Lough Derg (Shannon)

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).

For the lake in County Donegal, see Lough Derg, County Donegal.

Lough Derg
Loch Deirgeirt
Coordinates52°59′N 8°19′W
Primary inflowsRiver Shannon
Primary outflowsRiver Shannon
Basin countriesIreland
Max. length38.6 km (24.0 mi)
Max. width12.9 km (8.0 mi)
Surface area130 km2 (50 sq mi)
Average depth7.6 m (25 ft)
Max. depth36 m (118 ft)
Water volume0.887 km3 (0.213 cu mi)
Residence time0.15 years
Shore length1179,000 m (587,000 ft)
Surface elevation33.5 m (110 ft)
SettlementsGarrykennedy, Portumna, Killaloe & Ballina, Dromineer, Terryglass
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
The location of Lough Derg in 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, an Irish god, and literally means "red eye".[2]

Geography

At its deepest, the lake is 36 metres[3] deep and covers an area of 130 km² (50.2 sq miles). 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.

Usage

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 40 km length, Lough Derg is today popular with cruisers and other pleasure craft, as well as sailing and fishing. The University of Limerick have 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]

Ecology

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]

The North-East Shore is listed as a Special Area of Conservation.[14]

Towns/villages
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See also
  • List of loughs in Ireland

References
  1. Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. MacKillop, James. Myths and Legends of the Celts. Penguin, 2006. p.137
  3. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "loughderglifeboat.com". Archived from the original on 8 February 2004. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  5. Hilliard, Mark. "Lough Derg rescue operation brings 35 ashore after rowing event". www.irishtimes.com. THE IRISH TIMES. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  6. http://www.watersupplyproject.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/appendix_g_break_pressure_tank.pdf
  7. "Warning over Shannon water extraction". RTÉ. 31 July 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/business/196725/Shannon-water-extraction-a-concern-for.html
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Sea eagles return to Irish nest". The Irish Times. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  11. RTÉ: Rare eagle reintroduced to Ireland
  12. White-tailed Eagle
  13. Minchin, D., Boelens, R. and Roden, C. 2017. The first record of Nitellopsis obtusa (N.A.Desvaux) J.Groves (Charophyceae, Characeae) in Ireland (H9,H10). Irish Naturalists' Journal 35(2) p.105-109
  14. http://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/protected-sites/conservation_objectives/CO004058.pdf
  15. Waterways Ireland ePortal Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
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