This is an alphabetical list of loughs (lakes) on the island of Ireland. It also shows a table of the largest loughs. The word lough is pronounced like loch (/lɒk, lɒx/) and comes from the Irish loch, meaning lake.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are an estimated 12,000 lakes in the Republic of Ireland, covering an area of more than 1,200 square kilometres.[1] The largest lough, by area, in Ireland is Lough Neagh. Lough Corrib is the second largest, and is the largest in the Republic. The largest lough, by water volume, is Lough Neagh, with Lough Mask being the largest in the Republic.

The list below contains only those loughs that are of geographic, geological, or historical importance and almost all of them are over a square kilometre in area. It includes loughs that are in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Those partly or wholly within Northern Ireland are marked with an asterisk (*).

Largest Irish lakes

The largest freshwater loughs in Ireland are:[2][3][4]

Rank (by area) Lake Area (km²) Mean Depth (m) Max Depth (m) Volume x 106m3 Shoreline (km)[5] County/Counties
1 Lough Neagh* 396 9.0 25 3,528 186 Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, County Londonderry
2 Lough Corrib[6] 176 6.5 50.9 1,158 392 Galway and Mayo
3 Lough Derg (Shannon)[7] 130 7.6 36 988 229 Tipperary, Clare and Galway
4 Lower Lough Erne*[8] 109 11.9 69 1,300 270 Fermanagh
5 Lough Ree[9] 105 6.2 35 651 192 Roscommon, Longford and Westmeath
6 Lough Mask[10] 83 15.0 58 1,300[11] 192 Mayo and Galway
7 Lough Conn[12] 50 7.0 34 350 108 Mayo
8 Lough Allen[13] 35 10.9 42.7 391 53 Leitrim and Roscommon
9 Upper Lough Erne*[14] 34 2.3 27 79 255 Fermanagh
10 Lough Melvin*[15] 23 7.8 44 175 54 Fermanagh and Leitrim
11 Lough Leane[16] 20 13.4 60 269 51 Kerry
12 Poulaphouca Reservoir[17] 20 6.8 135 64 Wicklow
13 Lough Sheelin[18] 19 4.4 15 83.6 36 Westmeath, Cavan, Meath
14 Lough Carra 16 1.8 18 28.8 75 County Mayo

Muckross Lake (the middle lake of the Killarney lakes) is the deepest Irish lake, with a maximum depth of 75 metres.[19]

(Volume = Area * Mean Depth)

Freshwater lakes

Lough Bunny in The Burren
Fishing boats on Inchiquin, Lough Corrib.
Lough Cullin, County Mayo under Nephin
Lough Dan
Donegal's Lough Derg and Station Island
Lough Derravaragh and Knockeyon
Derryclare Lough
Mayo's Doo Lough and Delphi Pass
Glanmore Lake
Glenbeg Lough
Glencar Lough and Benbulbin
Lough Gur
Lough Inagh and the Twelve Bens
Lough Key and Castle Island
Kylemore Lough and Diamond Hill
Lough Lene and Turgesius Island
Lower Lough MacNean and Inishee Island
Maumeen Lough and the Twelve Bens
Lough Tay and the Wicklow Mountains
Lough Veagh in the Glenveagh Valley
Lough Oughter at Killykeen

Lakes with the county/counties where they are situated and their area in square kilometres. Most of the Republic of Ireland lake areas are taken from the Environmental Protection Agency's A Reference based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes (pp. 10–13)[20]

