Good things come to those who wait in wellies

Photographer Hu O'Reilly continues his popular series 'Chasing the Magical 365' in his quest to record and photograph all 365 lakes in County Cavan...

It's 5.30am and pitch dark. I'm arriving at the parking area at Lough Oughter, on the south side of Cloughoughter Castle viewing point at Inishconnell.

The weather has been good over the past few days so I'm hoping to get a night time shot of the lake and castle from the shore.

On this morning, to my initial disappointment, there is a dense fog. This is going to affect my shoot but I'm here now so I'll just have to adapt and get the best shots I can.

I put my main camera bag on my back, my drone camera bag on my front and my tripod bag on my shoulder. Using my phone light to shine the way, it's hard to see more than a few meters ahead in the thick fog.

I climb over a gate and along a muddy path near the lakeshore. There’s a clearing near the shore, I stop and check with my maps if there might be a view of the castle from there. It doesn't look promising. I venture further along the dirt path, through a wooded area, through darkness and fog.

After a while, I reach another clearing. This time my maps tell me I might be at a better viewing point for the castle. I set up my tripod and cameras and wait for the fog to lift. I wait for sunrise. Bird song and mallards quacking in the distance reverberate across the lake.

It's quite a surreal experience. Normally when I'm setting up a shot I can actually see what I am photographing - but this time is different. I'm looking at darkness and a thick blanket of fog. Now it's a waiting game.

Slowly the darkness fades, but the fog stubbornly remains. There’s no view of anything on the lake ahead. After some time, though, the fog begins to burn off. The outline of the Cloughoughter Castle dominating a petite island in the middle of Lough Oughter tentatively emerges from the gloom.

There is a lot of history to this charming ruin. The island may even be a crannóg – a man-made island. It’s hard to imagine the back breaking labour it would have taken to create such a perch. Its edge sits like a slack belt around the trunk tower.

A fortress may have been here since the 6th Century. This castle dates back to the early 13th Century when the Anglo-Norman family of William Gorm de Lacy wrested it from the O’Rourkes. The impressive structure was completed by the O’Reilly clan in 1233 once they stamped their authority on the area.

The O’Reillys lay claim to the area for many centuries after that, despite conflict with the O’Rourkes and from within their own clan too.

The location and stout defences made it an ideal place to hold captives of note. Philip O’Reilly was imprisoned there in the 1360s where he was given "no allowance save a sheaf of oats for day and night and a cup of water so that he was compelled to drink his own urine”.

After the Plantation of Ulster in 1610, the castle was granted to Captain Hugh Culme, who retained it until another Philip O’Reilly seized control of it in the 1641 Rebellion. O'Reilly reintroduced Culme to the castle by holding him prisoner there.

In 1649 Owen Roe O’Neill, the legendary commander of the Ulster forces, died at the castle. His death was rumoured to be poison by the crown forces, but more than likely it was an illness caused by gout.

Cloughoughter Castle was one of the last strongholds of the Irish rebellion until Cromwell’s forces fired canons from the Inishconnell shore and breached its thick walls in 1653. The gouged out walls were never rebuilt. Somehow this doesn't detract from its wonder, in fact it stands testament to its dramatic backstory. It's well worth a visit by boat or kayak.

Being on the lakeshore at sunrise to photograph the castle is a magical experience. There is a sense of awe and mystery as its compromised outline becomes visible in the distance. I imagine it's similar to the experience of what it's like travelling in space and seeing another spaceship slowly appear into view as you approach.

I busily shoot the slowly evolving scene with my two cameras and I take a time-lapse video with my smartphone. But the fog lingers taking another hour before the castle and the destructive power of Cromwell’s canonblasts are clearly visible. I take some more photographs – having my tripod set up in the lake for the best reflections. I’m glad I packed my wellies as I’ve joined the tripod, wading into the chilly waters, to get the best shot.

I send the drone skywards to shoot photos and video footage. These images are quite dramatic and interesting as the fog adds an element of depth and perspective to the scene.

Time then to pack up and head back. Walking back along the overgrown muddy forest path, back over the gate and to where I parked up almost three hours earlier.

While the morning didn’t pan out as expected because of the weather, I’m happy with what I got. Some more interesting photographs of a truly magical place, another hidden gem in a county full of unspoiled beauty.