On a trip to Co. Mayo to attend the monthly meeting of the Lough Carra Catchment Association, we spent some time at Moore Hall. Burned down during the Irish Civil War in 1923, the ruins of Moore Hall are an important place for many who care about the lake and the area’s history. Moore Hall and those who resided there play important roles in the region’s past and the stories told of area’s experience of the famine. It also has a symbolic role in understandings of Lough Carra’s more recent changes. Moore Hall inspires memories of how the area, and the lake, looked just a few decades ago. The area around Moore Hall has become heavily forested and the home’s clear view of the lake is now obscured by trees and foliage. A local foresty company operates nearby and until recently owned the land at Moore Hall. In 2018, Mayo County Council bought Moore Hall from the forestry company to redevelop the area into a local tourist attraction.
