a Bronze Age human settlement at Lough-Scur c. 4,000 – c. 2,500BC. The "Lough-Scur Stone Mould" is an triangular coarse block of white sandstone found on the Lough-Scur crannog, bearing matrices for casting Copper and Bronze flat axes or spear-heads, and containing three moulds, one flat axe and one looped Palstave on obverse, with one flat axe on reverse. These were fashioned before the lake dwellers became familiar with the use of Iron sourced from Slieve Anierin for example. The illustration shows the side with moulds for a plain Celt (tool) 7.5cm long and for a Celt 10cm long with cross strop and ring. The mould is part of the Royal Irish Academy's Collection.

Middle AgesEdit

Crannogs continued to be occupied at Lough Scur right through the Middle Ages. The Irish Annals allude to a fortified crannog at Lough Scur-

Museum artefactsEdit

The following archaeological artefacts were discovered at Lough Scur in the 19th century, c. 1843 – c. 1852, and preserved at the Royal Irish Academy museum, or at the National Museum of Ireland-

Aghascur Druid's AltarEdit

An ancient stone monument, probably a Druids Altar, is prominently located 400 yards south of the lake in a sloping pasture anciently named Irish: Aghascur, meaning "field of the Scur". Set against the spectacular backdrop of Lough Scur and Slieve Anierin, it is marked "Dermot and Grania's Bed" on some maps. Although two erect stones at the south have certainly been artificially set upright, this anomalous monument is extremely doubtful and, on the evidence, cannot be accepted as a megalithic tomb, but must be an attempt to split a rock outcrop from underlying bedrock. It may have been a Druids altar before Christianity. There is also a Cist located here.

Castle John and Jail islandEdit

About 1556 as the Tudor conquest of Ireland threatened, the local gaelic clans of south county Leitrim, in a desperate gamble, deeded John ("Shane") Reynolds of Clonduff in county Offaly title of chieftain and protector of Muintir Eolais as part of an agreement whereby they paid him an yearly income in exchange for him lobbying of the English in the pale to leave them in peace on their ancestral lands in south county Leitrim. In 1570 Shane built a 'Castle' at Gowly townland on a peninsula called Castle Island. In 1580, the Annals of Loch Cé allude to "Mag Ranaill of Lough-Scur" being attacked by McDermot of Moylurg, traditional ally of the gaelic Mag-Raghnaills of Muintir Eolais, perhaps suggesting the agreement turning sour. Then in 1590 "an immense" English army invaded south county Leitrim, defeating the Irish gaelic clans in the nine years war.

The notoriety of "Shane" Reynolds was legendary. In the late 16th century he invited the other Muintir Eolais chieftains to his castle under false pretences of a reconciliation meeting before, in cruel betrayal, having them beheaded. His ancestors progressively obtained possession of large portions of their estate in both Leitrim (barony) and parts of Mohill (barony). According to folklore, he maintained an army of about two hundred men and his reputation for arresting and jailing rent defaulters, or beheading people for small offences, was widely feared. To this day his name is pronounced Seán Na Gleann meaning "John of the heads" on account of all the men beheaded, or otherwise meaning "John the head chief".

On 6 April 1605, Shane and his son Humphrey were appointed gaoler of county Leitrim. They constructed a 'prison' on 'Jail island' (Irish: Oileán an phriosuiin) in Lough Scur. The jail cells were small with holes about six inches in diameter for air. Folklore says people used were hanged on the island, and one story says Shane was killed by a soldier from Longford avenging his sisters death. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the rebels captured John Oge Reynolds (grandson of Shane) taking him prisoner. His brother James lived at 'Castle-John' until his death in 1729, by which time the prison had fallen into disuse. His son George Nugent Reynolds senior, who had a son of the same name, abandoned the residence.

Castle John was three storey high, surrounded by good rock land. Some of the building collapsed c. 1908 but was repaired by a heritage preservation society. Dilapidated ruins of both Castle John (Irish: Caisleán Seóin) and Jail Island remain today, but are no longer preserved as national monument, tourist, or heritage site.

Book of Lough ScurEdit

In the early 20th century, a book or manuscript titled the “Book of Lough Scur", on the Reynolds family (ancient name MacRannal or Magrannal), supposedly existed in the library of an unidentified deceased person near Keshcarrigan, co. Leitrim.

CanalEdit

Lough Scur forms part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway, lying at the summit of the canal connecting Lough Scur to the River Shannon, just south of Leitrim village. The original canal was constructed in the 1840's, fell into decline as the rail network prospered, but was reopened in 1994 to develop the region’s tourism industry. The levels of Lough Scur are controlled by Waterways Ireland via two Spillways.

VillagesEdit

The primary human settlements at Lough Scur are the villages of Keshcarrigan and Drumcong.