The Glenfarne Demesne lies on the shores of Lough MacNean. The lake marks the border between the counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh.
A demesne refers to the portion of land that was retained by the lord of the manor for his own personal occupation and the Glenfarne Demesne was once part of the Tottenham Estate, which in the 1870s included over 14,500 acres of land in Leitrim.
The estate was later acquired by Sir Edward Harland of Harland & Wolfe Shipyard in Belfast who used it as a hunting lodge. He died there on 24th December 1895 and his remains were taken from the railway station in Glenfarne to Belfast where the cortege was met by thousands of shipyard workers. It is said that the flagstones that line the quay in the shipyard where the Titanic was built came from quarries on the Glenfarne Estate.
Today looped trails, of varying lengths, have been sensitively established and offer panoramic views of Northern Ireland on the other side of the lake. The trails take you from the car park along the edge of Lough MacNean, returning through a diverse and varied forest. A feature of the trails is the presence of a number of sculptures which form a section of the Lough MacNean sculpture trail. The sculpture trail comprises eleven pieces which are to be found around upper and lower Lough MacNean.
A historical feature known as Myles Big Stone sits adjacent to the trails. It is thought to have been a place of worship in olden times.
There is a picnic area and boat quay at the lake.