Lake County Area (km²)
Lough Acoose County Kerry 0.66
Lough Aleck More County Donegal 0.61
Lough Alewnaghta County Clare and County Galway 0.55
Lough Allen County Leitrim 33.6
Lough Allua County Cork 1.36
Lough Anaserd County Galway 0.87
Annaghmore Lough County Roscommon 0.53
Lough Anure County Donegal 1.59
Ardderry Lough County Galway 0.81
Lough Arrow County Sligo and County Roscommon 12.47
Lough Atedaun County Clare 0.38
Lough Atorick County Clare 1
Aughrusbeg Lough County Galway 0.5
Ballycuirke Lough County Galway 0.74
Ballynahinch Lake County Galway 1.7
Ballysaggart Lough County Tyrone*
Lough Bane County Meath and Westmeath 0.75
Lough Barra County Donegal 0.63
Lough Beg County Londonderry and County Antrim* 4.7
Belhavel Lough County Leitrim 1.01
Lough Beltra County Mayo 4.1
Lough Boderg County Roscommon and County Leitrim 5.1
Lough Bofin County Galway 0.92
Lough Bofin County Leitrim and County Roscommon 2.6
Lough Brackley County Cavan 1.7
Lough Bunny County Clare 1.03
Cam Lough County Armagh 0.72
Caragh Lake County Kerry 4.9
Lough Carra County Mayo 15.6
Carrigadrohid Lake County Cork 5.8
Carrickaport Lough County Leitrim 0.46
Carrowmore Lake County Mayo 9.3
Castlefore Lough County Leitrim 0.21
Cavetown Lough County Roscommon 0.64
Clea Lake County Armagh*
Cloonacleigha Lough County Sligo 0.62
Cloonagh Lough County Roscommon 0.71
Cloonaghlin Lough County Kerry 1.28
Middle Cloonee Lough County Kerry 0.71
Lough Conn County Mayo 48.5
Lough Conway County Leitrim 0.6
Lough Corrib County Galway and County Mayo 172.9
Lough Corry County Roscommon 1.5
Lough Craghy County Donegal 0.5
Cross Lough County Mayo 1.11
Lough Cullaun County Clare 0.5
Lough Cullaunyheeda County Clare 1.55
Lough Cullin County Mayo 10.2
Lough Currane County Kerry 10.4
Lough Cutra County Galway 3.9
Lough Dan County Wicklow 1
Glendalough Upper Lake County Wicklow
Lough Derg Counties Clare, Galway and Tipperary 122.2
Lough Derg County Donegal 8.8
Lough Derravaragh County Westmeath 9.1
Derryclare Lough County Galway 2.24
Doo Lough County Clare 1.3
Doo Lough County Mayo 1.55
Dromore Lough County Clare 0.49
Drumaleague Lough County Leitrim 0.05
Durnesh Lough County Donegal 0.70
Lough Eidin (Drumharlow Lake) County Roscommon 2.8
Dunglow Lough County Donegal 0.61
Lough Dunlewey County Donegal 1.1
Easky Lough County Sligo 1.2
Lough Egish County Monaghan 1.2
Enagh Lough County Londonderry*
Lough Ennell County Westmeath 11.6
Lower Lough Erne County Fermanagh* 109
Upper Lough Erne County Fermanagh* 34
Errit Lough County Roscommon 0.82
Lough Eske County Donegal 3.8
Lough Fee County Galway 1.74
Lough Feeagh County Mayo 4
Lough Fern County Donegal 1.81
Lough Finn County Donegal 1.2
Lough Forbes County Longford 3
Lough Funshinagh County Roscommon 3.8
Lough Furnace County Mayo 1.8
Lough Gara County Sligo 12.6
Garadice Lough County Leitrim 3.9
Gartan Lough County Donegal 2.05
Lough Gill County Sligo 13.8
Lough Gill County Kerry 1.4
Glanmore Lake County Kerry 0.57
Glen Lough County Donegal 1.68
Glenade Lough County Leitrim 0.7
Glenbeg Lough County Cork 0.66
Glencar Lough County Leitrim and County Sligo 1.2
Glendollagh Lough County Galway 0.83
Lough Glenicmurrin County Galway 1.7
Lough Golagh County Donegal 0.6
Lough Gowna County Cavan and County Longford 4.2
Lough Graney County Clare 3.7
Lough Guitane County Kerry 2.46
Lough Gullion[21] County Armagh 1.3
Lough Gur County Limerick 0.8
Lough Inagh County Galway 3.1
Inchicronan Lough County Clare 1.2
Inchiquin Lough County Clare 1.08
Inchiquin Lough County Kerry 0.77
Lough Inniscarra County Cork 4.9
Loughinisland County Down*
Lough Iron County Westmeath
Lough Island Reavy County Down* 1
Islandeady Lough County Mayo 1.39
Keshcarrigan Lough County Leitrim 0.39
Lough Key County Roscommon 8.9
Kilglass Lough County Roscommon 2.02
Killinure Lough County Westmeath 2.6
Kiltooris Lough County Donegal 0.43
Lough Kinale Counties Longford, Westmeath and Cavan 1.95
Kindrum Lough County Donegal 0.61
Kylemore Lough County Galway 1.32
Lady's Island Lake County Wexford 3
Lough Leane County Kerry 19.78
Lough Lene County Westmeath 4.2
Lettercraffroe Lough County Galway 0.82
Levally Lough County Mayo 1.23
Lickeen Lough County Clare 0.84
Lower Lough MacNean[22] County Fermanagh 4.6
Upper Lough MacNean[23] County Fermanagh*, County Cavan and County Leitrim 10
Lough Marrave County Leitrim 0.1
Lough Mask County Mayo and County Galway 83.4
Maumeen Lough County Galway 0.56
Maumwee Lough County Galway 0.28
Lough Meela County Donegal 0.57
Lough Meelagh County Roscommon 1.16
Lough Melvin County Fermanagh* and County Leitrim 22.1
Lough Mourne County Donegal 0.67
Muckanagh Lough County Clare 0.96
Lough Muckno County Monaghan 3.6
Muckross Lake County Kerry 2.7
Lough Nacung Upper County Donegal 2.1
Lough Nafooey County Galway 2.5
Lough Neagh Counties Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone and Londonderry 396
Lough O'Flynn County Roscommon 1.37
Lough Oughter County Cavan 6.6
Lough Owel County Westmeath 10.2
Poulaphouca Reservoir County Wicklow 19.5
Portmore Lough County Antrim* 2.86
Lough Ramor County Cavan 7.1
Lough Rea County Galway 3
Lough Ree County Westmeath, County Longford and County Roscommon 106.1
Rinn Lough County Leitrim 1.65
Ross Lake County Galway 1.4
Lough Scur County Leitrim 1.14
Lough Sheelin County Cavan, County Meath and County Westmeath 18.2
Lough Sheever County Westmeath
Lough Shindilla County Galway 0.7
Lough Sillan County Cavan 1.6
Lough Skean County Roscommon 1.14
St. John's Lough County Leitrim 1.46
Tacumshin Lake County Wexford 3.2
Lough Talt County Sligo 1.1
Lough Tay County Wicklow 0.5
Templehouse Lough County Sligo 1.2
Upper Lake, Killarney County Kerry 1.7
Upper Lough Skeagh County Cavan 0.61
Urlaur Lough County Mayo 1.15
Lough Veagh County Donegal 2.61
White Lough County Monaghan 0.54
Loughs Yganavan and Nambrackdarrig County Kerry

