Lough Fern () is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in north
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
Lough Fern is about south of Milford, on the R246 road, and north of
Letterkenny
Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...
. It measures about long and wide. The lake has two islands at its northern end, including one
crannog
A crannog (; ga, crannóg ; gd, crannag ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were bu ...
.
Hydrology
Lough Fern is fed mainly by the
River Leannan
The River Lennon or Leannan ( ga, An Leanainn) is a river in County Donegal, Ireland.
Course
The River Lennon rises in the Glendowan Mountains and flows through Gartan Lough and Lough Fern. It continues through Kilmacrennan and enters Lough ...
entering at its southern end and also by a stream entering at the northern end. The lake drains eastwards into the continuation of the Leannan, which in turn enters
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords ...
at
Rathmelton
Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. , its population was 1,266.
History
Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Milford, on th ...
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
,
three-spined stickleback
The three-spined stickleback (''Gasterosteus aculeatus'') is a fish native to most inland and coastal waters north of 30°N. It has long been a subject of scientific study for many reasons. It shows great morphological variation throughout its ra ...
,
perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...
and the critically endangered European eel. Lough Fern is part of the Leannan River
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...
{{Reflist, refs =
{{cite report , last1 = Free , first1 = Gary , last2 = Little , first2 = Ruth , last3 = Tierney , first3 = Deirdre , last4 = Donnelly , first4 = Karol , last5 = Caroni , first5 = Rossana , name-list-style = amp , url = https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/water/Final-Report-(2000-FS1-M1).pdf#page=17 , title = A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes , date = 2006 , pages = 11 , publisher =
Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland. It operates independently under the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
H ...
, access-date = 12 October 2022{{Google maps , url = https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lough+Fern,+Co.+Donegal,+Ireland/@55.0559513,-7.7165419,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x485fed7aa8a2e695:0xee70edb8f197d9db?hl=en , title = Lough Fern , access-date = 20 August 2015{{cite web , url = http://www.wfdfish.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Fern_report1.pdf , title = Water Framework Directive Fish Stock Survey of Lough Fern , publisher = Inland Fisheries Ireland , date = August 2011 , access-date = 20 August 2015{{cite web , url = http://www.logainm.ie/en/1166363 , title = Loch Fearna/Lough Fern , work =
Placenames Database of Ireland
The Placenames Database of Ireland ( ga, Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann), also known as , is a database and archive of place names in Ireland. It was created by Fiontar, Dublin City University in collaboration with the Placenames Branch of ...
Dublin City University
Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its ...
, access-date = 20 August 2015{{cite web , url = http://wfdfish.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Fern_prelim_report_2014.pdf , title = Preliminary Synopsis of the WFD Surveillance Monitoring Fish Stock Survey on Lough Fern , publisher = Inland Fisheries Ireland , date = August 2014 , access-date = 20 August 2015{{cite web , url = http://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/002176 , title = Leannan River SAC , publisher =
National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)
The National Parks and Wildlife Service () manages the Irish State's nature conservation responsibilities. As well as managing the national parks, the activities of the NPWS include the designation and protection of Natural Heritage Areas, Special ...
, access-date = 20 August 2015
Fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...