Lough Derg | |
---|---|
Loch Deirgeirt | |
Coordinates | 52°59′N8°19′W / 52.983°N 8.317°W |
Type | Freshwater lake |
Primary inflows | River Shannon |
Primary outflows | River Shannon |
Basin countries | Ireland |
Max. length | 38.6 km (24.0 mi) |
Max. width | 12.9 km (8.0 mi) |
Surface area | 130 km2 (50 sq mi) |
Average depth | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
Max. depth | 36 m (118 ft) |
Water volume | 0.887 km3 (0.213 cu mi) |
Residence time | 0.15 years |
Shore length1 | 179,000 m (587,000 ft) |
Surface elevation | 33.5 m (110 ft) |
Settlements | Garrykennedy, Portumna, Killaloe & Ballina, Dromineer, Terryglass |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lough Derg, historically Lough Dergart (Irish : Loch Deirgeirt), [1] is a freshwater lake in the Shannon River Basin, Ireland. It is the third-biggest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh and Lough Corrib) and the second largest lake in the Republic of Ireland.
It is a long, narrow lake, with shores in counties Clare (south-west), Galway (north-west), and Tipperary (to the east). It is the southernmost of three large lakes on the River Shannon; the others being Lough Ree and Lough Allen. Towns and villages on Lough Derg include Portumna, Killaloe & Ballina, Dromineer, Terryglass, Mountshannon and Garrykennedy.
The lake's name evolved from the Irish Loch Deirgdheirc. [1] This was one of the names of The Dagda, the father of gods and men in Irish mythology, and literally means "red eye". [2]
Lough Derg has many islands including Inis Cealtra or Holy Island.
At its deepest, the lake is 36 m (118 ft) deep and covers an area of 130 km2 (50 sq mi). [3] Close downstream from where Lough Derg empties into the Shannon are the falls of Doonass, the largest fall on the otherwise gently sloping river. Nearby is the location of the hydroelectric power plant at Ardnacrusha, which, when built in 1927 was the world's largest.
In the nineteenth century, Lough Derg was an important artery from the port at Limerick to Dublin through the canals in the midlands of Ireland. Navigable over its full 38.6 km (24.0 mi) length, Lough Derg is today popular with cruisers and other pleasure craft, as well as sailing and fishing. The University of Limerick has an activity centre by the lake, just north of Killaloe, where there are canoes, kayaks, windsurfing, sailing dingies, and other recreations.
Lough Derg is home to an RNLI Lifeboat which is based at Dromineer, the first inland station in Ireland. [4] In June 2013, 35 people were brought to safety when a major rescue effort was undertaken after an international rowing event was hit by severe weather. [5]
Dublin City Council published a plan in 2011 for a pipeline to supply up to 350 million litres of water a day from Lough Derg to Dublin city and region. In 2016 the Parteen Basin at the south of lough was chosen as the proposed site of extraction. Water would be pumped to a break pressure tank at Knockanacree near Cloughjordan in County Tipperary and gravity fed from there to Dublin. [6] [7] [8] [9]
A breeding pair of white-tailed eagles first nested on an island in Lough Derg in 2012. This marked a great success for the Irish reintroduction programme started in the summer of 2007. [10] [11] [12]
Nitellopsis obtusa , an invasive alga in the family Characeae (stoneworts), was first recorded in Ireland in this lough in 2016. [13] In 2021, invasive quagga mussels were discovered in the lake and in Lough Ree by a research team from UCD. [14]
The North-East Shore is listed as a Special Area of Conservation. [15]
The River Shannon ) is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at 360 km in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of 16,900 km2 (6,525 sq mi), – approximately one fifth of the area of Ireland.
Dromineer is a small village and townland in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is on the shores of Lough Derg, 8 km north-west of Nenagh on the R495 road. It is also a civil parish in the historical barony of Ormond Lower. Historic documents describe the places as "Dromynnyre"; the earliest form of the name dating from 1302 was Dromynwyr.
