Areas of historical interest

Letter from Goddard H. Orpen

Letter from Goddard H. Orpen (historian) to Thomas J. Lunn, Belvedere, Mullingar, 27 March 1913 in which Ballymore is described as

Letter from Goddard H. Orpen

Letter from Goddard H. Orpen

Letter from Goddard H. Orpen (historian) to Thomas J. Lunn, Belvedere, Mullingar, 27 March 1913 in which Ballymore is described as

Enlarge image

Faughalstown
On the eastern shore of the lake stood the village of Faughalstown.  A famous monastry known as the Abbey of Fahaty or Faughley was founded here by St Diarmaid the patron saint of the parish whose festival is observed on the 10th January.  His holy well ''Tobar Naomh Diarmada '' lay a short distance from the graveyard and was frequented on the day of his festival by pilgrims.
 

Kiltoom
The ancient seat of a branch of the Nugent family and afterwards of the family of Smyth is now the estate of the Earl of Longford. On the green sloping hill of Kiltoom further along the eastern shore was located a chapel founded by one of St Patrick's disciples named Mac Dichal. The site of the old church is still to be seen in the old graveyard .

Mortimer's Castle
Now a ruin Mortimer's Castle once covered a site of half an acre. It was built by Sir Edmund Mortimer, Lord of Meath in the reign of Henry IV as a retreat for himself and his lady wife Philippa, daughter and heir of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III.

Coolure / Coolure Bay
Located at Coolure Demesne on the northern shore of the lake there was a large rath shaped like a horseshoe it is called the "Rath of Moileen " and opposite it on the lake is a wodden crannog .