Lurgan Park Lake

Having just spent £20,000 on 20 new fishing platforms, Lurgan Park Lake is ideal for a spot of angling. Contents of the lake include tench, pike, bream, roach and carp. This 59-acres man-made lake was dug during the Famine as a means of creating jobs for the local people At the time of its construction the lake was one of the largest hand dug lakes in Ireland. The artificial lake was one of the chief improvements to Lord Brownlow’s demesne, and it was during its construction that the term “Lurgan Spade” came into use. According to residents of the town, the workmen who were digging the lake worked for 1 1/2d to 3d a day, less than ordinary rate of wages. The workers were known as the Spades and due to the unpleasant nature of the work and their meagre rewards they were repudiated to be particularly sombre. As a result anyone who looks downtrodden or forlorn is to this day described as “having a face like a Lurgan spade”.