Loughnashade ( Irish: ''Loch na Séad'', meaning "lake of the jewels") is a small freshwater lake located near

Navan Fort Navan Fort ( ; ) is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the capital of the Ulaidh. It is a large circular hilltop enclos ...

(''Emain Macha'') in

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

, Northern Ireland. It is known for its archaeological significance due to the discovery of the Loughnashade Horns in 1794, and for its proximity to the ancient royal site of the

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

kings.

Geography

Loughnashade lies approximately 550 metres west of Navan Fort. Although the present lake covers just one acre, historical maps and palaeoenvironmental evidence suggest it was once much larger, possibly up to 10 hectares in extent. A pictorial map from 1602 and an Ordnance Survey map from 1835 depict a more expansive lake surrounded by marshland. The site is on private land but can be viewed from the summit of Navan Fort.

Archaeology

In 1794, drainage operations uncovered four Iron Age bronze horns in the lakebed of Loughnashade. These instruments, now referred to as the Loughnashade Horns, were discovered along with human remains, including skulls and bones. The context of the find suggests ritual deposition, a practice common across prehistoric Europe involving water bodies as places of ceremonial offering. Only one horn survives and is held in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

. The surviving instrument is considered an outstanding example of Iron Age metalworking.

Antiquarian interest

Mary Ann McCracken (1770–1866) played a key role in documenting the find. In a letter published in the ''Belfast Magazine'' (February 1809), she appealed for public information on the horns and argued for their preservation in a museum. Her brother, John McCracken, produced illustrations later included in

Edward Bunting Edward Bunting (1773– 17 March 1843) was an Irish musician and Folk music of Ireland, folk music collector active in Belfast. Life Bunting was born in County Armagh, Ireland. At the age of seven he was sent to study music at Drogheda and ...

's 1809 publication, ''A General Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland'', although Mary Ann's textual contributions were not credited.

Folklore

A local legend explains the name of the lake. According to the story, King

Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King Fachtna Fáthach, although in some stories ...

entrusted his jewels to a dragon brought from China by a travelling musician. The dragon guarded the treasure at the bottom of the lake and would emerge only at the sound of the musician’s pipes. Upon the musician’s death, the dragon and the jewels remained submerged, giving rise to the name ''Loch na Séad''.

References

{{reflist Insular art Treasure troves of Medieval Europe Collection of the National Museum of Ireland Places in Celtic mythology