Lough Mask
Encyclopedia
Lough Mask is a limestone
lough
(lake
) of 22,000 acres (89 km²) in County Mayo
, Ireland
, north of Lough Corrib
. Lough Mask is the upper of the two lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway
, into Galway Bay
. The lake is visited for its trout
fishing. Lough Mask feeds into Lough Corrib through an underground stream.
In 1338 Sir Edmond de Burgh
was drowned in the lake by his cousin Sir Edmond Albanach Bourke of County Mayo
, at the end of the
Burke Civil War 1333–38.
The lough was the scene of the 1882 "Lough Mask murders", when two bailiff
s working for Lord Ardilaun
were killed, described as "an old man and a lad". Tensions had arisen in the area during the Land War
and the proximity of land managed by Charles Boycott
. The corpses were found in the lough itself. The controversial lack of credible witnesses led to four well-publicised trials of the accused in 1882-83.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
lough
Lough
A lough is a body of water and is either:* A lake* A sea lough, which may be a fjord, estuary, bay, or sea inlet.It can also be used as a surname, with various pronunciations: law, loch, low, lowe, loth, loff....
(lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
) of 22,000 acres (89 km²) in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, north of Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the second largest lough in Ireland . It covers 178 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with a small area of its northeast corner in County Mayo.The first canal in...
. Lough Mask is the upper of the two lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, into Galway Bay
Galway Bay
Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about long and from to in breadth...
. The lake is visited for its trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing. Lough Mask feeds into Lough Corrib through an underground stream.
In 1338 Sir Edmond de Burgh
Edmond de Burgh
Sir Edmund de Burgh, Irish knight and ancestor of the Burke family of Clanwilliam, 1298–1338.-Background:De Burgh was the fifth and last surviving son of Richard, Lord of Connaught and Earl of Ulster...
was drowned in the lake by his cousin Sir Edmond Albanach Bourke of County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, at the end of the
Burke Civil War 1333–38.
The lough was the scene of the 1882 "Lough Mask murders", when two bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s working for Lord Ardilaun
Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun
Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, 2nd Baronet , known as Sir Arthur Guinness, Bt, between 1868 and 1880, was an Irish businessman, politician, and philanthropist, best known for giving St Stephen's Green to the people of Dublin.-Background and education:Guinness was born at St Anne's,...
were killed, described as "an old man and a lad". Tensions had arisen in the area during the Land War
Land War
The Land War in Irish history was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland in the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s. The agitation was led by the Irish National Land League and was dedicated to bettering the position of tenant farmers and ultimately to a redistribution of land to tenants from...
and the proximity of land managed by Charles Boycott
Charles Boycott
Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was a British land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland as part of a campaign for agrarian tenants' rights in 1880 gave the English language the verb to boycott, meaning "to ostracise"...
. The corpses were found in the lough itself. The controversial lack of credible witnesses led to four well-publicised trials of the accused in 1882-83.