The Shannon hydroelectric Scheme was a major development by the Irish Free State in the 1920s to harness the power of the River Shannon. Its product, the Ardnacrusha power plant, is a hydroelectric power station located near Ardnacrusha within County Clare approximately 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) from the Limerick border. It is Ireland's largest river hydroelectric scheme and is operated on a purpose built headrace connected to the River Shannon. The plant includes fish ladders so that returning fish, such as salmon, can climb the river safely past the power station.
Killaloe is a small town in east County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the River Shannon on the western bank of Lough Derg and is connected by Killaloe Bridge to the "twin town" of Ballina on the eastern bank of the lake.
Mountshannon is a village in east County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish Mountshannon-Whitegate. The village is on the western shore of Lough Derg, north of Killaloe. Mountshannon won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1981.
Puckane, officially Puckaun, is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The village is located 10 km north of Nenagh along the R493 and close to Lough Derg and Dromineer. It had a population of 250 people as of the 2016 census.
Terryglass is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The small town is located on the R493 regional road on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg near where the River Shannon enters the Lough. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Ormond Lower. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe,. Terryglass won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1983 and 1997.
Ballina, from Irish: Béal an Átha, meaning 'mouth of the ford', is a census town that lies on the River Shannon in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated on the eastern shore of Lough Derg across from its 'twin-town' of Killaloe on the west bank of the lake. The towns are joined by Killaloe Bridge.
Birdhill is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is in the barony of Owney and Arra and is part of the parish of Newport, Birdhill and Toor in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Its Irish name was historically anglicised as Knockan or Knockaneeneen.
The R494 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs southwest-northeast from Junction 27 of the M7 at Birdhill, County Tipperary to the N52 at Nenagh - all in County Tipperary. It leaves the M7 and loops around the Arra Mountains between the hills and Lough Derg returning to what was the N7 in Nenagh.
Donald Attig is an inventor, boat designer, entrepreneur, yachtsman and adventurer.
The East Clare Way is a long-distance trail in County Clare, Ireland. It is a 180-kilometre (112-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Killaloe. It is typically completed in eight days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by East & Mid Clare Way Limited and the East Clare Way Committee.
The Lough Derg Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is 68 kilometres long, beginning in Limerick City and ending in Dromineer, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in three days.
Garrykennedy is a townland, settlement and harbour in the historical Barony of Owney and Arra, County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located on the eastern shore of Lough Derg, 2 km north of Portroe.
Killaloe Bridge is a road bridge over the River Shannon between Ballina in County Tipperary and Killaloe, County Clare in Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier structure, the eighteenth-century bridge has thirteen arches and includes a lifting section that was added in 1929. The bridge has only one vehicular lane, with traffic lights to control vehicle movement. The bridge is a protected structure, listed on the Record of Protected Structures by both Clare County Council (#210) and Tipperary County Council (#S672).
Inishcaltra is a civil parish in the barony of Leitrim in County Clare, Ireland. The main settlement in the parish is the village of Mountshannon. It is noted for the eponymous island of Inis Cealtra, which is an ancient Christian monastic site. In the Catholic Church, the parish is part of the ecclesiastical parish of Mountshannon (Clonrush).
Clonrush or Clonmulsk is a civil parish in the barony of Leitrim, now in County Clare, Ireland. The largest settlement in the parish is Whitegate.
The Shannon River Basin consists of the area containing Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon, and all of its tributaries and lakes. The official Ordnance Survey Ireland length of the Shannon from its Shannon Pot source is 224 miles (360 km) made up of 63.5 miles (102.2 km) tidal water flow and 160.5 miles (258.3 km) freshwater flow.
Green and Silver is the account by Tom Rolt of a voyage through the inland waterways of Ireland just after the Second World War, published in 1949. It is notable because it was one of the last trips by any boat around the triangular loop of the River Shannon, Grand Canal, and Royal Canal before the last name was closed to navigation. It was reopened in 2010.
The River Shannon to Dublin pipeline, officially the Water Supply Project, Eastern and Midlands Region, is a planned project to bring water from the Parteen Basin on the River Shannon to Peaumont to supply the Dublin region and areas along the route in counties Tipperary, Offaly and Westmeath.