Lecarrow sits on the eastern shore of Lough Ree, the largest lake in the Irish midlands. It is a quiet place, known mostly for the marina and the Lecarrow Canal—a narrow, dark strip of water cutting inland like something half-remembered.
The canal was built in the nineteenth century as a public works project. The story of such canals is the story of Ireland in that era: labour desperately needed, money scarce, and a government deciding that digging a canal to nowhere was better than leaving people with nothing to do. It worked. The canal exists. Whether it was ever meant to lead anywhere is a question they seem to have stopped asking.
The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
About 30 minutes south of Roscommon town. The road is minor and winds. Lough Ree is your landmark—once you see the water, Lecarrow is nearby.