Lough Allen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lough Allen |
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Spencer Harbour
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 Lough Allen
Location in island of Ireland
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| Location | County Leitrim |
| Coordinates | 54°06′25″N 8°02′21″W / 54.10694°N 8.03917°W |
| Native name | Loch Aillionn Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| Primary inflows | River Shannon |
| Primary outflows | River Shannon |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Max. length | 17.7 km (11.0 mi) |
| Max. width | 4.8 km (3.0 mi) |
| Surface area | 35 km2 (14 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 4–5 m (13–16 ft) |
| Max. depth | 31 m (102 ft) |
| Islands | Corry Island, Drummans Island, Inishmagrath |
| Settlements | Arigna, Ballinaglera, Corry, Drumshanbo, Drumkeeran, Dowra, Keadue |
Lough Allen (which means Loch Aillionn in Irish) is a large lake in Ireland. It is located in the northeastern part of Connacht. Most of this lake is in County Leitrim, but a small part is also in County Roscommon.
Lough Allen is special because it is on the River Shannon, which is the longest river in Ireland. The lake is found south of where the River Shannon begins. It is the highest of the three main lakes along the river. The other two big lakes, Lough Ree and Lough Derg, are much further south.
Contents
About Lough Allen's Location
Lough Allen is about 17.7 kilometers (11 miles) long and 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) wide. The lake has a shape that looks a bit like a triangle. The River Shannon flows into the wider northern end of the lake. It then leaves the lake from the narrower southern end.
Other rivers also flow into Lough Allen. These include the Diffagher from the northwest, the Yellow River from the northeast, the Stoney from the east, and the Arigna from the southwest.
Roads run along the sides of the lake. The R280 road goes along the west side. The R207 road follows the east bank, connecting places like Ballinagleragh and Drumshanbo. On the north side, the R200 road travels west from Dowra to Drumkeeran. A mountain called Slieve Anierin is located to the east of Lough Allen.
Lake Life: Plants and Animals
Between 2001 and 2003, the water in Lough Allen was very clean. It was rated as "oligotrophic," which means it had very few nutrients. This is a sign of excellent water quality.
The pike fish living in Lough Allen are the "native Irish strain." This means they are the original type of pike found in Ireland. They are different from other types of pike found in Europe.
However, the lake's environment is facing some threats. Invasive species, which are plants or animals that are not native to the area and can cause harm, are a problem. These include curly waterweed, zebra mussels, and freshwater clams. They can take over and harm the native plants and animals in the lake.
Ancient History Around the Lake
Many signs of ancient human life have been found around Lough Allen. These discoveries date back to the Mesolithic period, also known as the Middle Stone Age. Hundreds of stone tools have been collected from the lakeshore.
In total, almost 1,000 stone tools were found during surveys. Most of these tools were made from a type of rock called silicified dolomite, which is found locally. A smaller number of tools were made from other materials like flint, chert, and quartz.
Most of these stone tools are from the Later Mesolithic period. There is also some evidence of activity from the Early Mesolithic and a little from the Neolithic period (New Stone Age). The tools include stone axes. Some of these axes were "roughouts," meaning they were partly made but not finished. These roughouts are the first ones found by a lake in Ireland. Most others were found at places where stone axes were quarried.
Lough Allen Through Time
Iron Works in the Past
People have been taking iron ore from the Slieve Anierin area for thousands of years. In the early 1600s, many mines and iron works were built close to Lough Allen. This was very helpful because the iron ore could be easily moved across the water in boats. These boats could carry up to 40 tons of ore!
During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, almost all the iron works were destroyed. But after the Irish Confederate Wars, many were rebuilt by the English. For a long time, the large forests around Lough Allen were cut down. The wood was turned into charcoal, which was needed to fuel the iron works. This industry eventually stopped in the 1800s.
Becoming a Reservoir
Between 1925 and 1929, a big project called the Shannon hydroelectric scheme was built. This project used the power of water to create electricity. Lough Allen became a storage reservoir for a power station that was nearly 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.
Special gates, called sluices, were built to control how much water flowed from the lake into the river. This helps to keep the river flowing during dry times. It also helps to manage flooding when there is too much rain. Because of this, the Lough Allen Canal, which was not used much anymore, became unusable. However, it was fixed and opened again in 1996.
Exciting Boat Races
In the mid-1800s, exciting boat races called regattas were held on Lough Allen. These races took place near Lough Allen Island, also known as O'Reilly's Island, at the southern end of the lake. The house on the island is now just a ruin.
Parties for the regattas were held at Birchill's House. Famous people attended these events, including E.K. Tenison, a world-famous photographer, and several captains. Some of the yachts that competed in these races were named 'Corsair,' 'Avenger,' 'Querida,' 'Meta,' and 'Shamrock.'
More recently, in September 2015, a group called the Water Wags from Dun Laoghaire organized a regatta on Lough Allen. They raced their historic open boats, which are 4.3 meters (14 feet 3 inches) long. This was likely the first regatta on the lake since the mid-1800s! Boats like Penelope (from 1933), Scallywag, Swift, Moosmie (from 1910), Mollie, Chloe, Marie Louise (from 1927), and Good Hope competed.
See also
In Spanish: Lago Allen para niños
