Lough Gur (Loch Gair)

A horseshoe lake in County Limerick surrounded by one of Ireland's richest ancient landscapes.

Lough Gur (Loch Gair) in County Limerick is a small horseshoe-shaped lake ringed by an extraordinary concentration of ancient monuments, showing that people have lived here for around 6,000 years.

Nearby stands the Grange Stone Circle, the largest stone circle in Ireland, along with tombs, standing stones and the remains of ancient dwellings.

At a glance

• A horseshoe lake in Co. Limerick, settled for around 6,000 years.
• Surrounded by tombs, standing stones and ancient dwellings.
• Home to the Grange Stone Circle, the largest in Ireland.

In County Limerick

Lough Gur is in County Limerick, Luimneach in Irish, which means “bare spot”.

More in Limerick

• King John's Castle (Caisleán Luimnigh): A 13th-century Norman castle on the banks of the Shannon in Limerick city.
• Adare (Áth Dara): Often called Ireland's prettiest village, lined with thatched cottages.

Other places of this kind

• Lough Neagh (Loch nEathach): The largest freshwater lake in Ireland and the British Isles.
• The Lakes of Killarney (Loch Léin): Three beautiful lakes ringed by mountains and ancient woodland at the heart of Killarney National Park.
• Lough Erne (Loch Éirne): A vast island-studded lake system in County Fermanagh, dotted with early Christian sites.
• Lough Ree (Loch Rí): A great lake on the River Shannon, dotted with islands and bordering three counties.
• Strangford Lough (Loch Cuan): A vast sea lough of tidal islands and rich wildlife.
• Lough Corrib (Loch Coirib): The Republic's largest lake, dividing Galway city from Connemara.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Lough Gur is Loch Gair. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.