The view is enhanced by a modern steel sculpture of an Irish chieftain mounted on horseback (see photograph).

The area around Lough Key and the nearby town of Boyle, in County Roscommon, has been inhabited for thousands of years.

The earliest record dates to 1184, in the Annals of Loch Cé, where a lightning strike is reported to have started a fire in "The Rock of Loch-Cé," a "very magnificent, kingly residence."

The King family acquired the land around Lough Key in the 17th century Cromwellian Settlement,[4] renaming the area from Moylurg to Rockingham.

A 2007 development[9] added a number of new attractions including a forest canopy walkway and children's play areas, to cater to the "21st-century visitor".

An extensive area around the then-derelict Rockingham house became the Forest Park and this was looked after by the Department of Forestry.

Famed harpist Turlough O'Carolan is buried at Kilronan, three miles (5 km) to the north of the lake.