Lough Gur

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Lough Gur (Irish: Loch Gair ) is a lake in County Limerick, near the town of Bruff. It has the shape of a horseshoe and extends to the foot of the Knockadoon Hill. The area around the lake is one of the most important archaeological site accumulations in Ireland. The area has been inhabited for over 6000 years.

The most important of the 28 properties around the lake are standing stones and the remains of Beehive huts and Duns ( Carraig Aille ) and:

• The great stone circle of Grange has a diameter of about 45 m of the largest in Ireland. The stones are up to 2.8 meters high.
• Remains of at least three Crannogs ( artificial islands ) in the lake.
• Remains of two houses from the early Christian period. Because of their outline they are called The Spectacles ( glasses).
• Wedge tombs as Leaba na Muice and other megalithic sites, dating from the 3rd millennium BC.
• The bronze shield from Lough Gur

Located on the northeast corner of the lake, Lough Gur Interpretive Centre, which is stocked with models and artifacts from the area.

At the other end of the lake is Black Castle, a place of refuge during the Desmond rebellions. Maybe this was the place where the Earl of Desmond in 1573, after his return from London, his English against Irish clothing changed, and so increased his reputation among the locals.