Lough Erne, sometimes
Loch Erne , is the name of two connected
lakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s in
County FermanaghFermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
,
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The lakes are widened sections of the
River ErneThe River Erne , in the northwest of Ireland, rises in Beaghy Lough, two miles south of Stradone in County Cavan and flows 64 miles through Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter and Upper and Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, to the sea at Ballyshannon, County Donegal...
. The
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further
up the river and so is named Upper Lough Erne. The northern lake is Lower Lough Erne. The town of
EnniskillenEnniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
lies on the short stretch of the river between the lakes. The lakeside is high and rocky in some parts and, in addition to the 154 islands, there are many coves and inlets. When windy, navigation on Lower Lough Erne, running for 26 miles almost to the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, can be something of a challenge with waves of open-sea dimensions. Shallow Upper Lough Erne, spreading southeast of Enniskillen for about 12 miles, is a maze of
islandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s.. River Erne is 100km long and drains an area of about 4,350km2.
Islands
The lakes contain many small
islandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s and
peninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
s, which are also called "islands" because of the highly convoluted shoreline and because many of them were islands prior to two extensive drainage schemes in the 1880s and the 1950s which dropped the water level by about 1.5 metres.
Islands in Lower Lough Erne
Islands in the lower lake include
Boa IslandBoa Island is an island near the north shore of Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is 25 kilometres from Enniskillen town....
, Cleenishmeen Island, Crevinishaughy Island, Cruninish Island,
Devenish IslandDevenish or Devinish is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Aligned roughly north–south, it is about one and a quarter miles long and two-thirds of a mile wide. The main place to get a ferry to the island is at Trory Point, just outside Enniskillen.- Features...
, Ely Island, Goat Island, Horse Island, Inish Doney, Inish Fovar, Inish Lougher, Inish More, Inishmacsaint, Inishmakill,
Lustybeg IslandLusty Beg Island is an island located in Lower Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the early 20th century, Lady Hunt from Alberta in Canada owned Lustymore Island and Lusty Beg Island...
,
Lustymore IslandLustymore Island is an island located in Lower Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.Nearby Boa Island, in its Caldragh cemetery has a carved Janus type figure. A second figure was brought to Caldragh in 1939 from Lustymore Island....
and
White IslandWhite Island is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Castle Archdale Bay off the east shore of Lower Lough Erne. The ruins of an ancient church are found near the shore, built on the site of an earlier monastic settlement. It still has an intact...
.
Islands in Upper Lough Erne
Those in the upper lake include Bleanish Island, Dernish Island, Inishcorkish, Inishcrevan, Inishfendra, Inishleague, Inishlught, Inishturk, Killygowan Island, Naan Island and Trannish. Several of the islands are privately owned, and occasionally come on to the open market. In 2007 Inishturk went on the market at the price of £695,000.
History
Interestingly, Fermanagh escaped the potato blight disease during the Great Famine better than any other county, as the county had so many islands. The potato blight had difficulty travelling over water, compared to the easier transmission across the green hills and fields of most of Ireland. Those Erne islands produced surprising amounts of potatoes (the staple diet on the island, from 1845–1849), whilst the mainland was largely starving in comparison.
The
Annals of UlsterThe Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
were written in the late 15th century on Belle Isle, an island in Upper Lough Erne.
Administration
Waterways IrelandWaterways Ireland is one of the six all-Ireland North/South implementation bodies established under the Belfast Agreement in 1999. It is responsible for the management, maintenance, development, and restoration of inland navigable waterways primarily for recreational purposes...
, a cross-border organisation, established under the Belfast Agreement 1999, is responsible for navigation on the Erne System, as well the island of Ireland's other navigable waterways.
Rivers AgencyThe Rivers Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development . It is the statutory drainage and flood defence authority for Northern Ireland. DARD is the competent authority for the implementation of the EU Floods directive and has deligated the day to day...
, an executive agency within Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, retains ownership of the bed and foreshore and manages water levels within the ranges specified in the
Erne Drainage and Development Act (1950). Water level control is undertaken in conjunction with the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic of Ireland under the terms of an agreement made in 1950 when the River Erne was harnessed for hydroelectric power generation. The agreement requires that levels are maintained in the Upper Lough between 150 ft. and 154ft. (Apr. – Sept.) / 155ft. (Oct. – Mar.), and in the Lower Lough between 147ft. and 152ft. These levels relate to the Irish grid datum at
Poolbeg LighthousePoolbeg Lighthouse in Dublin Bay was built in 1768 and initially operated on candlepower but changed to oil in 1786...
and is in imperial measurements of feet.
Water levels in Upper and Lower Lough Erne are managed by a control structures located at Portora in Enniskillen and by the hydro electric power station at Cliff between Belleek and Ballyshannon, in the Republic of Ireland. During the summer period it is aimed to keep the water level at the down steam side of Portora, at or above, 150ft. to avoid the need for the gates to be closed requiring the use of the navigation lock. This is to prevent restriction to boat traffic using the navigation facilities at the peak tourist period.
Rapid draw down of water levels in the Upper Lough is prevented by the restricted capacity of the inter-lough channel section. This means that
Rivers AgencyThe Rivers Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development . It is the statutory drainage and flood defence authority for Northern Ireland. DARD is the competent authority for the implementation of the EU Floods directive and has deligated the day to day...
must anticipate significant inflows by drawing down the loughs to ensure flood storage is available. In November 2009 the Erne system experienced a very significant flood event. The water levels were the highest recorded since the changes to the system in the 1950s.
Sport and tourism
Lough Erne is a particularly scenic waterway, renowned for its beautiful setting. The area is popular for
anglingAngling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
and watersports, with waterskiing,
RowingRowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and
wakeboardingWakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
being amongst the most popular; the stretch of water alongside the Broadmeadow,
EnniskillenEnniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, has hosted stages of the World Waterski Championships annually since 2005, and in 2007, a pro-wakeboard competition, 'Wakejam' was hosted by the Erne Wakeboard Club (EWC) after successful national wakeboard competitions in the previous years. Canoeing is also a popular recreational sport on the Erne.
Lough Erne Yacht Club is based in Gublusk Bay. The Lough Erne Regatta is
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
’s oldest event for racing under sail, with a lineage beyond 1820.
The Lough Erne Golf & Hotel Resort was opened in October 2007 by Irish businessman Jim Treacy. It is situated on a 600-acre peninsula between Castle Hume Lough and Lower Lough Erne. On 12 May 2011 it was announced that Castle Hume Leisure Limited – the owner of the hotel – had gone into administration, and as of May 2011 its future is uncertain.
Shannon-Erne Waterway
A canal, the
Shannon-Erne WaterwayThe Shannon-Erne Waterway is a canal linking the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland with the River Erne in Northern Ireland. Managed by Waterways Ireland, the canal is in length, has sixteen locks and runs from Leitrim village in County Leitrim to Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh...
, runs between the upper end of the
River ShannonThe River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
and the River Erne, allowing boat movements from the Shannon estuary in southwest Ireland, through the western midlands of the country, across to the northwest and out to the Atlantic again (although the final section to the Atlantic side of Belleek is not navigable).
External links