Official tourism website for Mourne Mountains and Ring of Gullion
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Cailleach Beara’s Lough

Drumintee Road, Killeavy, Armagh, BT35 8SW
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Where is the Calleach Beara's Lake?

The Calleach Beara's Lake can be found on the slopes of Slieve Gullion near to the summit. 

What is the legend associated with the Calleach Bear's Lake?

Legend has it that Fioonn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) one of the Fianna warriors, found a beautiful young lady crying at the water's edge.  When he asked her why she was crying she replied that she had dropped her ring into the bottomless lake.  Being the gentleman, Fionn immediately dived into the lake, swam down until he found the ring and returned to the top. 

However, when he resurfaced he was met with a laughing old hag, the Calleach Beara.  The witch had tricked Fionn and when he came out of the lake he was an old withered man.  On returning from the mountain no-one recogned Fionn, not even the Fianna.  The only recognition he gained was from his Irish hounds who realised it was their master from his scent.  Fionn, the Fianna and the hounds forced the Calleach Beara to restore Fionn to his youth but the story is told that his hair remained white, like an old man, for the rest of his life and aparently that is the fate of anyone who bathes in the Calleach Beara's Lake.

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