Rockfield Lake ( Irish: ''Loch Pháirc na Carraige'', meaning 'Lough of the Field of Rocks'Loughnafin or Rockfield Townland, Co. Cavan. https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/tullyhunco/killashandra/springfield/loughnafin-or-rockfield/ ), also known as Rockfield Lough, is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

or lough situated between Carrigallen and Killeshandra, two small towns on the northern edge of the Midlands in Ireland.''Discovery Series'' Sheet 27A (3rd Edition).

Ordnance Survey of Ireland Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ) was the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It was the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the Ordnance Survey of ...

(O.S.I.),

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 2012.''Discovery Series'' Sheet 34 (5th Edition).

(O.S.I.),

, 2021.Angling Ireland: Pike angling in Rockfield Lough. https://fishinginireland.info/pike/north/rockfield/ Active Irish Angling: Rockfield Lake, Carrigallen. https://www.activeirishangling.com/angling-centres/leitrim-angling/rockfield-lake-carrigallen/ Nowadays, part of the lake is in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, which is part of the

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

, while most of the lake is in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, which is part of the Province of

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 ...

. This means that the provincial boundary between Connacht and Ulster now runs through the lough. However, up until the early seventeenth century, all of the lake was considered part of County Leitrim in Connacht. The Cullies River ( Irish: ''An Abhainn Dubh'', meaning 'the Black River') flows through Rockfield Lake, entering the lake at its southern end and flowing out of the lake at its north-western end. This small river flows from nearby Cullies Lake, and flows on, via Drumhart Lake, through Rockfield Lake to Glasshouse Lake. Rockfield Lake covers about 94

acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...

(around 38

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

) and is just over 36

feet The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of ...

(just over 11

metres The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

) deep at its deepest point, this point being at the southern end of the lake. The surface elevation of the lake is 154 feet or 47 metres.

Location

Rockfield Lake is situated where South-East Leitrim meets the western part of County Cavan. It is located in the middle of a 'triangle' framed by the following small towns: Killeshandra, a few miles to the north-east; Carrigallen, about miles to the west; and Arvagh, a few miles to the south. The County Leitrim part of the lake lies within both the

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Carrigallen and the

Civil Parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Carrigallen, while the County Cavan part of the lake lies within both the Barony of Tullyhunco and the Civil Parish of Killeshandra. The main Killeshandra-to-Carrigallen road, which is part of the R201, runs just to the north of Rockfield Lake. This road passes over Kilbracken Bridge, a stone bridge which straddles the

border. Kilbracken Bridge, which crosses the Cullies River, is a short distance north-west of Rockfield Lake. The lake lies within three

townlands A townland (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Outer Hebrides, Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Middle Ages, medieval Gael ...

, one of which is in County Leitrim, the other two being in County Cavan. The entire east and north-east of the lake lies within the townland of Rockfield, also known as Loughnafin, which is part of County Cavan. Most of the northern part of the lake lies within the townland of Portlongfield, also part of County Cavan.Portlongfield Townland, Co. Cavan. https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/tullyhunco/killashandra/springfield/portlongfield/ The western and south-western part of the lake lies within the townland of Aghavore, which is part of County Leitrim.Aghavore Townland, Co. Leitrim. https://www.townlands.ie/leitrim/carrigallen/carrigallen/carrigallen-east/aghavore/

Access and angling

The easiest public access to Rockfield Lake is from a sideroad numbered as the L1524, which runs within County Cavan. This sideroad runs close to the eastern shore of the lake and, together with the L1525, links the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Portlongfield with Arvagh. A paved lane leads from this sideroad down to the small public car park on the eastern shore of the lake. Rockfield Lake is quite popular with anglers, with the eastern shore, which is the County Cavan shore, being particularly popular due to its easy public access from the L1524, the aforementioned public sideroad.

Portlongfield Lake and Portlongfield Orange Hall

Portlongfield Lake, also known as Portlongfield Lough, is a very small lake immediately to the north of Rockfield Lake. This small lough, which is beside a small wood of trees, is in the

of Portlongfield in County Cavan, and is separated from Rockfield Lake by a small

hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007 ...

. Portlongfield Lake is just to the south of the main Carrigallen to Killeshandra road, being located between that road and the northern shore of Rockfield Lake. A stream flows into the Cullies River from Portlongfield Lake. Very near Portlongfield Lake is Portlongfield Orange Hall, which was built ''c.'' 1890. N.I.A.H.: Portlongfield Orange Hall, Portlongfield, Cavan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40401910/portlongfield-orange-hall-portlongfield-cavan This small Orange hall is just to the east of Portlongfield Lake, being just north of the north-eastern 'spur' of Rockfield Lake. The hall, which is also in the townland of Portlongfield, sits along the southern verge of the main Killeshandra-to-Carrigallen road, which is part of the R201.

Drumhart Lake

Drumhart Lake, also known as Drumhart Lough, lies a short distance to the south of Rockfield Lake. Drumhart Lake is also a small lake, being much smaller than Rockfield Lake but being considerably larger than Portlongfield Lake. Drumhart Lake is partially in County Leitrim, while the rest of it is in County Cavan. The Cullies River flows through Drumhart Lake ''en route'' to Rockfield Lake. Like Rockfield Lake to its north, Drumhart Lake is divided between three

. The County Cavan side of the lake is mainly in the townland of Drumhart, which covers all of the eastern part of the lake, while the southern end of the lake, also part of County Cavan, is in the townland of Drumlarney.Drumlarney Townland, Co. Cavan. https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/tullyhunco/killashandra/arvagh/drumlarney/ The County Leitrim side of the lake, which covers the western and north-western part of the lake, is in the townland of Aghavore.

Rockfield House

Rockfield House is located on a small hill just above the north-eastern shore of Rockfield Lake. N.I.A.H.: Rockfield House, Loughnafin or Rockfield, Cavan. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40401913/rockfield-house-loughnafin-or-rockfield-county-cavan The main gate into the grounds surrounding the house is on the L1524, the sideroad connecting Arvagh with the

of Portlongfield. This large

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

is situated in the townland of Rockfield in County Cavan, and was probably originally built in the early to mid-eighteenth-century. The house is surrounded by the remains of its garden and grounds, while part of the original farmyard also survives to the rear of the house. Now derelict, Rockfield House and its grounds are privately owned and are not open to the public.

References

{{reflist Lakes of County Leitrim Lakes of County Cavan