Brackish loughs

An example of a brackish lagoon is Lady's Island Lake, County Wexford

Turloughs

Main article: Turlough (lake)

Reservoirs

Sea loughs

Fjords

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lakes of Ireland.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lakes of Northern Ireland.
  1. ^ EPA Water Quality in Ireland 2010–2015, Section 3.1, page 27. Environmental Protection Agency, 2017. ISBN 978-1-84095-735-8.
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey Ireland: Mountains, Rivers and Lakes
  3. ^ Fishing in Ireland, Lough Derg
  4. ^ UK Environmental Change Network, Lough Erne
  5. ^ Ordnance Survey Ireland Generalised Rivers & Lakes dataset (attribute table)
  6. ^ Lagarosiphon major – An Aggressive Invasive Species in Lough Corrib
  7. ^ World Lake Database Archived 2015-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Heavily Modified Water Bodies – North Western River Basin District P.31 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ World Lake Database Archived 2015-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Mayo County Council P.8
  11. ^ Mayo County Council P.12
  12. ^ “The trophic status of Lough Conn” P.7 by Mayo County Council
  13. ^ EPA P158
  14. ^ Heavily Modified Water Bodies – North Western River Basin District P.29 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ EPA P159
  16. ^ North South Shared Aquatic Resource (NS Share) P.15[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ North South Shared Aquatic Resource (NS Share) P.16[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Sampling fish for the Water Framework Directive P.3
  19. ^ Glen Fia: Lakes of Killarney
  20. ^ "A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). 2006. pp. 10–13. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  21. ^ Northern Ireland Environment Agency
  22. ^ Inland Fisheries of Ireland: Sampling Fish (Page 2)
  23. ^ Inland Fisheries of Ireland: Sampling Fish (Page 2)
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