Lough Oughter (Loch Uachtair)

A maze of interlinked lakes and drowned drumlins in Cavan's lakeland.

Lough Oughter is a labyrinth of water and low islands formed where the River Erne floods between drumlins. On one islet stands Cloughoughter Castle, a round tower-house where the Gaelic leader Eoghan Rua Ó Néill died in 1649.

At a glance

• A maze of lakes among drowned drumlins
• Cloughoughter Castle on an island
• Part of the River Erne system

In County Cavan

Lough Oughter is in County Cavan, An Cabhán in Irish, which means “the hollow”.

More in Cavan

• The Shannon Pot (Lag na Sionna): The traditional source of the River Shannon, Ireland's longest river, in County Cavan.
• Cuilcagh Mountain (Binn Chuilceach): A flat-topped mountain straddling the Cavan-Fermanagh border, source of the Shannon.

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 Gur (Loch Gair): A horseshoe lake in County Limerick surrounded by one of Ireland's richest ancient landscapes.
• 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.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Lough Oughter is Loch Uachtair. 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.