This picturesque lake in the Comeragh mountains is named after William Crotty, an 18th century highway robber, who in the guise of a Robin Hood, had been the source of many legends in the parish of Rathgormack. His encounters with the British Army in the foothills of the Comeraghs have been the theme of many Seanachie tales which have been handed down through the past 250 years.
He was reputedly to have had a hideout in the rock crags above the lake prior to his ultimate capture in 1742. The following month he was executed by hanging in Waterford City.