Lake Muckno: Lough Muckno, County Monaghan

Muckno Lake, also known as Lough Muckno, is a freshwater lake in the northeast of Ireland. It is located in County Monaghan beside the town of Castleblayney.

County Monaghan is full of incredibly surreal places to visit. Take for example the beautiful Castle Leslie and its grounds, The Patrick Kavanagh centre in Iniskeen or the Tin Church in Laragh to name a few. Alas, nothing compares to the astounding Lake Muckno.

Lake Muckno Leisure Park is situated on the edge of Castleblaney and it not only boasts water sports, walking trails, and a playground and fishing zone─it has a pretty amazing history. Muckno comes from the word Múc─the Irish for “pig”. Apparently, a black pig used to swim in the Lake and that’s where it got its name.

Lake Muckno covers an area of 325 hectares with depths to 20m. There are a number of excellent fishing locations on this lake including White Island, Black Island, Concra Wood, South Lodge and Toome Canal. This lake holds huge stocks of fish including bream, rudd, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike. However, The whole park itself is set on 900 acres of wooded terrain. The two wooded islands both have excellent activities such as orienteering, nature walks/trails, water skiing and wakeboard club, coarse fishing, peace garden and picnic areas.

The best time to go fishing at Lake Muckno is from May till February of the following year. There are plenty of angler-friendly B&B’s, hotels, and self-catering establishments locally. It might rain heavily there during the year and the subsequent high water levels can make some shorelines inaccessible but do not worry! There is always somewhere to wet a line on this magnificent fishing zone.

The town itself hosts many festivals with the park used as a venue for the Muckno Mania Festival. Moreover, there is a prominent water skiing club there that is the host for many national and international competitions and many fishing competitions. There is also a week-long angling festival during the last week of September that takes up most of the sections of Muckno. All perfect for a party or fun day out for the family!

Castleblayney is located on the N2 between Dublin and Monaghan town. Coming from Dublin when you arrive into Blayney, take a right turn at the T junction in the town which will bring you to the gateway entrance to Muckno. Park is open all year long, every day of the week.