Lough Gara

Lough Gara was known in ancient times as Lough Techet, but the O’Garas, during their ownership of the Coolavin district from about the thirteenth century, renamed the lake “Lough O'Gadhra”. The first documented reference appeared in 1285. Even though the family lost control of all their Coolavin townlands about 1650, their name has remained on the lake to the present day. The area around Lough Gara is referred to as “O'Gara heartland”. more info

by Maura O’Gara-O'Riordan