Lady's Island Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lady's Island LakeLoch Tóchair |
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Lady's Island Lake at sunset, 2011
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 Lady's Island Lake
Loch Tóchair Location in Ireland
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| Location | County Wexford |
| Coordinates | 52°12′0″N 6°23′30″W / 52.20000°N 6.39167°W |
| Type | Brackish |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
Lady's Island Lake, or Loch Tóchair in Irish, is a unique body of water in the south of County Wexford, Ireland. It's not quite a freshwater lake and not quite the salty sea. Instead, it's a special type of lake called a brackish lake.
This means its water is a mix of fresh and salt water. It's like a giant, natural science experiment! The lake is also known as a back-barrier seepage lagoon. This is a fancy way of saying it's a shallow body of water separated from the ocean by a sandbar. Lady's Island Lake is one of only two such lagoons in all of Ireland.
Lady's Island Lake: A Special Place
Lady's Island Lake is very unusual because it has no direct connection to the Atlantic Ocean. A sand and gravel bar, about 200 meters wide, separates it from the sea. Fresh water flows into the lake from the land around it. At the same time, salt water from the ocean slowly seeps through the sandbar. This constant mixing creates the brackish water.
Sometimes, big storms can break through the sandbar. When this happens, a lot of salty ocean water rushes into the lake. This makes the lake much saltier for a while. Because of these changes, the plants and animals living in the lake must be able to handle different levels of saltiness. It's a tough but interesting environment!
Home to Amazing Birds
Lady's Island Lake is super important for many kinds of birds, especially terns. Terns are seabirds that look a bit like gulls but are usually smaller and more graceful. This lake is a vital breeding ground for them.
Scientists estimate that over 1,200 pairs of Sandwich terns come here to nest and raise their young. Even more importantly, about 150 pairs of the rare roseate tern also breed at the lake. This is the second largest group of roseate terns in all of Europe! Protecting this lake helps these beautiful birds survive and thrive.
Lady's Island: History and Pilgrimage
At the northern end of the lake, you'll find the village of Lady's Island. The 'island' itself isn't really an island anymore. It's connected to the mainland by a causeway, making it a peninsula that sticks out into the lake.
On this peninsula, you can explore some old buildings. There's a castle, a leaning stone tower, and the ruins of an old church. There's also a graveyard. The leaning tower is quite interesting. It was built on ground that wasn't very stable, so now it leans over at an angle.
The area in front of the castle is a special pilgrimage site. People come here to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every August, people from all over Ireland gather here to pray. It's a very old tradition that brings many visitors to the lake each year.
