A beautiful shot of Lough na Leibe. Picture © Brigit O'Connell.

Carrowkeel Cairn A Cairn B Cairns C & D Cairn E Cairn F Cairn G Cairn H Cairn K Cairn L Cairns M & N Cairns O & P Doonaveeragh   Kesh Corran Caves of Kesh Kesh Cairn Lough Arrow Heapstown Cairn Ardloy Sheereevagh Cairnanweeleen Treanmor Treanmacmurtagh Sheecor Moytura The Labby Rock Shee Lugh Guided Tours Map

Lough na Leibe Lough na Leibe, the Lake of the Bed is an enchanting spot nestled in the heart of the Bricklieve Mountains. The lake is 144 meters above sea level, and is fed by mountain springs which rise from under the surrounding cairn-decked hills. This area is one of the most mythological parts of County Sligo, and has an abundance of stories set in prehisoric times. There are ancient roads running by the lake which may have connected sites such as Rath Croghan in Roscommon to Knocknashee and Knocknarea. All of the hills in the area are topped by neolithic cairns - Carrowkeel lies just east of the lake, while Kesh Corran looms up on the west side. Immediately west of Lough na Leibe is Sheecor, possibly the home of Corran the Harper. There are two versions of how the lake was named. In one Leibe is a daughter of Manannan Mac Lir, and as so often happens in Celtic stories, the lake is named for the place where she drowned. The other vesion has the lake as one of the beds where Diarmuid and Grainne slept while they were fleeing from Fionn Mac Cumhal. Diarmuid and Grainne eventually settled down just north of the lake in the townland called Grainnemor. The water from Lough na Leibe flows south for less than a kilometer before entering a turlough (seasonal lake) called Lough Gowra, where it dissappears into the earth again.

Another aerial shot of the Bricklieves, this time from Ballisodare. Lough na Leibe is visible in the middle of the mountains, between Kesh Corran (right) and Carrowkeel (left). Picture © Leo Regan.