McMahon Park (Clare Lake) is a 9-acre town park on the south side of Claremorris, wrapped around a quiet lake with a flat one-mile loop walk, three bridges, a lake crannóg and a fairy trail for kids.
A flat stone path loops the lake in roughly 45 minutes (about one mile / 3km) and is graded multi-access, so it suits buggies and wheelchairs. The loop crosses three bridges, including the humpback wooden bridge, the stone bridge over the stream and the Credit Union bridge.
Rustic seating around the water is placed for quiet stops to watch the ducks, swans and geese, listen to the brook and take in the reed beds and trees. The lake sits south of town and feels far from the traffic.
Behind the children's playground, a looped accessible path leads to the Land of Giants trail with feature attractions and wooden bridges. The playground sits by the entrance gate, so it pairs easily with the walk.
Six jetties give access to the water for coarse angling; the lake holds pike, perch, trout and eel. Fishing bye-laws apply to everyone using the jetties.
Seventeen thousand mostly native trees (oak, ash, willow, birch, alder) have been planted here, home to foxes, hares, badgers, bats and frogs, with 35 bird species listed on the display panel. Look for the 2,000-year-old crannóg in the lake and a 4,000-year-old one in the marsh, plus the band stand and remnants of the Famine-era workhouse.
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