Dromore Castle, an O’Brien tower house begun in the early 1500s, stands on the shore of a lake that most Clare visitors drive straight past on their way to the Burren. It is the centrepiece of the Dromore Woodland Nature Reserve, 370 hectares of oak woodland, limestone pavement and disappearing turlough lakes that the State has protected since 1985. Entry and parking are free.
The lake and the loop
Dromore Lough (Loch Droma Mhóir) is small: about 2 km long and 1 km wide, roughly 6 m deep on average and 20 m at its deepest. The River Fergus flows out of it and on towards Ennis, about 10 km to the south. The lake sits inside a rare mix of habitats that the reserve exists to protect, limestone pavement, fen peat, reed beds, seasonal turloughs and floodplain callows alongside mature semi-natural woodland, all within the wider Dromore Woods and Loughs Special Area of Conservation.
The way to see it is the Dromore Loop, a 6 km circuit graded easy, about two hours, with only 30 m of climb. It starts at the car park by the castle and is colour-waymarked past Kilakee Church, the shores of Lough Garr and Dromore Lough, and a boardwalk over wet fen. Two shorter self-guided nature trails cover the same ground in less time, and the loop meets the Castle Nature Trail and the 140 km Mid-Clare Way if you want to keep going. If you do one thing here, do the full loop.
Wildlife
The lake earns its reputation in winter, when whooper swans, wigeon, teal, tufted duck, goldeneye, pochard, shoveler and gadwall gather on the water. Little grebe, coot, moorhen, water rail and heron are here year round, and a white-tailed eagle was recorded over the reserve in 2011–12. The woods hold red squirrels, pine martens, badgers, otters and at least eight species of bat; a pine marten study carried out here in the 1970s is still a reference point for the animal in Ireland.
Anglers fish from the shore for perch, rudd and pike, which are liveliest in the cooler months. The lake also holds the critically endangered European eel. A valid Irish fishing licence is required.
History
Dromore Castle is the standout. The tower house dates to the early 1500s and was repaired and enlarged by Teige O’Brien in the 1600s; the family held it until 1689, after which it slid into ruin through the 1700s. The walls and tower still stand, with interpretive panels at the gate. Scattered through the reserve are more ruins, Cahermacrea Castle, Kilakee Church, two ring forts, an 18th-century lime kiln and a cillín, a children’s burial ground. Dromore House, a 19th-century seat of the Crowe family, was demolished in the 1930s. The State bought the woods in the 1940s, worked them for timber, then turned to conservation.
Practical information
Getting there: From Ruan village, about 10 km north-west of Ennis, follow the signposts for roughly 2 km to the reserve car park. The car park is free with space for about 15 cars, and there are toilets near the visitor centre.
Access and facilities: Paths are unpaved but well kept, with just 30 m of ascent on the loop. Wheelchair access runs as far as a level path to a viewing point near the castle. There is no café or shop, so bring your own food; there are picnic tables along the western shore. The visitor centre, run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, opens in summer only, daily in June, July and August and Wednesday to Sunday in May, so out of season you are relying on the trail maps at the car park.
On the water and paths: Stay on the marked paths, keep dogs on a short lead near nesting birds, and note there is no swimming or boating; this is a place to walk and watch, not to get on the lake.
Come in winter for the wildfowl, or early on a summer morning for the woods. It is the wrong outing on a wet midweek day out of season, when the centre is shut and the fen paths are heavy going.