Overview
Derrycassan Wood lies on the north-eastern shore of Lough Gowna, just outside Mullinaghta and a short drive from Granard in County Longford. Coillte maps walks through the wood, along the Lough Gowna shore and past the remains of a walled garden. The pull here is the mix: quiet lakeside forest laid over the bones of a country estate. Use the forest map to find the trailheads and follow the waymarks.
A walk through history
The wood sits on the footprint of the former Dopping Hepenstall estate, which centred on Derrycassan House, a three-storey mansion built in 1760 with walled gardens, an orchard and a summer house. The house was demolished in 1939, and much of its stone was reused to build St Columba’s church in the nearby village. The estate’s outline still shows: low garden walls, a pair of ornate gate arches and two stone bridges survive among the trees. Older still is the rath, or ringfort, in the woodland, the dwelling place of some of the area’s earliest inhabitants. The state forestry service took over the land in the 1930s and planted the conifer stands that form the wood’s backbone today.
Derrycassan has one unlikely footnote. In 1487, an Irish translation of the Roman poet Statius’s epic ‘Thebaid’ was transcribed here, a reminder that scholarship went on in these townlands long before the Georgian house rose.
Walking trails
The Main Avenue Walk is an easy 3.3 km loop. Use the forest map to locate its start and follow the waymarks. Keep dogs on leads, check for forestry notices and stay back from the shore when the water is high.
The wood’s other way-marked routes cover different parts of the estate:
- Nature Trail: a short, gentle loop along a quiet riverbank, crossing a historic stone bridge to a wooden viewing platform over Lough Gowna and the tree-covered Inchmore Island. A good choice for young families.
- Walled Garden Loop: heads inland to trace the foundations of the 18th-century walled garden, with the ornate gate arches the clearest marker of the old layout.
- Main Avenue Walk: follows the original tree-lined avenue that once led to the mansion, climbing gently over esker country for broad lakeside views, and passing the low stone remains of the house, an old boat house near the shore and the earthwork of the rath.
Check the Coillte forest map for current route details and distances before you set out.
Flora and wildlife
Derrycassan supports a good range of tree species. The canopy is dominated by Sitka spruce, Norway spruce and Douglas fir, with native stands of alder, ash, oak and beech, plus Western hemlock and Western red cedar in the plantation blocks.
Spring is the season to come. The understorey fills with bluebells and periwinkle, while rhododendron and holly form dense thickets. Willow and alder scrub line the riverbanks, and after rain the fungi push up through the leaf litter. Birdwatchers regularly spot blue and great tits, goldfinches, and the occasional woodpecker in the older broadleaf patches; the lake edge draws waterbirds, though sightings vary with the season.
Practical information
- Getting there: the wood is near Mullinaghta on the Lough Gowna shore. Check the Coillte page for directions and the forest map.
- Opening and admission: entry is free. Check Coillte’s page and any forestry notices before you set out.
- Accessibility: trails are unpaved. The Nature Trail suits most walkers on dry days; the Main Avenue Walk climbs the esker ridge and can turn slippery when wet.
- Dogs: keep dogs on leads on the Main Avenue Walk and any route you take.
- Safety: stay on marked paths near the riverbank and the rath earthwork, stay back from the shore when the water is high, and wear footwear with grip, as roots and damp leaf litter can be slick after rain.
Nearby attractions
If you have time to extend the day, the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre is a short drive away, built around an exceptionally preserved Iron Age bog road with displays on early Irish travel and peatland history. For a different kind of heritage stop, Ballinamuck is a quiet lakeside village with peaceful walks and the memorial to the 1798 Rebellion battle fought there. Both pair well with an afternoon at Derrycassan.
Come in late April or May for the bluebells, and bring a waterproof whatever the forecast.