Overview
Lough Carra (Irish: Loch Ceara) lies about 16 km south of Castlebar in County Mayo, the uppermost of the three Great Western Lakes that run Carra–Mask–Corrib. It is a marl lake: the calcium carbonate on its bed can give the shallow water a pale, milky-turquoise colour on a bright day, and unusual clarity when it is calm. Covering some 4,000 acres (16 km²), it runs about 6 miles (9.7 km) long and up to a mile across, yet averages just 6 feet (1.8 m) deep, dropping to around 60 feet (18 m) only in a few basins. More than 70 islands break the shoreline, and the lake drains south into Lough Mask through the Keel River. It is protected as a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Natural Heritage Area.
Moore Hall
The eastern shore is dominated by the ruins of Moore Hall, the 18th-century seat of the Moore family, burned out during the Civil War in 1923. Its roofless stone walls and vaulted service tunnel still stand above the trees, and the tunnel is a known roost for the rare lesser horseshoe bat. The best-remembered of the Moores is the novelist George Moore (1852–1933), whose ashes were carried out to Castle Island on the lake and buried facing the water. Elsewhere along the shore stand the remains of Burriscarra Abbey and Castle Carra, markers of far older settlement.
If you have time for one walk, make it the Moore Hall loop from the free car park by the ruins – a short, flat circuit of a little over 2 km that takes in the house, the woodland and open views across the water, easily done in under an hour.
Wildlife
The marl water and limestone shores make Carra one of the richest wildlife lakes in the west. It is best known as a wild brown trout fishery, with pike and perch in the shallows. The reedy bays and wooded shores are busy with birds – large flocks gather over the reedbeds at dusk in winter – while the damp limestone grassland throws up orchids in early summer. Otters work the quieter bays, and the old woods around Moore Hall shelter bats.
Fishing
Carra fishes as a wild brown trout lake and, like the other Great Western Lakes, is at its best around the mayfly in late spring, when dry-fly and dapping come into their own; pike and perch keep anglers busy through the summer. Rules and permits change from season to season, so check current requirements with Inland Fisheries Ireland before you fish. If you want to be out on the water, local guesthouses and tackle shops arrange boats and gillies.
Conservation
Carra is the flagship site for an EU LIFE conservation programme run by Mayo County Council and the Lough Carra Catchment Association (LCCA), tackling nutrient run-off, restoring orchid-rich grassland and fen, and controlling invasive American mink and non-native water plants. The LCCA’s ‘Our Lake, Our Heritage’ project adds citizen-science surveys and guided walks; its website is the place to check what’s on before you travel.
Practical information
- Access and parking – The main free car park is beside the Moore Hall ruins, reached on the R310 from Castlebar. The Moore Hall loop starts here.
- Hours and entry – Open at any hour; no admission charge.
- Getting there – A car is much the easiest way to reach the lake; the nearest town of any size is Ballinrobe, about 10 km south.
- On the water – Rinse and dry boots, boats and gear between waters (‘check, clean, dry’) to avoid carrying invasive species from one lake to the next.
Nearby
Ballinrobe, with its racecourse and shops, is the nearest town, and the medieval pilgrimage abbey at Ballintubber is a short drive north-east. Either makes an easy half-day pairing with a morning at the lake.