Rossclogher Castle – a Lough Melvin crannóg

Overview

MacClancy Castle, Rossclogher Castle on most maps, stands on a crannóg, a small man-made island, in Lough Melvin near Kinlough. The lake straddles the border between County Leitrim and County Fermanagh. The Leitrim County Council landscape assessment identifies the island with the MacClancys and records that Spanish Armada survivors sheltered there.

This is a ruin to know about rather than one to visit. The crannóg is not open to the public, and no public viewing point has been established. Leave the island undisturbed and keep out of the water and the adjoining land.

History and heritage

The castle was the seat of the MacClancys of Dartry, a family who held this corner of Leitrim as petty chiefs under the O’Rourkes of Breffny, whose own stronghold stood at Dromahair. Archaeological survey work in 2009 and 2010 recorded the crannóg platform, a rectangular tower-house and a spread of earthworks, including an enclosure linking the medieval church to an adjacent ringfort – a site that was both a defended residence and a local seat of power.

The tower-house follows the standard Irish design of the 1400s to 1600s: a vaulted ground floor for storage, a hall above, private rooms stacked over that. One notable episode came in 1588, when survivors of the Spanish Armada under Captain Francisco de Cuéllar sheltered here after their ships were wrecked on the Sligo coast to the west. The castle is a waypoint on the De Cuéllar Trail, which links Armada sites across the north-west.

There has been activity on the island far longer. A church stands beside the castle, and tradition ties the site to St Mogue (Mo Aodh Óg), though the dating is uncertain; the adjoining cemetery holds an old gravestone that speaks to long spiritual use of the spot. A 2022 documentary made for Heritage Week by Leitrim County Council’s Heritage Office and Dreoilín Productions brings the layers to life, with historian Francis Kelly, archaeologist Kieran O’Connor and local storytellers.

What to see and do

• The story – The tower-house, the church beside it and the earthworks show how a crannóg worked as a fortified island, and the 2022 Heritage Week documentary is the easiest way to see it in context.
• Lough Melvin – The lake is a quiet landscape of still water and surrounding hills.
• The De Cuéllar Trail – The trail links other Armada-related places along the north-west coast and is built for self-guided exploring.
• Cycling – For a separate public outing, use the county’s Lough Melvin cycle route and follow local road signs.
• Nearby – The short river walk to Fowley’s Falls at Rossinver and the ruins of Creevelea Abbey can be combined with a day around the lough.

Planning your visit

• Access – The island is not open to the public. Do not wade or cross to it, and do not enter adjoining land to look for a better view.
• Getting around – Keep to public roads and follow local road signs.

Key facts

If you want to follow the story further, start with the De Cuéllar Trail and the Heritage Week documentary rather than the lough shore.