The lake is named from the bordering townland of "Keshcarrigan" (Irish: Ceis Charraigín), meaning the "Kesh, or causeway, near the little rock".[3]
Geography
Keshcarrigan Lough lies due south of Keshcarrigan village and Lough Scur, in Kiltubrid parish in south County Leitrim. The lake forms a tilted oblong shape, with a surface-area of 0.39 square kilometres (0.2 sq mi),[1][6] with depths of 4 metres (13.1 ft).[1] The level of Keshcarrigan Lough is the same as Lough Scur, and a channel of about 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) connects both lakes.[6] The lake is bounded by the townlands of Keshcarrigan to the north, Clooney to the south, Laheen to the west, Carrick to the north, and Toomans to the east.
Ecology
Fish present in Keshcarrigan Lough include "roach-bream hybrids", Roach, Perch, Bream up to 4lbs, and Pike.[1][7] The pike population is the "native Irish strain" (Irish: liús meaning 'Irish Pike') not the other European Pike strain (Irish: gailliasc meaning 'strange or foreign fish').[4] The lake has stocks of Pike up to 8 pounds (3.6 kg).[1]
Crayfish
A thriving population of white-clawed crayfish was reported here in 2009.[8] Keshcarrigan Lough, with a shallow rocky shore, has some ideal potential white-clawed crayfish habitat,[9] but the ecology is seriously threatened by zebra mussel infestation,[10] and indiscriminate importation of non-indigenous crayfish species.[11]
Reynolds, Julian D. (2011). Rees M; Nightingale J; Holdich DM (eds.). White-Clawed Crayfish in Ireland - under increasing threat. Vol. Species Survival: Securing white-clawed crayfish in a changing environment. Proceedings of a Conference held on 16 and 17 November 2010 in Bristol, UK. pp. 120–128.
Pedreschi, D.; Kelly-Quinn, M.; Caffrey, J; O'Grady, M.; Mariani, S.; Phillimore, A. (2014), "Genetic structure of pike (Esox lucius) reveals a complex and previously unrecognized colonization history of Ireland", Journal of Biogeography, 41 (3), Journal of Biogeography, 41(3), 548–560.: 548–560, doi:10.1111/jbi.12220, PMC4238397, PMID25435649